The bad, good, and bottom line...
User Rating: 9 | Fuel X360
The negative reviews made me think twice about buying it so I rented it to see if it was worth owning. It is. The BAD... at times the speedometer seems a little generous, but only a little. By that I mean it feels like you are going a little slower than it says you are, but only sometimes. I would also like to avoid the load screen when crashing, even though it is a very short load screen. Initially I was put off by the traction of some of the vehicles off-road, but I figured that out after just a little while. The GOOD... the terrain is magnificent, truly amazing. I have never had a racing experience like this and I have only unlocked three sections of the map. The terrain is so varied and really feels different depending on the type of surface. Every vehicles handles completely different from each other. They all feel unique and are each suited for different surfaces (that's what I figured out after a little while). Some vehicles will slide all over the place off-road and some will grip dirt like pavement. The game really makes you think about which vehicles to buy depending on what you are trying to do, which challenge you are trying to complete, or which race you are trying to win. I start to smile every time I drift on a gravel road with the right ride, it sounds and feels great. I was initially disappointed in the number of vehicles but I quickly realized there are many more to unlock which are not even shown when you first start the game. I don't know what I did but after a race or a challenge it said I had unlocked more powerful vehicles. The next time I looked at the vehicles there were twice as many. Right now there are 23 cars, trucks, SUVs, ATVs, buggies, dirt bikes, motorcycles, and many things in between, to choose from and I only have 17 out of 216 stars. You get stars for completing career races etc, depending on the difficulty you choose. Rookie, Expert, or Legend. There are plenty of races to choose from and lots of other things to do as well. The game has the biggest map I have ever seen on any game ever, but it does not force you to drive too far... unless you want to. You can jump to helipads spread across the map to get you closer to your desired destination if you don't feel like driving the whole way. The races are great, in what other game can you can try risky shortcuts through a burning forest instead of taking the recommended dirt road?... sometimes it pays off. There is so much more to say about this game... I haven't even mentioned the weather. :) The BOTTOM LINE is this game is great. I highly recommend it.
