MX vs. ATV Unleashed Hands-On

THQ and Rainbow stopped by today to show off a work-in-progress version of MX vs. ATV Unleashed. The new off-road racing title blends the two franchises that have helped build Rainbow's credibility with fans of the genres. In addition to the core game content that fans have come to expect from Rainbow, the developer is going the extra mile and including some robust multiplayer features that include online functionality for both platforms. While we weren't able to get our hands on the game just yet, our demo let us get a look at how the ambitious game is coming along on both the PS2 and Xbox.

You'll find several different options for single- and multiplayer games in MX vs. ATV Unleashed. Some games should be familiar to those who played last year's MX Unleashed, while others are all new. The single-player game will offer a variety of race types, such as freestyle, free ride, and challenge events. You'll also see a plethora of different racing types, such as supercross, short track, open class, hill climb, machine challenge, and super moto. As always, you'll be able to hop into a career-style championship mode wherein you'll compete against AI opponents and face off against 24 pro riders with 12 pulled from each discipline.

The multiplayer mode will offer two-player and online support. While the online support is nice to see for both platforms, it's also nice to see Rainbow going the extra mile and including support for narrow as well as broadband players on the PlayStation 2. While your connection speed will obviously affect some of the options open to you, such as voice chat and how many players you can host in a game, Rainbow is aiming to ensure that players have a solid online experience regardless of their Net connection.

The gameplay will stay true to the solid system that Rainbow has been evolving with its various racing games. MX vs. ATV Unleashed will offer the same basic control scheme as was used in MX Unleashed, but this time it will throw in more tricks in an attempt to offer players even more options for performing insanely huge combos. The team has even thrown in a new 360-degree backflip twist that is currently popping up in the repertoire of many of today's professional riders.

As with MX Unleashed, Rainbow will offer an eclectic array of vehicles that will run the gamut from traditional bikes and off-road vehicles to biplanes and even golf carts for you to use in the various modes. You'll find over 50 massive tracks to race on and explore. Rainbow has taken the extra time to toss in some extras peppered throughout the large areas to reward curious players. If your eyes are sharp, you may catch a few big-footed surprises tromping around one of the forest tracks.

While the work-in-progress versions of the game sported the expected rough spots in performance, the visuals on both platforms were shaping up well. Rainbow has refined the graphics engine used in MX Unleashed quite a bit, which has resulted in a more-expansive look to the game that hasn't compromised performance. The frame rate is smooth and there are a good number of graphical bells and whistles thrown into the mix. The game will support 480p on the PlayStation 2 and offer support for up to 1080i and widescreen on the Xbox, which, needless to say, looks great.

Based on what we've seen so far, MX vs. ATV Unleashed looks to be a strong title in Rainbow's unique series of racers. There appears to be some interesting expansions made in the race types and game modes, thanks to the inclusion of the ATV vehicles, which should appeal to fans of the genre. From a performance standpoint, there are some solid upgrades to the visuals, although we haven't seen a quantum leap over MX Unleashed. MX vs. ATV Unleashed is currently slated to ship early next year on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. Look for more on the game in the coming months.