Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:20:10 +0000

Wednesday 10 Mar 2010

Everybody loves playing in dirt when they are small. The way mud oozes through your fingers, or the way you can secretly hide your dirty nappy by taking a mud bath. When you are bigger you design intricate road networks and tunnels for your toy cars. But somewhere along the course of our lives we develop this hatred for dirt. We claim that its, well, dirty. We even go as far as claiming cleanliness is next to Godliness. But deep inside, every time it rains, we get this longing feeling inside us to run out and jump into that puddle of mud. Every time we drive past road works, we feel the urge to jump on the heap of sand. So when a game is released that lets you get dirty, we should all sit up and take note. MX vs ATV Reflex is that game.

Looking at some screenshots you might think that this is just another dirty off-road racing game. There are some motocross bikes (MX), some quad bikes (ATV), even some trucks. They race in the mud. They get dirty. How good can this game really be? But a lot more lurks beneath the surface. But let’s start with the basics. As you have probably deduced by now, Reflex is a racing game for off-road vehicles. As with most racing games these days you have various modes of play. You can jump straight into the racing with the arcade mode, which has every track and vehicle available. You can race some of your buddies in the multiplayer mode, either via splitscreen or up to 12 racers online. Then you have the obligatory career mode, simply named Motocareer.

In Motocareer you build up your garage with vehicles from the different classes of vehicle available. You start off with enough cash to buy the entry level Lite MX motocross bike. Win a few races and you unlock more venues and more vehicles. It is very lightly done though. Calling it a career mode in Gran Turismo was justified, in Reflex they should have called it “part time job mode.” Nothing of any real substance is added. You can change the colour of your bikes and the outfit of your rider, neither of which adds anything to the game. You can even upgrade some parts of your vehicles, but yet again this does not add any noticeable change to their behavior. The words “tacked on” come to mind. But we are here to get dirty, not shop around!

Playing the game was very different to what I expected. I skipped past the introduction and the tutorials. I am a gamer, I don’t need a tutorial - what nerve! I quickly found out that the control scheme is as easy to pick up as any other racing game, but has a lot more to it. When riding any of the bikes, MX and ATV, you control the rider separately from the bike itself. This allows you to realistically shift the rider’s balance to allow snap turns and corrective maneuvers in the air.

It may appear to be a bit of a gimmick initially, but you soon realize that you won’t get very far without it. You need to lean in the right direction to get your rider to land the best way possible after a huge jump, or you will certainly crash out. You have much better balance control of your rider in the air, allowing you to do some sweet tricks. Tricks are there to do two things: make you look cool and rub your victories into your opponents faces; it also wins you some cash. The loading screen is an empty arena with killer ramps allowing you to practice the perfect trick combination, a shame that it does not feature more in the game. Doing tricks for a boost in speed would have been awesome!

The cool control scheme is lost on the bigger vehicles though. Realistically you cannot control trucks or buggies in the air, and this makes the game a little bit limited in this regard. The trucks and buggies feel almost out of place, and when taking part in omnicross (a race where all types of vehicles are allowed) the smaller bikes stand no chance. In fact, the two types of vehicles and the differences between them could easily have allowed two separate games. This is ironic as the opposite is what happened here, MX vs ATV joined up with Baja Racing to form Reflex.

The game also features very realistic terrain deformation. Every tire leaves its tracks on the various courses. Depending on how hard the surface, these tracks are deeper and shallower on different parts of the course. This scarring of the race course also drastically affects the handling of the various vehicles as they travel over it. Now imagine a soft muddy course, with 12 MX bikes carving up the course. By the end of a race the track is horribly deformed and the chances of falling off and losing are great, especially on the last corner on the last lap when you have another rider breathing down your neck!

Races are split into various categories. You have stadium supercross races, where the atmosphere is enough to get you on the edge of your seat. The races also end up being a lot closer with tight turns and lots of spectacular jumps. But your opponents really show their weak AI in these races. Often they misjudge their jumps and jump straight through hairpin turns. Often they just ride through the corners without even attempting to turn as if they fell asleep at the wheel.

You also have your Free Ride races, which is a huge open area in which you can start various challenges. Omnicross, as mentioned before, is off-road races open to all vehicles, and the laps are generally much longer than the average race. Elimination is a small four player race where the last rider at the end of each lap gets eliminated. Point to point races in the open environments wraps up the race types. Not a bad selection, but still nothing to set it apart from the rest.

The most annoying part of the game, apart from falling off on the last turn of the last lap, are the sound effects. Generally speaking, it’s not too bad. But the engine noises leave a LOT to be desired. It sounds choppy and blunt, and nothing like the whine of a 2-stroke engine. In fact, games out of the early nineties had much better sound than this. Very disappointing. However, some of the environment effects, like the other riders in the arena, are spot on.

