MX vs ATV Alive

MX vs ATV Alive is a bizarre game. This is an era where game developers sometimes tend to make sacrifices on the single player side of things so they can focus on the online multiplayer components of their games. However, none of those games ever force you to play multiplayer the way MX vs ATV Alive does. Don’t get me wrong; the single player modes aren’t locked away, but the way the game levels you up, you will either endlessly grind by replaying the same events over and over, or be forced to hop online.

Getting down and dirty

This new strategy almost works too. Alive succeeds where Reflex failed – the gameplay. This is an off-road racing game, where – as the name suggests - you can choose between dirt bikes and quads/ATVs as your vehicles. As with any good game, controls are easy to pick up, but difficult to master. While simply negotiating turns and overtaking opponents is simple enough, keeping your speed up as you constantly encounter bumps, ditches and big-air jumps is considerably harder, and there are a couple of tools that the game grants you to get a leg up on the competition. The first of these is the clutch, which helps you accelerate off the starting line, out of corners, and while landing jumps. The other is the seat bounce, which allows you go higher and farther off jumps. The problem, however, is that the game doesn’t explain how either of these features are used. Because this is a lower priced game, it doesn’t come with a manual, and strangely, neither is there a manual in-game.

I really shouldn't have had such a heavy lunch