ATV Quad Power Racing 2

"A Solid Game With Some Nice Options."

Where to start? Maybe on the fact that most reviews by sites like gamespot and ign were to out it politely poor. This game is a very good game in my opinion. Being the only game of its genre on Xbox obviously has its advantages to the game but i think if there was any other ATV games out there that they would have to be pretty good to compare. Well here are the scores:

Graphics:(8) The graphics are not as bad as i had heard, infact i find them quite appealing. There are no jaggies, the framerate is steady almost all the time even with 6 riders around you. The backgrounds are nice and the tracks all look good. Gravel, dirt and snow effects are nice and the water effects are pretty nice too.

Sound:(7) The sound is a little let down on ATV2, the sounds of the avtual quads themselves are good at first but soon become a bit droning and the difference in sounds between bikes is not recognizeable which is a shame. The soundtrack are usually licensed and quite varied on the atv games i played on ps2 but in this game there are 6-7 tracks which soon become repetetive unless you love the music (rock/punk) but i tend to turn off the music and just have the effects on full for a more enjoyable ride.

Gameplay:(9) The main reason i like this game lies in this section. The gameplay is really enjoyable i find. Racing along at sometimes breakneck speeds over huge ramps while constnatly trying to boot your opponent of his/her quad is a laugh, and does not seem to get to boring as sometimes it can be quite a challenge to get them off, i'd read it was a nightmare! It isn't it is nicely balanced. The levels are well designed and the most of them are rather large also, the only let downs are that as you progress the levels are the same as far as i've got but just with a bit of a twist which isn't all that bad because the are still quite varied but new tracks would have been better. The second small letdown is on the box it reads something like ''Stomp the opponent with an arsenal of vicious fighting moves'' being one kick left or right? That was a dissapointment, probably because i'm looking for a raod rash equivalent here but they should not have stated that really!

Extras:(7) The extras are nice, not extras as such but more added elements from the bog standard race, more mini games. You can do either floor or tower challenges both entertaining and at some point really challenging! The ground challenge consists of a start point, a finish point and in between you are asked to perfom one of i think about 6 tasks from a long wheelie to a slalom type setup racing around cones. The tower challenge is a little better in my opinion, you start on the ground and you have to drive up many ramps and then negotiate obstacle such as really tight mid air corners and mis-shaped ramps, being 50 feet in the air means fall and start again, which is good but if you can't do it you better be patient or it's hello window, bye bye xbox.

Overall Summary:

This is a good, solid, enjoyable ATV game and deserves way better than it has been granted by many. However in Xbox Official it got 7.7 which is fair but from playing experiences i believe it deserves at least an 8. It is helped by being the only game of its class on xbox, but if you have played this genre before or are after this genre you should'nt be dissapointed if you are after a fun game to enjoy on your own or with a freind. 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/27/03, Updated 03/27/03