MX vs ATV Reflex surprised me with the depth available in controlling your bike. It makes for a nice motocross game with cool tricks and the spectacular track deformation adds yet more depth in which line on the track you take. It falls short of classic status though with the trucks feeling tacked on and the sound effects lacking in any real oomph. If you are a fan of MX vs. ATV, or looking for a motocross game with some depth, then this game is for you. Just ignore the trucks and buggies. If you are only looking for a fun off-road racer, you will be better suited to look at Motorstorm.

The good: Terrain deformation and separate rider control adds plenty of depth.
The bad: The trucks and buggies feel tacked on.
The ugly: If sound effects ever looked bad, this is it.

Spring Enduro ATV / UTV Grand Prix at Pala Raceway – March 12-14th

by Jon Crowley on 08/03/10 at 7:07 am

Pala, CA (3/5/2010) - Spring Enduro Grand Prix at Pala Raceway will be an off road race that will incorporate the upper portion of the Pala Raceway including motocross tracks, trails, and access roads. During the five mile loop riders will navigate through high speed sections, the New Motocross Race Track, tight trails on the Northern slopes, sand washes, and much more over the course of a 45 minute plus 1 lap moto that will test man and machine. Preliminary course map coming soon

Friday Schedule: March 12, 2010
UTV/QUAD track is open for practice. ($20.00 per person)
** Pala Raceway Membership is required for all drivers and passengers. $20.00 per person

http://www.palaraceway.com/memberships/membership-sign-up

Overnight Camping is available at $20.00/per night (no hookups)

Saturday Schedule: March 13, 2010
Pala Raceway Gates Opens: 6:30 am
1 lap Practice starts at 8:00am
Racing to start at approx. 8:45am
10am to 3pm OFFROADSWAPMEET.com will be selling new/used parts for MX, Quads, SXS, Trophy Karts & moreOvernight Camping is available at $20.00/per night (no hookups)
ATVs, UTVs & Trophy Karts Sighting Lap at approx 3:30 pm

Sunday Schedule: March 14, 2010
Pala Raceway Gates Open at 7:00 am
Entry Fees: $30.00 per class/per person (Pala Membership required for all drivers/passengers)
1 lap Practice starts at 8:00 am
Drivers Meeting: 8:45am at the Starting Line – Mandatory for all Drivers & Passengers (*times are subject to change)
Racing to start at approx 9:15 am (Line Ups will be announced at Riders Meeting)

UTV CLASSES
Stock No long travel, no motor work
Amateur No motor work, long travel ok
Pro 800cc & under
Unlimited SR1, Rotax, 1000cc

TROPHY KARTS CLASSES
Junior 1 / Stock
Junior 2
Elite 1 Youth 9-15, 250cc
Stadium Modified Youth 9-15, 450cc
Elite 2 Adults, 250cc

QUAD PRO CLASSES:
Open Pro 200cc & up
Pro 450cc Production

AMATUER QUAD CLASSES:
OPEN ALL SKILLS
450cc ALL SKILLS
VET +30 ALL SKILLS
91 – 250cc 2 STROKE ALL SKILLS
250cc ALL SKILLS
WOMEN OPEN ALL SKILLS
YOUTH CLASSES:
90cc & under 11 YRS – 7 YRS
50cc Stock 5 YRS – 8 YRS

COURSE MARKERS:
Arrows pointing Left, Right, Straight Ahead, will be placed around the course. Arrows may/may not be destroyed throughout the day and it is up to you to race with caution. If you have trouble during the race, do not stay on the course, immediately move your race vehicle off the track, before dealing with your difficulty. If at any time you must stop, move off the track as quickly as possible. This is extremely important and is to ensure both your safety and the safety of others. Pala Raceway is not responsible for your race vehicle, and does not provide you any medical insurance. You are solely responsible for all medical/insurance expenses.

VEHICLE SAFETY REQUIREMENTS:
Safety is first! 5-point harness and window netting will be required on all Trophy Karts and UTVs.

PROTECTIVE CLOTHING:
All drivers/passengers must wear full coverage clothing of close fitting design made of material suited as to provide adequateprotection to the driver/passenger. Rider and passenger must wear helmets at all times during the course of events. Helmets

must meet current D.O.T & Snell approval and be in fresh condition. All driver/passengers must wear leather boots extending far enough up the leg as no gap occurs between boot and bottom of the pant leg with in any riding position. Boots must all offer

adequate supports and protection. Eye protections must be worn at all times and must be shatter/splinter proof material. If vision becomes blocked or in any way impaired it is the rider’s responsibility to correct the problem before starting or continuing any event. Gloves are recommended for additional protection.

PIT AREAS
Pit Areas must be kept clean, and all trash must be removed from the area. NO PIT RIDING AT ANY TIME.

SCORING:
Transponders will not be used. There will be score keepers, counting laps and checking numbers.

For more information Visit the website at www.palaraceway.com

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