ATV 2 is more like SSX Tricky on ATVs. Trick-based, solidly built with a respectable physics engine and immediately fun, this off-road racing game is definitely a contender. The game boasts some good looks, too. With strong textures and excellent lighting, nice use of shadows and well-defined riders and bikes, the game presents an atypical graphical flair.
First and foremost though, let us give you some facts. Players can seat themselves into a small garage of vehicles (about 20 in all), each with various properties, such as speed, handling, balance, etc. Some are wider and fatter, with better balance, while others are lighter and tighter to turn, but harder to manage. And at least one ATV is a three-wheeler. Gamers can slide into the roles of 10 real professionals, too, including Dana Creech, Kory Ellis, Tim Farr as well as being given the ability to stylize their own custom riders.
The game takes players all over the world. Among the 10 large tracks, gamers can race through swamps, forests, dunes, glaciers, and works-style (machine-intensive) environments. The game offers a meaty set of modes, too, including Single Race, Freestyle, Championship, Arcade, Time Trail and Multiplayer (PS2 offers two-player, GameCube is four-player, and Xbox is undecided yet). Championship is clearly where the major action is held, since players build up their player stats through jumps, tricks and wins.
Right off the bat, these ATVs ride fast and well. You can instantly pull off a wheelie and hold it for a good 50 yards, racking up points to increase your skills. Alternative jumps and sloping walls and lips provide players with the ability to perform powerslides and extra sweet jumps. There are some mighty huge jumps here, too. Using Climax's proprietary DYNE libraries, the game offers a substantial set of bike physics providing an arcade-style feel, but still demanding enough skill from the player to take a while to master it. Players can perform a slew of BMX-style tricks, such as forward and backward flips, can-cans, supermans, junkyards, and more; there are 20 tricks in all.
The courses are moderate to large in size, enabling players to skid off-course, but not so wildly as to take major shortcuts. Additionally, the AI is skilled, so it'll take gamers some time to earn that first place medal. The gameplay requires players to balance skilled driving with successfully landed tricks, but ATV 2 highly encourages dirty play, a la Road Rash. Bumping and kicking are standard tricks of the trade, and by successfully kicking another racer, they're likely to lose balance and bail from their bikes. They can do the same to you as well, so avoiding other aggressive bikers is another key point. Since the physics require a good level of study, it's also a skill to land tricks successfully. Bikes skid, bounce, and wobble after huge jumps, making the entire process worth your formidable extreme-sports skills.
All in all, ATV 2 is a solid, trick-based arcade racer that is surely guaranteed to surprise. It may not be the Rallisport Challenge of the ATV world, but it's no Antz Extreme Racing. Thanks to the intense physics engine and refined balance of tricks, this game offers an experience well worth your while. Make sure to check up on ATV 2 when it hits stores in February 2003 for all systems.