2XL ATV Offroad (iPhone) Review
Monday, November 02, 2009 11:47 AM
2XL ATV Offroad brings offroad racing to the iPhone, showing Apple's trojan handheld can play amongst the best of them.
From reading my various ramblings and rants about this website you will come to know that I am a superstitious man, a paranoid man, a man of anger and rage.
I am a man that would sneer at the Tamagotchi, snigger at the mention of a Pokemon and wax lyrical conspiracy theories about the popularity of Apple and their "iPod". To put it bluntly, I loathe trends.
Call me the man of two-years ago. but it seems that the Ipod has finally taken over and won the battle of humanity. Is it a coincidence that Ipod is one word away from Pod People? Now it seems that Apple are not content with claiming conquest over our eardrums, now they wish to conquer our gaming attention.
If you are unfamiliar with the ATV Offroad series, it is a game of racing in All Terrain Vehicles through a variety of environments. Starting out life on the PS2 it has been ported to the PlayStation Portable and to iPhone/touch, notably of which is 2XL Supercross.
Offroad picks up where its predecessors left off and delivers top-notch quality gameplay. Here we are given great looking visuals for the iPhone, creative controls and an engrossing career mode for the achievement lovers amongst us.
Like Supercross, Offroad's control system is tilt based. While at first this can be a little hard to get used to, it makes for fun and engaging gameplay. From time to time you may find yourself struggling to keep your steering away from obstacles and you'll occasionally find yourself driving in the wrong direction, but it's all part of the fun and learning curve.
To accelerate you simply place your thumb over an onscreen button, which can feel a little counter intuitive, as the stubby amongst us will cover up a portion of the screen. This can cause problems when trying to perform certain tricks, which require the usage of smaller buttons. Just make sure you pick a smaller finger.
The career mode offers a variety of different "leagues" that are unlocked by completing certain tasks. The sense of progress throughout is a welcome change, since it makes the game feel progressive, full of content, and acts as an engrossing challenge.
Visually this game sits somewhere between the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable, showing the iPhone/Touch is a real contender in the portable gaming arena. With great audio features, video features and now gaming features, how long will is it until Apple dethrone the reigning kings and enslave us all?
My only major criticism of the game is that sound is a little bit boring and uninspired. It's fine for its purpose, but you'll find yourself unplugged for this game. When will we be allowed to play these games with our own iPod playlist I wonder?
To conclude, for both arcade and engrossing gameplay, ATV Offroad is a must for any fan of the racing genre who needs to game on the move. For a small price of five pounds, it's a simple and easy choice.
8/10
Adam Tingle