PC: ATV Mudracing

Ratings

Graphics:6.00 [Bar of Width 60]
Sound:7.00 [Bar of Width 70]
Gameplay:5.50 [Bar of Width 55]
Replays:5.00 [Bar of Width 50]

Our Take

ATV Mudracing has been described as a budget title. That’s immediately a red flag saying that this game might not have much to it. And while the basics are in place, that’s about it. If you need a new racing game and really like ATVs you may want to give this a look, otherwise, approach with caution.

The game doesn’t look that bad, it just lacks some of the finer details seen in other racing games. But first, let’s discuss the positive aspects. ATV does have a good sense of speed, and you actually do feel like you’re going fairly fast, which is a plus. There is also a consistent framerate so gameplay will remain smooth as player’s race. However, on the negative side, the environments may look pretty nice from far away, but become rather blocky and not as smooth once you get closer to them. Thankfully the sense of speed alleviates this a bit. The other issue is all the ATVs look the same except for a change in color. Out of the 9 total tracks, there is a good variety of environments, but everything’s just a little too blocky.

Background music is pretty catchy, and despite basically looping throughout the game, it is very enjoyable. It also does fit the fast-paced feel of the game, which is great. Unfortunately, the sound effects are very average. The sounds of the ATVs themselves seem fairly authentic, but the sound of your ATV colliding with an object just sounds very unrealistic.

If you’ve ever played a PC racer before, it should be easy to jump right into the game. You control your ATV using the arrow keys. Lights, horn, and a rearview mirror can also be activated using the logical button on the keyboard (ex pressing H activates the horn). For the most part, this works perfectly well, but unfortunately it can be pretty tough to recover after colliding with another racer. Physics work well as taking jumps is easy, but unfortunately colliding with other racers is an issue. Colliding with them in midair typically flips your ATV completely backwards, potentially making you lose a race. The best way to typically pass a racer is to avoid contact with them completely. The AI in the game is fairly competent, but can sometimes get stuck on walls or with other racers.

ATV Mudracing has three modes of play in single-player. There is single race mode, in which all of the ATVs and tracks are available to the player. Next, there is Time Attack mode, which should be self explanatory if you’ve ever played a racing game before. Finally, there is Championship mode, in which you unlock the ATVs and tracks by racing. This is nice, but there are only 9 tracks and 5 ATVs, so you’ll be done with it in no time. Multiplayer wise, there is LAN play which is a nice feature.

It’s not a terrible game, as all of the fundamentals of the racing genre definitely are here. ATV Mudracing just doesn’t have enough to propel it above others in the genre, budget or not. It may be cheap, but you’ll be done with it in an afternoon, so decide for yourself.

http://www.team6-games.com/

Overall Rating: 5.50

Chris Dahlberg
September 20, 2005