Not so Super…
Nordic took the MX vs. ATV license from the now departed THQ (Rest in Peace) and the first game under their new ownership is one that’s definitely done on a shoestring budget, but is there more to it than that?
Rip, jump and scrub your way around 17 tracks and try to cross the finishing line first against more than 40 official riders and harvest all that motocross glory. Choose between bikes or ATVs, multiple game modes including Career, Single races, Time Trial, practice and various local and online multiplayer events with up to 12 players. Perform amazing tricks to impress your fans or just “whip” over jumps to finish the race first. Customize your rider with items from more than 80 licensed motocross companies and whirl up dirt and dust on your way to victory.
The game’s menus seem bland and basic, there’s no oomph to the career mode. It just feels like it’s there because it has to be, while the game itself handles well…the tracks are mostly the same and it does become repetitive, quickly. There are only 17 tracks available as well; with most of them looking more or less the same…it is a little disappointing.
It doesn’t help that the game looks incredibly dated; I know it’s a low-budget game…but they really could have made it look a little nicer than it is. The tracks are bland, the vehicles lack the detail they should have and the whole thing just looks messy at times. I found myself bored playing this, which rarely happens when I play racing games…even the ones I’m not good at (Forza, Gran Turismo.etc) but this just felt like a shallow experience with no real incentive to carry on.
The vehicle sounds are also of a low quality, while the music is a mixture of clichéd heavy metal and rock. Overall there is a good amount of content for the price of admission, but sadly it gets familiar all too soon and the career becomes of a grind than fun.
The Verdict
MX vs. ATV: Supercross had the potential to reboot the lost series, but it seems to have done more damage than good to the franchise, as well as letting down the fans of the past games. I hope Nordic do revisit the series at some point, but hopefully with a bigger budget to bring the series to the next-generation.
