ATV Offroad Fury 3 Review
ATV Offroad Fury 3, maintains a familiar feel while generally tightening up the whole package.
The Good
- Good variety of race types
- Better online support
- New course editor adds extra value.
The Bad
- Graphically uneven
- Grab-bag soundtrack
- Feels too similar to previous installment
- Trick system still too shallow.
Sony's ATV Offroad Fury series has enjoyed a considerable amount of success thus far, thanks in large part to accessible gameplay and a decent variety of customization options as well as modes of play. Though Rainbow Studios, the developer responsible for the first two games, is no longer working on the series, Climax has plenty of experience with racing games, and it knows not to mess with the formula too much. The result is a game that has a subtly different feel, but delivers much of the same high-flying ATV action.
ATV Offroad Fury has always featured pretty intuitive controls, and this one is no different. The most unique piece of the ATV Offroad Fury controls has always been the preloading mechanic, which has you pushing down and up on the left analog stick just before launching off a jump, helping you get a lot of extra altitude. You can also powerslide around corners just by holding the R1 button, and the R2 button will let you tilt up onto two wheels when taking a corner. The action is very much arcade-style in nature, and the key to winning races is knowing when to preload your jumps and when to powerslide around corners. These basic rules will get you through pretty much the entire game, but this simplicity belies the challenge you'll encounter as the courses become more technical and the competition stiffer. You'll often have to run through courses several times to memorize their rhythms before you'll be able to progress.
ATV Offroad Fury 3 also features a simple trick system. Ground tricks are limited to wheelies, bicycles, and endos, though there are far more aerial tricks at your disposal, and they're easily executed with the circle, triangle, or L1 button in conjunction with the left analog stick. The toughest part of the aerial trick system is knowing how long it takes for the animations for the different tricks to play out, because if your butt isn't on the seat when your ATV hits the dirt, you'll suffer a wicked bail. Though tricks aren't essential in the racing modes, the game encourages you to pull off tricks by rewarding you with credits that can be used to unlock new ATVs, new gear for your rider, new tracks, and other assorted goodies. Though racing competitions are the crux of ATV Offroad Fury 3, the game also features a freestyle mode that challenges you to collect colored icons, chain together a number of combos, or score a number of trick points within a set amount of time. As the trick system isn't particularly deep, the freestyle modes are arguably the least engaging thing the game has to offer.
The training mode in ATV Offroad Fury 3 is pretty good at acclimating new players to some of the unique aspects of the gameplay, though even seasoned vets will want to go through all of the training exercises, as this will unlock ATVs that are faster and handle better than the other stock ATVs. These ATVs are essential in making some of the earlier challenges more manageable. In the championship mode, you'll go through a series of race types against artificial intelligence opponents, first in an amateur class and then in a pro class.
Each race type has its own distinct feel to it, which goes far in keeping the action from becoming monotonous. Supercross races generally take place in a stadium-style setting, and they are defined by very tight layouts and a consecutive series of very large jumps. National races, on the other hand, take place in much less-restricted environments, though the tracks are still somewhat groomed. Short track races are basically identical to the national races, except that, as inferred by the name, they trade track length for a higher number of laps. Finally, enduro races are the most free-form types in the game, and they will have you barreling across the countryside, making your way through checkpoints and blazing your own path. The championship mode is likely where you'll spend the majority of your time when playing solo. There is also a single event mode where you can compete in a one-off event of your choice, though you'll need to play a lot of the championship mode before this is really worthwhile, as most of the options in the single event mode are locked up from the start.
ATV Offroad Fury 3 Quick Links
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- GameSpot Scoregood
Check Prices: $4.99 – 18.99
Player Reviews
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great game i thought the graphics were awesome and the wide selection of atvs were great. The big jumps were awesome !!! Continue »
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This game was exactly what I wanted it to be, mindless fun for me and my 3 year old. Great fun. Easy to play. Continue »
Critic Scores
- IGN 9.2 / 10
- Thunderbolt 7 / 10
- Eurogamer 6 / 10
- VideoGamer 5 / 10
- Gaming Age C+
- 1UP 6 / 10
- GameZone 8.8 / 10
- IC-Games 78 / 100
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- SCEA
- Climax Group
- Rally / Offroad Racing
- Release: Nov 2, 2004 »
- ESRB: Everyone
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