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Nordic Games and Rainbow Studios have worked hard to try and re-create the thrills of the previous 2 MX vs ATV games in MX vs ATV Supercross. Can they repeat THQ's success and please the long term fans while appealing to a new audience?
It’s clear from the outset that the feel of the previous games has been copied across to this new title, at least from the menu and the lack of fuss or animated intro. This is a game for fans of the sport and newcomers better beware that it’s not going to bend to those who don’t know about pre-loading or scrubbing.
The menu provides the option to take part in a single race, a career or multiplayer. In addition you get the chance to choose a vehicle, with only a few unlocked from the start, plus upgrade options for each vehicle. Different drivers can be picked from a range of real racers that fans of the sport will recognise. There are also more drivers and vehicles being prepared for DLC.
As well as trying out a track and trying to commit it to memory, there’s the option to go into free-roam mode and drive around the whole arena. This allows you to get used to the controls and also the trick system, thanks to a range of ramps dotted around the arenas. There’s a good reason why you may want to make this your first port of call, too, as there are absolutely no tutorials in this game. In fact the only thing that gave me a hint of the trick system was a sheet that ran through the trick controls and this wasn’t even included in my game box, it was from someone else.
Once you do make a start on the career the first few races can be won fairly easily in all bar the hardest setting, which is at least something that will help the new-comer to acclimatise themselves in a proper race. I started to wonder if there was a challenge at all until I hit the fourth race, where I got absolutely trounced by all but a few riders. My mistake was in ignoring the (rather elusive) second stick controls. This system allows you to control the bike with one stick, as you’d expect from a racer, but the right stick controls the rider.
Leaning to the side while cornering greatly increases your chances of winning a race, while using your rider to steady the bike after taking a jump lets you gain a speed boost when you land. Whether the tricks do anything for your race is still an open question. They may have given me a few new parts (even that’s open to debate) but the limited tricks I did manage to pull off didn’t seem to do anything for me while in a race.
The MX vs ATV element comes in the form of vehicle and race choices and they do make a difference, a big one at that. The MX bikes and ATVs handle very differently, with the bikes whipping around corners and easily making landings and the ATVs tipping over at the nearest opportunity when taking a bend slightly too fast or hitting a sand bank at the wrong angle, but they’re certainly fast. When they race together it’s by far the most interesting section of the game, with the strengths and weaknesses of both vehicles clearly shown.
While it’s not really a big improvement, graphically, over the previous games, Supercross does manage to look the part, though with the game all taking part inside large indoor arenas it’s not difficult to concentrate on the dirt tracks and riders. Unfortunately, it’s the controls that let the side down again. That twin stick control is finicky at best and I found that doing exactly the same thing twice doesn’t always lead to the same results.
Likewise, tricks are difficult to pull off and as the jumps on the tracks don’t always give you much air time, they’re very difficult to complete before you land, too. It’s a shame because the rider and bike controls are a great idea that work well in principal but fall down in practice.
MX fans may find their options limited, with few games able to provide the licenced bikes and riders and Supercross is a competent racer that may satisfy their needs in some respects, but it’s not the best in the series. With more time and perhaps a future sequel from Nordic Games, the next MX vs ATV may hit the target, but Supercross doesn’t quite make the cut.
6/10
It’s clear from the outset that the feel of the previous games has been copied across to this new title, at least from the menu and the lack of fuss or animated intro. This is a game for fans of the sport and newcomers better beware that it’s not going to bend to those who don’t know about pre-loading or scrubbing.
The menu provides the option to take part in a single race, a career or multiplayer. In addition you get the chance to choose a vehicle, with only a few unlocked from the start, plus upgrade options for each vehicle. Different drivers can be picked from a range of real racers that fans of the sport will recognise. There are also more drivers and vehicles being prepared for DLC.
As well as trying out a track and trying to commit it to memory, there’s the option to go into free-roam mode and drive around the whole arena. This allows you to get used to the controls and also the trick system, thanks to a range of ramps dotted around the arenas. There’s a good reason why you may want to make this your first port of call, too, as there are absolutely no tutorials in this game. In fact the only thing that gave me a hint of the trick system was a sheet that ran through the trick controls and this wasn’t even included in my game box, it was from someone else.
