ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails

"The main flaw is that the game is so easy to learn that it can become boring fast."

Genre: Off Road (Racing)
NOTE: if you loved all the other ATV: Off Road Furys in the series, you will love ATV: Off Road Fury Blazin' Trails, so you will wanna pick up a copy.

Gameplay: 8/10
ATV: Off Road Fury, Blazin' Trails game design is almost identical to the other ATV: Off Road Furys in the series. You can free roam, enter races and tournaments. Plus the feel is very similar. In the game you move at high speeds through either tracks that have large humps and sharp turns (like an MX super cross track). Or large open areas with gates (check points) you must follow to keep on course. The best thing about the large open areas is that they allow you to make custom courses. To make a course you are put in a debug mode and are allowed to place gates (check points) any where in any of the large free roaming areas. This editor means you will be able to spend quite a while just designing a course. Then even more time mastering the course you have made. The flaw lies with the fact the racing is too simple. You excelerate with the X button and steer with the D-pad or anolog stick. Thats about it though. The only other thing is that you can hold down, then quickly press up at the end of a ramp to get extra hight. The rest is just doing tricks. Because of this the racing can get borring.

Entertainment: 7/10
I was hoping for a more complex racing engine with this game, but I was let down. All you really need to know is that you go faster with X. With knowing that it is more than possible to progress in the game. The good thing is that there are large free roaming areas that you can make custom courses out of. This adds a good chunk of fun to the game. Though the racing is simple, it is fun to ramp to insane hights and preform tricks while racing. This game is only fun if you like playing around with a game, if you only like making progress the game becomes boring rather fast.

Graphics: 8/10
This looks better than the first ATV: Off Road Fury for the PS2! This game is very smooth. And the areas look good. The trees look kinda fake but they still look like trees. The areas are large, and have plenty of land within them to explore. The editor does not allow you to make ramps, hills, etc, but it lets you make a beaten path to follow. Most of the game looks good. But in a game like this the graphics don't really matter.

Sound Effects: 7/10
The sound effects in this game lack big time. The sound your ATV makes is realistic, but it's not "loud" enough. Plus you will be riding on dirt and rocks and you don't even hear crunching rocks. The sound effects are not too well done. The only good thing about them is that the sound is clear and crisp.

Music: 8/10
The music is real music, but not too many people like this type of music. It's mostly sounds like something from a Tony Hawk game. It's not the best music in the world, but it's still pretty good.

Replay Value: 7/10
The game itself is fun, as long as you are making progress, once you start to have a hard time with one area or unlock all the courses, the game becomes boring fast. Luckly even after clearing the game you can still make a custom track. Which will take a while to make, and it's fun to race on a course you made. ATV: Off Road Fury Blazin' Trails's replay value is only average, nothing more nothing less.

Overview: 7/10
The game play is simple, but the wide array of courses and the free roaming areas make up for it. Plus the course editor if fun to play with. The sound effects aren't too good. But the music is ok. So the overall sound is only average. And the same can be said about the replay value, it is only average. I give ATV: Off Road Fury an average rating, a seven out of ten.

Pro's:
1. The game is easy enough for anyone to play, including young gamers.
2. The level editor is very fun to use, and it's simple to get the hang of.
3. The graphics are well done, and have a good amount of detail.

Con's:
1. The game is a bit too easy to get the hang of, so it can become very boring very fast
2. The game is a bit too repititive.
3. The sound effects lack detial.

Rent or Buy?
If you enjoyed the other ATV: Off Road Furys, you will enjoy this game, so buy it. If you have never played an ATV: Off Road Fury, rent it, you might not like it.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 04/27/05