When Rainbow Studios created ATV Offroad Fury for the PlayStation 2, they made a game that contained an excellent graphics engine, smooth controls, a fantastic physics engine, and just the right balance of arcade-style chaos and intense realism. The second game looked and played largely the same as the first game, but also added a bare-bones online mode that, in all, was unsatisfying.

With the third installment, the developer has changed, and though Climax has done an admirable job with ATV Offroad Fury 3, a complete overhaul with a new engine is in order if the series is ever going to live up to its obvious potential.



Just like the first two games, ATV Offroad Fury 3 contains lots of tracks and modes, but the heart of the game is in the championship career modes, where playing through results in the unlocking of new ATV’s tracks, and gear. In fact, the game is almost exactly like the previous two games, in structure, modes, graphics, you name it. ATV Offroad Fury 3 still has the excellent physics system in place, and the ATV’s control largely the same, though the game is less tolerant of collisions with other riders and landing your ATV in general. Now you’ll crash more frequently when landing at an odd angle, which takes some getting used to if you’ve played the previous titles extensively.

The included modes are just as beefy as you’d expect, and accompanying the career championships (both indoor and outdoor) are the freestyle and checkpoint modes of the earlier games. While there are numerous tracks to race on and plenty in the career modes to unlock, the true strength of ATV Offroad Fury 3 is in the online multiplayer, which quite honestly, is best part of the game. The online community created for the title is fantastic, ranging from a friends list to full voice chat, feedback station, and even online forum message boards. Players can bring a guest online too, and the game allows up to six players to race at a time, which is a pretty fair number for a game of this type. The only problem we encountered is the quality of the voice chat was terrible. During a race the feature was satisfactory, but in the lobbies, it was practically useless unless you were breathing heavily into the mic (which ironically, Sony discourages). Whether or not those issues will be ironed out remains to be seen.



Graphically, ATV Offroad Fury 3 sees a few minor upgrades in select areas, but actually experiences a downgrade in places where the game always shined. For example, while the shadows and effects have improved slightly, the framerate isn’t as solid as it was in the past two titles. Instead of being smooth all the time, any more than a few riders onscreen will result in a slight dip. Riders now have mud, water, and snow splatter onto their clothes and ATV’s, but the camera is generally pulled too far back to notice unless you’re really paying attention. The game allows you customize the color of your ATV’s to your liking, which is a nice touch. You can also unlock decals and such that you can place on your ATV at different locations as well. The tracks show the same visual variety in scenery and time of day as the past titles do, but the muddy environment textures show no improvement since that of the first game, which is a disappointment. It’s all too obvious that the engine has been maxed.

From an audio standpoint, ATV Offroad Fury 3 delivers just as expected, especially in the music department. The sound effects are merely adequate, but the music on offer ranges from punk and alternative rock to a very country-sounding southern rock. Believe or not, this type of music fits the game perfectly, and though different musical styles in the game may seem odd, the musical selection isn’t any less cohesive.



The online portion of ATV Offroad Fury 3 is top-notch (sans the headset issues), but aside from that, the series is largely the same. There isn’t a great deal of improvements to be found here, and some elements turned out worse (like the framerate). At the same time though, this is a good game, and if you enjoyed the past two titles, chances are you’ll dig this one too.




Article By: Brendon Hivner