Cookyman Posted October 20, 2007 Posted October 20, 2007 Source - IGN Couldn't see a thread for this game either - sounds pretty good. Heres some video footage - Gametrailers footage - nice water effects! MX vs. ATV Untamed kicks it up a notch and shifts into high gear as the best selling offroad franchise returns. The legendary Rhythm Racing engine allows for new stunts and techniques, retaining the smooth and authentic feel of off-road racing at full speed. Attempt to own the offroad by dominating the innovative new "X-Cross Tournament." X-Cross on the Wii game system brings together 6 unique racing series and then crosses them into one ultimate offroad championship. Brand new styles of racing are born as powerful vehicles tear through treacherous trails. And take it online with up to eightplayers each ripping up the race track. Over the years Nintendo fans have been getting the shaft as far as the MX series goes. While PS2 and Xbox players have been popping off huge jumps, launching hundreds of feet into the air on bikes blasting with over 550ccs we've been stuck on solid ground. "But IGN," you might say, "What about MX Superfly on GameCube." True, THQ dabbled with the series on GCN in 2002 with Pacific Coast Power and Light's first - and only - MX effort on Cube, but while we were working off tiny kickers and confined tracks ATV Offroad Fury 2 was ripping up the PS2, as Rainbow Studios proved once again that it was the real deal in extreme motorsports racing. Well, times are changing. Nintendo has proven that both DS and Wii can hold their own against the competition, and THQ is happy to oblige, as MX vs. ATV Untamed is hitting every console available this time around; Nintendo included. MX vs. ATV Untamed fits a core design that's nearly a decade in the making. The series began with Rainbow's Motocross Madness on PC in 1998, followed up with a sequel in 2000, and then spawned what many consider the "new generation" of MX/ATV titles in ATV Offroad Fury in 2001 on PS2. Since then the MX vs. ATV series has become the Rainbow Studios claim to fame, as each iteration has gotten bigger, better, and deeper. The design has - as the name implies - mashed together different sub-genres of extreme racing together, so rather than just getting a MX game or ATV racer, you're put in the driver's seat of motorcycles, monster trucks, off-road buggies, trophy trucks, sand rails, tricked out golf karts, and of course ATVs. Depending on the competition settings you'll be able to pit different classes against each other, each focusing around a certain aspect of extreme racing. For our premiere hands-on with the game we focused on just a portion of the MX vs. ATV Untamed experience, taking a moment to dabble in the ways of the ATV, and then moving over the pride and joy of the game; the motorcycles. Rest assured we'll be hitting up Rainbow Studios for additional playthrough sessions just as soon as we can draft a final ransom note to send over, but from our first taste of the game we're extremely excited for what the series can bring to Wii. The pride and joy of the MX vs. ATV engine is the "rhythm racing" feel. You'll need to pre-load jumps, pop the clutch to give your bike a boost, and power-slide around corners and deep trenches, allowing you to whip your set of wheels around tight turns in minimal time. As a purebred Nintendo junkie, the game instantly gave me flashbacks to Excitebike 64, as MX vs. ATV has perfected the spring-like feel of launching off jumps and hanging in the air. Of course landing isn't as easy as launching off a 30' kicker is, but you'll have all the expected control while in mid-air, as you can tweak or tilt the bike to ready yourself for your reunion with the dirt. As for the controls, MX vs. ATV Untamed is basically an extension from its original design, making use of a much-needed clutch button, analog steering, gas, and break. PS2 owners will instantly fall into their old rhythm, and Wii owners are getting a few options that should make their experience feel a bit more at home. The two main control schemes we had a chance to try out during this playthrough included a Wii-mote only setup, as well as a Wii-mote/nunchuk configuration. The solo Wii-mote played like Excite Truck or any other remote-only game, having players hold the controller NES-style while tilting to steer, and using 1 and 2 as the gas/break. To pull off a pre-load jump - essential for catching huge air - you'll simply pump the controller down to set the bike, and then up as you take off. Rather than chancing any motion-based oddities, the controller will read either in up/down, or down/up, so when you pre-load your jump, you will get the height you're expecting. When playing in this mode all trick input is done via button and d-pad combination. As the far more preferable mode of play - at least from what we've experienced thus far - Untamed can also make use of the nunchuk controller, adapting the gameplay into more of a hybrid classic/free-form style. Players control the bike's movements with the analog stick, handle gas, break, and clutch with buttons, but can trick using a combination of button and motion, pulling and tweaking the bike with different dual-hand gestures reminiscent of SSX Blur. The motions also fit well with the tricks you're rewarded with, so a trick that is Wii-mote intensive will somehow work in the right side of the bike or body. Depending on which button you hold while motioning, you'll either