MX vs. ATV Unleashed: On the Edge

MX vs. ATV Unleashed: On the Edge

Rainbow Studios' off-road epic is just as good when it goes portable.
Author: Sam Bishop
Published: April 4, 2006
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The core feeling of perfectly synched jumps that soar off one hill only to gently come down the backside of another does translate well to the PSP, though, even with the notoriously finicky analog nub (though the d-pad isn't without merit, and the game actually controls better when using both). There's a fair sense of speed, and things all move along at a modest clip.


Part of this is due to the fact that the game doesn't seem to be pushing the PSP all that hard. Either that, or Tantalus knows how to work the hardware well enough that it seems to breeze through even larger sized courses. You'll notice a bit of a frame drop here and there, but Rainbow's knack for crafting courses that feel organic comes through nicely.

The riders and bikes sport a nice number of polygons, and the courses, despite some low-res texture work that can make everything look like a muddy mess (okay, a muddier mess), come through nicely. Even the game's trademark ragdoll physics are in place here, making bails that much more painful.

Returning too are the deliciously white trash soundtrack offerings. You'll get your Nickelback, your Pappa Roach, a bit of Unwritten Law and the newer, radio-ready Black Eyed Peas. It's not that the music is entirely bad (we have a soft spot for Unwritten Law 'round these parts), but it is the same soundtrack (albeit smaller) that was in a game released over a year ago. Luckily, the crowd reactions and the acerbic sputter of the various vehicles' engines come through very nicely indeed.

So what we're left with is a modestly deep console port of a year-old game that still manages to bring the series' familiar style of racing to the PSP nicely intact. Unfortunately, some of the more rewarding parts of the game like online play and a dedicated career mode didn't make the cut. It's a decent game, and worth a rental if you haven't played the console versions in a while, and it's a borderline purchase if you're out for an off-road fix, as this is easily the best offering on the PSP.

Oh, and there's one more thing that should be mentioned: the load times are absolutely horrendous. Seriously, I don't know what it is about THQ PSP games, but they're prone to massive wait times, and MX vs. ATV is nearly as bad as SmackDown vs. RAW, meaning you'll be staring at a blank screen for minutes at a time. If you decide to restart, it's instantaneous, but it's still an issue, and one that does seriously impact the amount of fun you can have with the game in short bursts, and isn't that what the PSP was designed for anyway?
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The Verdict
7.0

There's plenty of content here, sure, but it feels a little directionless, and there's a huge need for online play on the PSP. This could have been that title, but instead we're forced to sit through loading screens and play with our selves. Oh wait, I me

7.0Graphics:

There's an awful lot of brown here, but that's to be expected. Both the bikes and the riders -- and the ragdoll physics that affect them -- are very good stuff, however.

7.0Sound:

Throaty, raspy engine noise, and good crowd response in areas (and of course the cannot effect when riding out of bounds in the open areas) means the game sounds good effects wise. But about that year old soundtrack...

6.5Control:

The analog nub, while mostly tolerable, just isn't quite up to task, and the d-pad feels a bit too stiff, resulting in a kind of back and forth that never really feels solid.

7.5Gameplay:

Nearly everything that was good about the console versions comes home here, and it's pulled off with modest sucess. This isn't a PSP-pushing game, but it's no slouch either.