Handheld
(DS) MX vs. ATV Untamed
By George Damidas
Feb 7, 2008, 7 :07 am

MX vs. ATV Untamed on the DS takes the scaled-down approach of its PlayStation Portable (PSP) counterpart even further for one of the most straightforward off-road titles yet. Unlike the PSP version, there is no pretense of an open world filled with obstacles and events; no, the focus is solely on the racing. The preferred menu option of selecting events – X-Cross Challenge, Stunt Challenge, Custom Event, and Multiplayer – offers an unobtrusive means of setting everything up. Even though I prefer this one out of both portable versions, I still say that gamers can do without either.

The outdoors were more than a bit of a hassle in the PS version of Untamed, but they did offer one key thing that the DS version does not: variety. These events are all played out on indoor tracks, which is kind of interesting at first, with the crowd cheering and screaming, but quickly wears thin. The modes share the same courses, and there are only so many times I can advance to a track that just adds an extra hill or turn before I’m ready to take a break. In the world of motocross, I am sure all of the small bumps and moderate hills are named, prime areas to launch tricks, and are noted for the skill it takes to navigate them, but to a layman, such as myself, a hill is either small or large. Racing on one track of small hills dotted with larger ones is pretty much the exact same as racing on a track dominated by larger mounds. Yes, the larger ones are more enjoyable due to being able to actually pull tricks off with the height they allow for, but they all blend together after an event or two.

The straightforward menu system is much appreciated, though. Being able to pick an event, cup, type of vehicle and rider without having to hunt through menus (see: PSP version) is actually a big plus. The controls are also more in tune with what I’m used to. The Tony Hawk–style combo system has a decent amount of variety in the tricks that are capable of being performed, but pulling them off is another matter entirely. Despite being able to navigate the courses, pulling off more than a handful of the tricks is extremely tricky. Unlike the computer, I am unable to stick to the straight-aways pimpled with small hills like a magnet on metal, often tossed about and only getting enough time to do the simplest of tricks when given the proper amount of clearance and height. 

That really is the most frustrating aspect, though, the computer’s tendency to be glued to the track. When racing the computer, the rubber band effect – the computer never getting too far behind or too far ahead, as to always present a challenge – is amped up to the point where it’s just frustrating. The computer will obviously flub up on a corner, smacking into the dirt and rolling to a stop, only to come blowing past you a few moments later despite your driving being, at worst, decent. After messing up on a corner they make up for their mistake brilliantly by zipping along all of the terrain that sends me into bobblehead mode. I would also find myself outside of the course every now and then, and there is some inconsistency with that that I found bothersome: often I simply had to get back on course and continue, but other times I would be told to turn around and have it automatically happen after five seconds, which is a minimum of one place behind whatever place I was in. The ATVs are less prone to many of the problems, due to their weight, but that is a much more straightforward affair than the bikes and still isn’t free from the lack of trick time. Playing with friends goes some way into remedying the game’s faults, and it isn’t a bad four-player title, but the lack of varied courses will feel stale to all but the biggest diehards after a few rounds.

There are some things that make the game seem sloppy. The weird sitting-fetal hybrid position that the riders have when they fly off their vehicles is very odd – they even bounce around and skid in this same pose. I understand that the DS has limitations, but just an arm flailing here or there would have been fine. There is also minor clipping, though this is often during wrecks and after races; during the races, the only aesthetic problem is that it never seems as though dirt is being raced on but brown concrete. Still, for the better controls and the combo system, which fans of the sport will appreciate much more so than I, this is the version that I’d have to give the nod to.

Overall: 5/10