![]() ![]() I’d like to see the riders not go sailing off a quad so much, though. So things like inertia-based penalties when you slide into a barrier because you braked a millisecond too late or falling off a quad mid-challenge and failing because of it will likely stay in. The game penalizes every mistake you make even if it’s not all your fault. A patch to fix up a few things would be wonderful, although I’m gathering the strict penalty system for breaking though barriers or otherwise screwing up challenges will stay in. Performance-wise, you get a decent 30fps overall, but I know that some would prefer 60 in their racers even though the game is more about control over raw speed. Visuals are pretty well done overall, particularly in the attention to detail in the vehicles and how things get muddy and otherwise filthy as your make your way through the maps. Just listening to the engine sounds and working gas, brake, 2WD, 2WD, and differential lock controls (the latter which are only for the buggies) while getting a feel for the game was actually kind of oddly relaxing in shorter play sessions. I actually didn’t mind one thing others may gripe about: The lack of music and crowd noises (and well, any crowd at all) while racing was actually good for concentrating on the tracks filled with all manner of bumps and hazards. Jumping back and forth between Quick Race and Career Mode helped for me, as some of the faster and bouncier rides in the former mode required some deft handling, which learning a bit of helped out in the latter mode. ![]() That said, being tense in every event until you finish hopefully in the money can be frustrating. While the game doesn’t do anything special with its lengthy Career Mode or let you race against other live players (with its physics system, you’d barely make it a lap if you had players maliciously trying to wreck you), there’s a sort of focused intensity here that rarely lets up. Add in the manual transmission options if you like, and parts of the game get really teeth-gnashing even when you get better at them. This is clearly NOT a game about stunts and flashy moves and it doesn’t pretend to be. The unforgiving nature of the physics here means you’ll feel as if a stiff wind could send your driver flying off that ride, but they’ll fall off before the wind starts blowing anyway. Quads are a totally difficult thing to get used to throughout as you need to control the driver as much as the vehicle here, adjusting his or her body on the fly lest you go tumbling down a slope or over a steep hill. ![]() You’ll need to try and damage your rides as little as possible in Career, as repairs stack up and get costly, affecting performance to often great degrees if you don’t repair. Of the two disciplines, the assorted buggies are the most fun to drive here, especially once you get a few upgrades and start fiddling with crafting the fastest and better handling rides. “Where we’re going, we don’t need roads!” There’s definitely a LOT of game here for that money, although the day one DLC might be a bit of a pesky bit of business for some players resistant to that sort of thing. ![]() When you approach the game from a simulation aspect, it’s a lot more enjoyable, although as they say, your mileage may vary when all is said and done. This definitely isn’t a Motorstorm or Baja: Edge of Control despite its announcer’s twangy voice and a bit of genetic soundtrack action. The game could use some patching to fix a few bugs with the physics and free up camera control (holding R3 down to look around is a pain), but even still, a warning comes for casual players: it’s definitely not for everyone, especially those expecting something purely arcade-like. Or, you can just mix in all the game modes and get an extreme and extremely lengthy experience that’s part driving sim and part puzzle game where you’ll need to successfully navigate some deviously designed courses that will test your skills and patience. You can just hop into Quick Race, Custom Race, or hotseat-based Multiplayer and play on an assortment of tracks with any ride, learning as you play. You can go into all the tutorials and learn the ropes, failing and retrying as you go, then hit the Career Mode’s many racing events in a few ways, earning sponsors, a team to manage along with race-earned cash to repair rides and purchase plenty of gear and upgrades. There are a couple of ways to play Zordix Racing’s super challenging and very (very) methodical off-road game OVERPASS ($59.99). Grandma needs to move to a place less hard to get to… ![]()
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