MX vs. ATV Reflex for Nintendo DS Reviews by Gamers

Rainbow Studios' MX vs. ATV has been around for years now, dating back more than a decade if you count the ATV Offroad Fury and Motocross Madness franchises in the bunch. This year's release, MX vs. ATV Reflex, hit the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PSP and Nintendo DS, and while a couple similarities carries over between the console and portable versions, the DS release, developed by Tantalus, is its own beast altogether, somewhat for the better (when compared with the dismal PSP release), but the whole package still leaves a lot to be desired.



Being on the least powerful system of the bunch, it's not unexpected that the DS version of Reflex can't keep up in terms of physics. Rather than trying to shove all of that code in here and sacrifice visuals and other bells and whistles, Tantalus has implemented a very arcadey control scheme that winds up making MX vs. ATV Reflex feel like a 3D version of Excitebike. A bland 3D version of Excitebike, mind you, but you get the idea.



One issue is that there isn't any subtlety or much refinement to the controls, and the basic physics that are there are pretty screwy. With the physics, hitting another racer just slows you down, even if they hit you from behind. I've come to a full stop in a truck because the computer tapped me three times from the rear. This can be problematic when the pack is tight, like at the beginning of a race, and since the computer doesn't seem to care where you are, it forces you to be either overly defensive or aggressive on turns, either cutting them really sharp or taking them really wide to avoid the AI.



Speaking of cutting corners, what's also screwy is that if you hit a wall, it stops you almost immediately and resets your place on the track. On some tracks, you'll find that what looks like a small bump on the inside of a corner is actually a wall in practice, so you'll take a few seconds hit on your lap time while waiting to be reset.



There are a few issues with the controls as well, aside from just not feeling right. One is that turning feels lagged, especially with trucks. You can see that the wheels turn immediately, but your vehicle doesn't actually start changing direction for about a second. Likewise, some of the tricks pause for a second before they're performed, while others happen immediately. This makes all of the freestyle events (which aren't difficult to win) somewhat frustrating until you've figured out which tricks to avoid, or at least save for the biggest jumps.



The presentation isn't great here either, with the game generally ignoring the vehicle you took last time out and forcing you to reselect your favorite ride. Worse though is the fact that when new vehicles open up it might default to a skin that you haven't unlocked yet while another is open, causing you to think that you can't use that vehicle class yet.



Still, despite all of this, I did find a sliver of fun in the cart while playing it. I think it has something to do with the bit I mentioned about it feeling like a 3D take on Excitebike, what with its largely simple and arcadey controls and straightforward approach to the progression. It's not enough to make me want to keep playing after this review is posted, but at least I didn't totally hate having to review it, if that can be counted as a positive note.

©2009-12-11, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved