ATV Offroad Fury 2

"Now THIS is an ATV game!"

I came into ATV Offroad Fury 2 expecting a good, solid racer, but when I came out, I got an amazingly solid racer. The sequel to the original Sony ATV Offroad Fury, which I've never tried, I have to say this game rocks, HARD. Read on:

-VISUALS: The tracks and environments are nicely detailed with the exception of some bland textures. But the ATVs and riders and detailed and very pretty.

-SOUND: The soundtrack that ATV Offroad Fury 2 is very good. So many quality songs and hey, if you hate what you are listening to, just press START and switch to another song! The killer soundtrack puts you in the mood for ATV racing.

-GAMEPLAY: ATV Offroad Fury 2's gameplay is simply smashin'. You start by designing your rider and choose your ATV, with not much to choose from at the start but as you continue, you'll unlock new things by earning 'Profile Points', money earned from races. You use thjis money to buy new ATVs, minigames, new courses, etc. There are LOTS of things to unlock so you won't finish this game 100% within 24 hours of purchase or rental.

The racing you ask? 'Couldn't be tighter. You may lose a lot of races at the beginning, but as you adjust to the play mechaniacs, you are all set. The ATV mechanic's handle so good and flawlessly, you'll be able to pull off tons of moves with ease on the bumpy courses. And moves are neccessary. Just winning a race isn't enough, but by pulling off tons off tricks (excecuted by the TRIANGLE and O buttons; and L1 plays the 'trick modifier'), and the longer you hold 'em (by holding the buttons) your trick total will go up higher. But hold 'em too long, and you may hit the ground and lose your points and fall behind.

There's an issue I had with the racing. In races, it's INCREDIBLY tough to knock other racers off their ATVs but they could knock you off your ATV by just giving you a bad look! (That's an over-exageration, but they are good at knocking you off). If only there was a way to kick or something, then I would be all set.

-CONTROLS: The controls control incredibly well. Pulling off tricks is simple, the ATV mechanics are solid and reasonable.

-OVERALL: ATV Offroad Fury 2 rocks. HARD! Unfortunetely, I was not able to test the online play, but the fact that it's there rounds out this otherwise killer package.

-SCORECHART:
-Best Feature: Killer gameplay!
-Worst Feature: Hard to knock off other racers
-VISUALS:8/10 -ORIGINALITY:7/10
-SOUND:9/10 -REPLAY:10/10
-CONTROLS:10/10 -OVERALL:9/10
-The Verdict: BUY IT. You'll love this masterpiece of a racing game!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/10/03, Updated 03/10/03