Once you do make a start on the career the first few races can be won fairly easily in all bar the hardest setting, which is at least something that will help the new-comer to acclimatise themselves in a proper race. I started to wonder if there was a challenge at all until I hit the fourth race, where I got absolutely trounced by all but a few riders. My mistake was in ignoring the (rather elusive) second stick controls. This system allows you to control the bike with one stick, as you’d expect from a racer, but the right stick controls the rider.
Leaning to the side while cornering greatly increases your chances of winning a race, while using your rider to steady the bike after taking a jump lets you gain a speed boost when you land. Whether the tricks do anything for your race is still an open question. They may have given me a few new parts (even that’s open to debate) but the limited tricks I did manage to pull off didn’t seem to do anything for me while in a race.
The MX vs ATV element comes in the form of vehicle and race choices and they do make a difference, a big one at that. The MX bikes and ATVs handle very differently, with the bikes whipping around corners and easily making landings and the ATVs tipping over at the nearest opportunity when taking a bend slightly too fast or hitting a sand bank at the wrong angle, but they’re certainly fast. When they race together it’s by far the most interesting section of the game, with the strengths and weaknesses of both vehicles clearly shown.
While it’s not really a big improvement, graphically, over the previous games, Supercross does manage to look the part, though with the game all taking part inside large indoor arenas it’s not difficult to concentrate on the dirt tracks and riders. Unfortunately, it’s the controls that let the side down again. That twin stick control is finicky at best and I found that doing exactly the same thing twice doesn’t always lead to the same results.
Likewise, tricks are difficult to pull off and as the jumps on the tracks don’t always give you much air time, they’re very difficult to complete before you land, too. It’s a shame because the rider and bike controls are a great idea that work well in principal but fall down in practice.
MX fans may find their options limited, with few games able to provide the licenced bikes and riders and Supercross is a competent racer that may satisfy their needs in some respects, but it’s not the best in the series. With more time and perhaps a future sequel from Nordic Games, the next MX vs ATV may hit the target, but Supercross doesn’t quite make the cut.
6/10
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Nordic Games and Rainbow Studios have worked hard to try and re-create the thrills of the previous 2 MX vs ATV games in MX vs ATV Supercross. Can they repeat THQ's success and please the long term fans while appealing to a new audience?
It’s clear from the outset that the feel of the previous games has been copied across to this new title, at least from the menu and the lack of fuss or animated intro. This is a game for fans of the sport and newcomers better beware that it’s not going to bend to those who don’t know about pre-loading or scrubbing.
The menu provides the option to take part in a single race, a career or multiplayer. In addition you get the chance to choose a vehicle, with only a few unlocked from the start, plus upgrade options for each vehicle. Different drivers can be picked from a range of real racers that fans of the sport will recognise. There are also more drivers and vehicles being prepared for DLC.
As well as trying out a track and trying to commit it to memory, there’s the option to go into free-roam mode and drive around the whole arena. This allows you to get used to the controls and also the trick system, thanks to a range of ramps dotted around the arenas. There’s a good reason why you may want to make this your first port of call, too, as there are absolutely no tutorials in this game. In fact the only thing that gave me a hint of the trick system was a sheet that ran through the trick controls and this wasn’t even included in my game box, it was from someone else.
Once you do make a start on the career the first few races can be won fairly easily in all bar the hardest setting, which is at least something that will help the new-comer to acclimatise themselves in a proper race. I started to wonder if there was a challenge at all until I hit the fourth race, where I got absolutely trounced by all but a few riders. My mistake was in ignoring the (rather elusive) second stick controls. This system allows you to control the bike with one stick, as you’d expect from a racer, but the right stick controls the rider.
Leaning to the side while cornering greatly increases your chances of winning a race, while using your rider to steady the bike after taking a jump lets you gain a speed boost when you land. Whether the tricks do anything for your race is still an open question. They may have given me a few new parts (even that’s open to debate) but the limited tricks I did manage to pull off didn’t seem to do anything for me while in a race.
