ATV Offroad Fury 2

"Dirt, air, water, mud, and a train equals lotsa fun!"

I always liked racing games where you can do stunts, go offroad whenever you want, get huge air, etc. In fact, those are normally the only racing games I ever play (with the exception of Gran Turismo 3). Now, granted, this isn't entirely a racing game. There is also a lot of freestyle involved, which makes ATV Offroad Fury 2 one of the best ''racing'' games available.

Gameplay: This game is awesome. Basically, you choose one of several different race types, freestyle or race being the main ones, and sub-scenarios within each different style, and then do either that: race, or perform stunts. That's not necessarily what makes this game fun. When I say you race, you race. The AI is difficult, and many times you will get frustrated when you are struggling over some of the terrain, and your opponents easily navigate it. You get some air, your opponents get more air. There aren't really any shortcuts, so you can't just assume that you'll take a hidden shortcut that the AI doesn't use, cause it just isn't going to happen. For the freestyle mode, you have to attempt six different challenges on different tracks, consisting mainly on how much air you can get and how many points you can get. They are fun, and are one of my favorite aspects of the game. Another great feature is that, as you race, you earn points. These points are what you need to unlock the various extras of the game. These include extra clothing accessories, new ATVs, and also other tracks. Although most tracks are unlocked by racing and winning them, there are a few that must be paid for to unlock. Another great feature is that of customization. You can customize your appearance, much of your costume actually consisting of actual clothing you can buy. You can customize, to an extent, the performance of your ATV. You can create your own waypoints in several different courses (although I wish you could do this with all tracks). The multiplayer mode is equally fun. Me and my roommate played this game for several hours on one certain track. Why, you may ask? Simply because, besides seeing who could rack up the most points, we tried several things involving a train. First, we tried to see who could travel the entire length without falling off (that took us a while). Then, we saw who could get the most air and points off of ramping the front end of the train. There are ramps all over it and on the front, which means if you go at maximum speed to it's front side, you will get a lot of air, that is, if you don't fall off first, making this probably the single-most fun ramp in the game. But that's enough about the train.
Gameplay Rating: 10

Control: Simply awesome. You'll skid around, trying to maintain your control in mud and water. You'll slike around on ice (I especially like the all ice track, for obvious reasons). You have to preload the suspension in order to get the most hangtime off of jumps. You have to actual lean the ATV to avoid bailing. You have to hit ramps exactly right to continue maintaining a maximum speed (which actually often leads me to race losses, stupid ramps). Overall a flawless control.
Control Rating: 10

Graphics: Excellent graphics for this game. Water splashes around. Mud gets all over your ATV as you go through it. When you are all muddied up, you can go through water to clean off. You hit a tree, leaves will fall. Cool stuff like that amazes me. Not much to say though, except that the graphics were great.
Graphics Rating: 10

Sound: Let me start by saying that this game has one of the coolest soundtracks I have ever heard. It's mostly rock, but also contains a small portion of rap and even a little techno. I never get sick of this soundtrack. As for the normal, environmental sounds, they are pretty good as well. ATV engines roaring, dirt shifting, driving through water, it's all there. Not bad, although I've heard better sounds in games.
Sound Rating: 9

Longetivity: This game will keep you occupied for a little while. The easy circuits are simple enough, but the harder circuits will have you throwing something (hopefully, it's not the PS2). But if just driving around wrecking havoc in the dirt is your thing, you will be occupied for a long time.
Longetivity Rating: 9

Replayability: Once you beat all the circuits, you probably won't try them again, except if you really want to. My main reason to play this game is to just do single races and just run around freely. It's all, like every other game, your choice.
Replayability Rating: 8

This game has got to be one of the best racing games that I have ever played. It has incredible realism, awesome graphics, and a kickin' soundtrack. I'd suggest this game to any racing game or ATV fan. You'd love it.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/21/04