E3 06: ATV Offroad Fury Pro Preshow Hands-On

The upcoming release of ATV Offroad Fury 4 brings with it more good news: a corresponding new PSP ATV game is in the works as well. ATV Offroad Fury Pro is the second PSP game in the long-running, Sony-published offroad racing series. This PSP version should be familiar to fans, while maintaining its own handheld identity. We got a chance to take an exclusive hands-on look at the game at a recent Sony pre-E3 event to see how it's shaping up in time for its release later this year.

Let's get to the most important details first. Offroad Fury Pro will include online play for up to four players in infrastructure and ad hoc wireless modes, as well as support for chat and headset peripherals. In addition, there will be a host of all-new tracks including a number of classic courses from the original trio of PlayStation 2 ATV Fury games. If you own both Pro and the PlayStation 2 game, ATV Offroad Fury, you'll be able to play PSP-only tracks on the PS2 version of the game as well as exchange upgraded vehicles, share trading cards, and communicate with Offroad Fury 4 players via online e-mail and message boards.

In terms of game modes, the PSP version looks to offer a good deal of single-player race types as well. In addition to the supercross and circuit racing, Offroad Fury Pro is adding enduro cross races--a slightly slower, obstacle-based form of offroad racing--to the mix. Add to that rally cross and freestyle racing, along with a good number of unlockable vehicles (such as rally cars, as well as numerous types of upgrade parts for your ATVs), and you've got the makings of a solid single-player package. Then there are the minigames, such as pool and our personal favorite, rings of fire. In pool, one vehicle acts as a cue ball, and the object is to hit the other balls in the pockets. In rings of fire mode, the object is to drive as quickly as possible through a series of flaming waypoints strewn throughout the freestyle course. If you're bored of the standard fare, you can always design your own course using the built-in track editor, upload it for others to download, or download a few user-created tracks to try out for yourself.

Beyond this lineup of game modes, we're happy to report that Offroad Fury Pro is simply looking really sharp at this point. The high-res PSP screen does a fine job of showing off the good-looking riders and ATV quad racers that are, of course, the centerpiece of the gaming experience. However, compared to ATV Offroad Fury: Blazin' Trails (the previous PSP ATV game), Offroad Fury Pro's biggest graphical advances appear to be the courses themselves, which seem to pack more detail and life than ever before. We're thinking specifically of a cool indoor track we raced on repeatedly during our time with the game. The course was enclosed in what looked to be a geodesic dome, and the amount of detail, including trees and plant life, dotting the sidelines and backgrounds of the track really lent a sense of space and depth to the environment. Another track we tried out, a nationals race track nestled in the high hills of a virtual Los Angeles (at least that's what it looked like to us), was more muted in its color palette but nonetheless featured a pleasing amount of visual variety. There are still some gaps--the game seems a little too eager to set its rag-doll crash animations into effect, for example--but, with months to go in development, there is still time for improvement.

Control-wise, the PSP game has come a long way since Blazin' Trails. We found the previous PSP Offroad Fury game to be pretty frustrating when it came to making quick turns or preloading jumps. It seemed like the analog stick was too sensitive and the directional pad wasn't sensitive enough, which resulted in less-than-ideal control options. Based on our experience with the game, we're happy to report that the control stick seems to have been given a tune-up that makes the game far more approachable right off the bat. Overcompensating in turns because of the overly sensitive control stick (which was our biggest control problem with the last game) was virtually nonexistent this go-around--a sure sign of progress. What we didn't have time to inspect was if the oppressive difficulty level of the previous game was still intact in Offroad Fury Pro. At first glance, things looked to be improving there as well--we didn't win a race, but we didn't come in last either. More progress.

We didn't recognize titles and band names when we heard the music in the demo version of Offroad Fury Pro, but it seems like the soundtrack is going to be as eclectic as that in Blazin' Trails, which featured everyone from Bootsy Collins to Coheed and Cambria. Even if the all-over-the-map soundtrack in the previous game seemed to exceed its gameplay scope, we're perfectly willing to accept a racing game that's intent on providing something other than a steady audio diet of butt rock and drip-hop. Bring on the electroclash C&W!

With more than 30 freestyle tricks you can pull off on the back of your MX bike or ATV, and six terrain choices to speed along, including snow, dirt, mud, ice, water, and grass, Offroad Fury Pro is set to deliver a load of options and driving challenges. If Offroad Fury Pro succeeds, it will be mainly thanks to its sharp visuals, compelling online play, and improved controls. Based on what we've seen so far, we like where the game is heading. The game is due for release later this year and we'll be bringing you more in the coming months.