Not many game series make it to the point where they get a “4” in their
title, so ATV Offroad Fury must be doing something right. But when a game goes
though so many iterations you have to ask whether or not there is enough new
here to warrant another purchase by fans of the series. Of course if you’re new
to the games, it’s all new to you and it’s a question of whether or not the game
is for you. Good thing we have intrepid reviewers out there who can help answer
these questions and more!
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| Buggies! |
The first thing that you should know about ATV Offroad Fury 4 is that it has
more than ATVs. It could have been more appropriately titled simply “Offroad
Fury 4” if not for the need to tie it into the series. Motocross bikes, dune
buggies, and trucks enter the fray, dividing the events between light and heavy
class vehicles. These are more than just a collection of new graphics for
similar vehicles, the control and handling of each vehicle type feels distinctly
different. The Motocross (and ATV of course) racing is similar to that in prior
ATV Offroad games. You have a variety of events such as supercross and
rallycross, and your primary goal is to beat the other racers to the checkered
flag. While racing you’ll also benefit from pulling off various tricks and
stunts which if done right will reward you with extra cash that you can use to
upgrade your ride. The stunt system remains the same as in previous games, which
is a good thing since it works pretty well. You won’t find the number of tricks
that appear in a typical game focused on stunts, but there are enough here to
add some spice to the races without requiring you to contort your fingers into a
variety of knots. The buggies and trucks also have a stunt point system, but
rather than pulling off tricks to earn them you just need to catch air off a
bump or powerslide around a corner. Since simply racing these vehicles requires
powerslides and you’ll jump off of every bump you hit anyway, these stunt points
are gimme points and very easy to rack up.
New to the series is a story mode, but to be frank the game would have been
just fine without it. It tells the generic tale of a racer who quits just as he
hits the big time and then returns to mount a comeback. The dull as dirt story
isn’t helped by the acting in the cutscenes which comes off as if it were acted
by high school drama students who didn’t make the cut for their school’s annual
play. The story just serves as a way to glue a series of races together, so you
won’t miss anything if you skip the story mode and just stick to the racing.
Speaking of the racing, it is pretty enjoyable and a variety of tracks help
keep things interesting. The other racers won’t provide a stiff challenge to
racing veterans, but to make up for it the AI tends to cheat. The game will
ensure that you never run away with a race, “rubber banding” at least two other
racers to you so that there will always be someone closing in on you in the
stretch. This is typical of a lot of racing games, but the annoying thing unique
to ATV Offroad Fury 4 is that these competitors invariably knock you off of your
ATV or bike. I lost count of the number of times I hit the final jump on my
sprint to the finish line only to be knocked off in midair or as a competitor
landed on my head. Invariably this resulted in me sprawling to the ground while
my competitor went along on his merry way unscathed by the collision. It’s as
annoying as it sounds.
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