pull off quick, low-point moves, or more risky big air tricks. Racking up combos mid-air is as simple as putting in a new gesture. What really made the experience a blast, however, was the fact that MX vs. ATV isn't just a casual-minded launch-fest like so many other games - Excite Truck included. You can't just crank the gas and expect to flail your way to a victory, as there's a serious rhythm and technique needed to master the game's physics system. Far too many times I stared down at a launch ramp and recklessly brushed off the concept of pre-planning my jump, instead gripping the clutch and kicking my bike off in a 0-60 that could compromise my actual out-of-gaming driving record, only to realize seconds later that I'd completely blown it as I overshoot my landing while dangling hundreds of feet in the air. "Whups" doesn't win you X-Games gold, and it doesn't work in Untamed either. Nevertheless, the slow-motion crash cam footage should fetch a pretty penny. As for the feature list, the Wii and PS2 versions of MX vs. ATV Untamed are being co-developed by Rainbow Studios and Incinerator, so you're getting a game built from the ground-up for these systems. Whenever we hear this that tiny voice in the back of our head screams pessimistic thoughts, claiming that a ground-up design is nothing more than an excuse to pass off a lesser version of a game to the "smaller" systems - you know, the ones with approximately four thousand times the install base of PS3 - but that isn't the case with MX vs. ATV. The Wii and PS2 versions of the game are simply packed, offering just as many vehicles - minus the ORV Sport at this point - as the next-gen SKUs, the X-Cross competitions, the classic MX vs. ATV competitions with 250cc and 550cc MX bikes and 4 different ATV models, an exclusive "Ski Jump" mode which is essentially a hybrid between MX/ATV trick modes and one huge "big air" ramp, tons of gap events and free race options, and a ton of customization within these modes, allowing for crazy match-ups which amass to more user-created competition modes. X-Cross is what most gamers will sink the majority of their time into, as it's a not-so-standard career mode that delivers tournament play by combining every series available in the game into one grand stand-off. You'll race for the gold in Supercross, head to the nationals, explore the more free-form Opencross, dominate Supermoto, compete in rally races, and round it all off with freestyle trick competitions in one gigantic competition. It's one thing to master the trick or racing elements of the game, but it's a completely different story when you need to prove your worth in every event at once. The list goes on, too. There's also the ability to trick out your vehicle's appearance with sponsorship decal sets, a ton of pros to pick from and race with, and online for both Wii and PS2 (eight players on Wii, six on PS2, each including random matches and friend-based competitions). As for the available series races within X-Cross, you've got Supercross, Opencross, Supermoto, Freestyle (trick-based competition), Rally, and Nationals. Top that off with ski-jump, gap, and the classic, must-have hill-climbing mini-games, and you've got an experience that is simply packed. PS2 owners may be used to this insane list of options, as the series has found its home on PS2 since 2001, but Nintendo newcomers will be happy to hear that MX vs. ATV Untamed is hands-down the deepest racing experience on Wii, and from the looks of it that should carry over into 2008 with ease. But what of the audio/visual appeal thus far? Sadly that'll have to wait, as the game is said to run in 480p and 16:9, but didn't have either at the time due to settings on the debug units. Still, the wide open environments can be pretty large, taking a good minute or two just to drive across, so that should give you a preliminary look into the scope of the individual free-race areas. The musical track list was also noticeably strong, and we'll work on getting you a full list of supported songs as soon as possible. The in-game animations were fluid and impressive even in their early state, and models for the Wii version looked on par with other games on the system, hitting that "above PS2, not quite Xbox" range. It's still pretty early on for MX vs. ATV Untamed, as the final version for Wii/PS2 will be shipping on December 17, but already we're pretty excited to see just how grand the first Nintendo offering can be when it hits later this year. The MX vs. ATV feel is there, the trick system is responsive and simple to use, and the game seems to have the right mix of free-form gameplay, depth, and challenge for those looking for more on Nintendo's more casual-friendly console. We've waited seven years for a taste of the MX series, and it's looking to be well worth the wait. Online play, mini-games, tons of modes, and the rhythm racing Rainbow is famous for: Sign us up. Please be online!
Retro_Link Posted October 20, 2007 Posted October 20, 2007 Source - IGN Couldn't see a thread for this game either - sounds pretty good. Heres some video footage - Gametrailers footage - nice water effects! Though that's probably the 360/PS3 version. The Wii will probably get some sort of PS2/PSP port?!
Cookyman Posted October 20, 2007 Author Posted October 20, 2007 Though that's probably the 360/PS3 version. The Wii will probably get some sort of PS2/PSP port?! Perhaps but was in the Wii section of Gametrailers.
Recommended Posts