The MX vs ATV element comes in the form of vehicle and race choices and they do make a difference, a big one at that. The MX bikes and ATVs handle very differently, with the bikes whipping around corners and easily making landings and the ATVs tipping over at the nearest opportunity when taking a bend slightly too fast or hitting a sand bank at the wrong angle, but they’re certainly fast. When they race together it’s by far the most interesting section of the game, with the strengths and weaknesses of both vehicles clearly shown.
While it’s not really a big improvement, graphically, over the previous games, Supercross does manage to look the part, though with the game all taking part inside large indoor arenas it’s not difficult to concentrate on the dirt tracks and riders. Unfortunately, it’s the controls that let the side down again. That twin stick control is finicky at best and I found that doing exactly the same thing twice doesn’t always lead to the same results.
Likewise, tricks are difficult to pull off and as the jumps on the tracks don’t always give you much air time, they’re very difficult to complete before you land, too. It’s a shame because the rider and bike controls are a great idea that work well in principal but fall down in practice.
MX fans may find their options limited, with few games able to provide the licenced bikes and riders and Supercross is a competent racer that may satisfy their needs in some respects, but it’s not the best in the series. With more time and perhaps a future sequel from Nordic Games, the next MX vs ATV may hit the target, but Supercross doesn’t quite make the cut.
6/10
It’s clear from the outset that the feel of the previous games has been copied across to this new title, at least from the menu and the lack of fuss or animated intro. This is a game for fans of the sport and newcomers better beware that it’s not going to bend to those who don’t know about pre-loading or scrubbing.
The menu provides the option to take part in a single race, a career or multiplayer. In addition you get the chance to choose a vehicle, with only a few unlocked from the start, plus upgrade options for each vehicle. Different drivers can be picked from a range of real racers that fans of the sport will recognise. There are also more drivers and vehicles being prepared for DLC.
As well as trying out a track and trying to commit it to memory, there’s the option to go into free-roam mode and drive around the whole arena. This allows you to get used to the controls and also the trick system, thanks to a range of ramps dotted around the arenas. There’s a good reason why you may want to make this your first port of call, too, as there are absolutely no tutorials in this game. In fact the only thing that gave me a hint of the trick system was a sheet that ran through the trick controls and this wasn’t even included in my game box, it was from someone else.
Once you do make a start on the career the first few races can be won fairly easily in all bar the hardest setting, which is at least something that will help the new-comer to acclimatise themselves in a proper race. I started to wonder if there was a challenge at all until I hit the fourth race, where I got absolutely trounced by all but a few riders. My mistake was in ignoring the (rather elusive) second stick controls. This system allows you to control the bike with one stick, as you’d expect from a racer, but the right stick controls the rider.
Leaning to the side while cornering greatly increases your chances of winning a race, while using your rider to steady the bike after taking a jump lets you gain a speed boost when you land. Whether the tricks do anything for your race is still an open question. They may have given me a few new parts (even that’s open to debate) but the limited tricks I did manage to pull off didn’t seem to do anything for me while in a race.
The MX vs ATV element comes in the form of vehicle and race choices and they do make a difference, a big one at that. The MX bikes and ATVs handle very differently, with the bikes whipping around corners and easily making landings and the ATVs tipping over at the nearest opportunity when taking a bend slightly too fast or hitting a sand bank at the wrong angle, but they’re certainly fast. When they race together it’s by far the most interesting section of the game, with the strengths and weaknesses of both vehicles clearly shown.
While it’s not really a big improvement, graphically, over the previous games, Supercross does manage to look the part, though with the game all taking part inside large indoor arenas it’s not difficult to concentrate on the dirt tracks and riders. Unfortunately, it’s the controls that let the side down again. That twin stick control is finicky at best and I found that doing exactly the same thing twice doesn’t always lead to the same results.
Likewise, tricks are difficult to pull off and as the jumps on the tracks don’t always give you much air time, they’re very difficult to complete before you land, too. It’s a shame because the rider and bike controls are a great idea that work well in principal but fall down in practice.
MX fans may find their options limited, with few games able to provide the licenced bikes and riders and Supercross is a competent racer that may satisfy their needs in some respects, but it’s not the best in the series. With more time and perhaps a future sequel from Nordic Games, the next MX vs ATV may hit the target, but Supercross doesn’t quite make the cut.
6/10