August 8, 2005 - Well made games generally spawn good, solid sequels. And, as a rule, every well-made sequel should add one or two gameplay elements or feature to a series to further it along. But, in the process, previous iterations are rendered dull and obsolete. Case in point; While many believe that the yearly outing of the Madden series only updates rosters and adds more polygons to each character, I challenge you to play a previous version after spending time with the latest and greatest version. It's hard. The changes may not always be major, but little things do add up and I personally feel like previous versions always feel empty; as if there was "always" something missing, regardless of how well much I enjoyed them beforehand. The exception? Sony's ATV Offroad Fury series. From its first outing on the PS2, all the winning elements have been present and each new sequel, for better or worse, seems to have only added tracks, character customization and little tweaks here and there. A more jaded reviewer would conclude that the series is stagnant and has been resting on its laurels, but ATV Offroad Fury has always been so perfectly balanced to play that it's almost unthinkable to have it be anything other then what it is. And now, after 3 sequels on console and countless other ATV games on the market (including the amazing MX vs. ATV: Unleashed) we finally have an ATV Offroad Fury (ATVOF) on handheld. But does it still have the magic that the series has effortlessly spawned time after time on console or does this one get unceremoniously launched from its bike?

Thankfully the core mechanics haven't changed one bit and anyone who's had the pleasure of playing this on the PS2 will feel right at home. Newcomers, however, will wonder at first what kind of fresh hell these controls are all about. While the controls default to the analog stick for steering, the D-Pad may be much easier to use for many. The X button is used for acceleration and the Square button for braking. Reverse however, and you will need this one a lot, is X and Square! The ATV series has always done this and gotten away with it due to the fact that all other buttons are cleverly mapped out to power sliding and trick options. Still, it doesn’t make it any easier to use in the heat of a race.

The greatest gameplay element of the series has always been its “preload” mechanic. At the base of a jump, bringing the analog stick back and then snapping it forward before the ATV leaves the ground will “preload” the bike’s suspension and allow for incredibly long hang-times allowing riders to perform tricks and also take a moment to optimize and tweak their landing. Mastery of the “preload” is essential in ATVOF, but the sheer fun and brilliance of it makes it easy to learn. And, as mentioned, once in the air, you are free to use the analog stick, the Triangle & Circle buttons and the Left trigger in various combinations to perform stunts.

The game loads quickly, which is a blessing after MX vs. ATV: Unleashed’s long load time (even on Xbox) and the game plays quickly. The landing is also a little more forgiving than on console, but for all these refinements, the gameplay is far from perfect. Controlling your ATV will be an exercise in patience for many. While on a bigger controller, with more wiggle room, it may be easier to navigate the bumps and turns of the tracks, the PSP’s smaller analog nub isn’t as precise or intuitive and it’s far too easy to get launched off the track for no reason or to simply take a jump at what appears the correct angle but find yourself landing horribly off-target due to a minor miscalculation. It is possible to correct a bit in mid-air, but expect to land off-track. And a lot. The other major issue is that the bikes feel very large on the tracks and the tracks themselves feel very narrow. The result of all this; it’s pretty hard to control these things. Add an A.I. that is sometimes ruthless and unforgiving and you’ll soon find yourself swearing like a sailor.