MX Vs. ATV: Untamed hands-on

You see that move right there? It’s a new trick I learned. I like to call that one the ass-plant. I managed to do it a bunch of times. Also, like a true pro, I started to throw in my own variations along the way. I made my own version of the face-plant, spine-plant, and the hardest trick of all, the crotch-plant. If falling off your bike in spectacular fashion earned you points in MX Vs. ATV: Unleashed, than I would be the all-time high score champ.

The tricks in the game weren’t hard to pull off, I just really sucked. Also, the controls weren’t bad either…once again, I just sucked. I love trying to pull off big tricks in these games, but they almost always end like the one above did. I hate watching all those cocky racers around me pulling off flips, handstands, and more, and I can’t even manage to do a side kick. Even with the expo center all powered down, I can still hear my computer opponents laughing at me.

I did a few races around one of the tracks in MX, and regardless of my crappy stunt performance, I really did have fun. The game uses regular controls most of the time, but stunts use Wiimote movements. You hold down either the Z or C button, and move the Wiimote in a direction. Up, down, left, and right will perform different tricks, and you release the button your holding to get your rider back on his bike. Nothing too fancy in the way of Wiimote controls, but it worked.

The game was obviously a little early in development. The framerate got a little chuggy when all the players were on screen, and the graphics weren’t anything to write home about. If these issues can be smoothed out, racing fans should be pretty damn happy with this title. As it stands, MX could use some work, but still provided a good amount of fun. Just remember…safety first kids!