Rainbow Studios comes at us with another title in their alternative racing series. Their first on the Playstation 3, MX vs. ATV Untamed takes the best features of past titles and expands upon them with new vehicles and modes of play. Untamed touts itself as the comprehensive racing title with everything for every type of player, and believe me, there is plenty to explore and keep you busy in this game.

Depending on your style of racing and your experience, Untamed provides players with a multitude of playing options, difficulties and customization options to make your racing experience as optimal as possible. You also get your choice of racing vehicles from bikes, ATV’s, and ORV sport buggies, to trophy trucks, monster trucks and more. In fact, there is even an option that lets racers choose whatever vehicle they want and race against each other in an all out road war ala Motorstorm. There are also many race types to chose from, including split screen, LAN, and online game modes. You can make your choice of quick races, create a custom event or take part in tournaments. As well, there are a number of mini-games to play online such as graffiti, tag, ice hockey (only available in split screen mode), and my personal favourite, snake (think Tron).

The controls in the game are fairly simple compared to other racing titles out there. Additions to the basic package include a clutch, a stunt modifier (for ATV’s and bikes), a scrub / whip feature, power slides, and a multitude of different camera views to choose from. You can also link different tricks together for bonus points that equate to bonus money. These tricks are performed by combining the triangle, circle and R1 buttons with directions while in the air or on a straightaway to prevent you from flying off your ride. Tack on the optional Sixaxis motion sensor and you’ve got tilt action off road steering. The controls are pretty fast and react well to the slightest touch. However, if you’re looking for a realistic racing simulator, this is not the title for you.

Presented in 720p, Untamed does look fairly nice. The menu is sharp, edgy, and modern, but at the same time, feels very simple and boring. Some aspects of this game appear very realistic and detailed. Mud, tracks, and signs that can be ripped at the specific location your ATV flies into it all look great. However everything else in this game graphically seems lacking compared to something like Motorstorm. The track layouts are interesting and provide an entertaining racing experience. They are, however, sparse in terms of detail and extra additions such as people and buildings. When racing as a larger vehicle the crashes are nothing more than a car flipping on its back and staying there for a second (kind of like a robo-turtle). The smaller vehicles such as ATV’s and bikes are where you can express your sadistic side. When flipping out or messing up a stunt, the bodies fly farther then a Happy Gilmore shot. When racing against multiple people, there is real satisfaction in running over your opponent’s lifeless body before it magically disappears back into the race. The graphics get the job done but could have been so much more. In a racing game, I expect a graphical experience that lets me feel how fast I am racing. This feeling was lacking in MX vs. ATV Untamed.

In terms of how this game sounds, the revving engines and mud splatters of all the various vehicles are all present and sound as realistic as any other racing game out there. The real surprise came from the sound track. In fact, while writing this review I actually have the game playing with my monitor off just to listen to the music. Consisting of mostly punk rock, as well as some hip hop, Untamed offers hit singles from bands such as Bad Religion, Disturbed, Mudvayne, Nickelback, Pennywise, The Used, and NoFX. While Untamed is an alternative racing title, it still doesn’t feel punk enough to have all these punk tracks. When racing, the music sounds great, but it always feels out of place and unwelcome in the middle of a muddy race.

So, MX vs. ATV Untamed isn’t the best game out there, but it is not a bad game either. Untamed provides players with much more to do then most other racing games in the sheer amount of racing options, customization options, mini-games and unlockable items to make your racer and vehicle exactly what you want it to be. Playing alone, with a friend, or online, there are enough racing types to keep even the shortest attention spans happy for a long time. The hardest part is finding an opponent online. Either there is a big issue with MX vs. ATV Untamed’s online package, or no one is playing this game online at all.

Rainbow Studios takes another step forward in their favourite franchise. While some aspects of this title might not exactly be considered revolutionary, they do provide the average player with a little more than the average racer. If you’re a fan of MX racing and like a little variety, pick this title up. Maybe I’ll eventually have more than one person to play with online!

Graphics: 2.5 / 5.0
Gameplay 3.0 / 5.0
Sound 3.5 / 5.0
Replay value 3.0 / 5.0






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