ATV Offroad Fury Preview

With the power of next-generation consoles, the latest tend in extreme driving games is going off-road. Games like Smuggler's Run and the upcoming Test-Drive: Off Road Wide Open are paving the way for more expansive off-road driving games. Sony is jumping on the bandwagon, and it has picked up the team responsible for Microsoft's Motocross Madness 1 and 2 to codevelop a quad-based ATV game for the PS2. Titled ATV Offroad Fury, the game lets you race one of many actual four-wheelers through several different game modes.

ATV Offroad Fury offers many different styles of races. You'll be able to learn the basics of handling your quad in the game's training mode. The freestyle competition allows you to blaze your own path through any of the five available tracks while performing daredevil tricks and stunts to accumulate points. The cross-country enduro series allows you to find your own way from the start to the finish line in a series of races. The maxxis nationals is a series of 11 races that focus on completing laps instead of hitting checkpoints, while the stadium supercross mode features seven real-life indoor courses that also focus on completing laps. The game also features a pro-career mode, which takes you through a combination of maxxis nationals and supercross courses as you advance your career. Additionally, each mode allows you to pick one of three different race types - practice gives you unlimited time with the course, single race has you race just one race, and ghost attack allows you to race against a ghost rider who mimics your best run.

The game uses an amazing physics engine that uses several real-life factors to create an extremely accurate and exciting racing experience. All of the quads in the game feature fully articulated suspensions and independent swing arms, shocks, springs, and cambers. Shifting the weight of the rider on the quad and moving the quad in the air play a huge part in ATV Offroad Fury. The game features a preload meter, which allows you to manually compress your springs and shocks while climbing a hill and then spring up at the top to add distance to your jump. While in the air, you'll have to shift your weight on the quad to match the angle of the terrain you're due to land on, and doing this well is the key to winning a race. Because the game uses complex series of jumps and rhythm sections, the strategy is to learn the course and then flow over the jumps with the proper amount of speed and preload. The game also features fairly accurate gyroscope mechanics - braking and shifting your weight to the rear tires will cause you to move quickly and dramatically into the air. All of these innovations and features make ATV Offroad Fury a fairly accurate translation of what off-road quad-based racing is all about.

The development lead was quick to point out that, while most driving games are about cornering, this game is more about managing your speed and your jumps to give yourself the best path through the tracks. Cornering doesn't play a huge part in ATV Offroad Fury, and it's fairly quick and painless. Also, the developer stated that ATV Offroad Fury is just as much a flying game as it is a driving game. Since you're constantly launching off jumps and hills, you'll have to get used to spending plenty of time in the air. The developer stated that you hit a jump approximately every 1.2 seconds, so getting a handle on preloading and pitch control is vital to your success.