Tricks are the main draw of this game. The racing alone is satisfying, and if
you tried to just race a race without tricking at all, that may work - it
actually does, trust me. The trick system is a bit complicated, but once you
focus on using it, it starts to become second-nature in no time. You basically
preload when coming onto a ramp, then let go of it as you're at the top of the
ramp to jump high into the air, and while in the air you trick away. The key is
to perform the trick as you are leaning forward or backward or do a tweak to
your trick, which makes for about 12 different tricks, not mentioning your
special, combos, and flips. There are a few other tricks, but to keep things
simple you'll just keep using the same few tricks. It does get frustrating when
your preload goes wrong and you end up tricking 5 feet above the ground before
crashing, when you get your trick buttons mixed, when you misjudge how long a
trick takes, and when you land just a little off-balance. Thanks to the generous
reviving system your race won't be over with one mistake - maybe in the later
stages perhaps.
As your boost/trick meter fills up, from landing and not crashing of course,
you can have more boost and move onto the next level of tricks. There are three
levels of tricks: basic, intermediate, and advanced, then you get a special, and
all but the special can be tweaked. Using boost depletes this meter, but it's
also not wise to sit on the boost. You use the boost to go faster into ramps so
you can better feed into the tricks you perform in a never-ending cycle. Much
like other trick or style games, you must diversify your moves in order to excel
or else the meter fills up slower. One thing to also keep in mind is that
staying in the air forever and tricking may be slower than trying to lean
forward and hit the ground faster. At times, it's easy to over-trick for no
gain, trick when it's not needed, and managing the meter does get a bit tedious
when a race is close, but if you use it to your advantage, the trick system is
far more than just a flashy add-on.
The presentation is top-notch. Never have I played a game where the menus and
screens were such a joy to scroll through, and the intros movies to each event
are handled well. Information is spread out and presented to you as you advance
through the early stages, and at any time you can view tutorial movies for all
things about the game. The graphics look great, but as a player you'll hardly
notice them with things going by so fast. Lighting is realistic, the dirt
appears to accumulate on your character and ATV as you race, and all the details
are fleshed out for quite a depth into the horizon. Most of these tracks are
quite large too, with many alternate paths, and even some paths you can only
reach via a jump. Voice-work is sparse but good when it's used, and the sounds
during a race feel authentic and real. There are nice sound effects sprinkled
throughout the many aspects of a race, and everything feels loud and raw, the
way it should sound. And the soundtrack is neither memorable nor annoying.
Pure is just what the name implies, a game about pure fun. There's no story,
no emphasis on hardcore modding, and you can make it a trick or racing game
until you get it all under control. If you like racing, this game provides
serious competition; if you like tricking it up, this game lets you do that too;
and there are endless possibilities of ATVs to create. There is nothing that
completely blows your mind, just a solid title all around. Since the market has
shied away from trick-based games, and maybe the current racing titles are too
boring, perhaps Pure is the game for you.
- Gameplay - 90
- Presentation - 100
- Graphics - 90
- Sound - 85
- Replay Value - 95
- Overall - 92
In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated:
92%.
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