Growing up in the backwoods of a rural Midwest town, off-roading was a big hobby for me and my friends. ATV riding with my friends on Saturday mornings, where we would end up covered in our weight of mud and dirt before we were through, was a blast. One of the very few off-road racing series attempts to capture the excitement and messiness of these messy races has decided to up the ante considerably by adding tons of new features and vehicles. In doing so, ATV Offroad Fury 4 looks to take the top-spot in off-road sport titles.

Racing games every-so-often attempt to enhance the single-player racing experience by including a story-based mode for them to complete, and ATV Offroad Fury 4 is the latest in this trend. Players can select from either a male or female rider and take them through the ranks of the off-road circuit to reach superstardom. ATV will tell its story with full-motion videos off the track, so expect plenty of cheesy one-liners and other bad voice-acting as you blast past other racers in the standings.

New vehicles and new customization options seem to take center stage in the new title. Instead of sticking with ATVs the entire time, now you can ride motocross bikes, buggies, and trucks on off-road tracks. Between races, you can purchase new upgrades to your vehicle’s suspension, engine, breaks, gearbox, and more. Along with these new options, extensive tuning options will be available for arm-chair mechanics to optimize their performance in the garage. As your rider rises through the ranks in the single-player mode, more color and decal options will become available for both the racer and the vehicles, making your character truly yours.

As if a new single-player mode and a slew of new vehicle options weren’t enough, there’s a new Track Editor, a new racing mode, and new online tournaments. Players will be able to create custom tracks that they themselves designed and share them with friends via the new cross-connection with the upcoming Offroad Fury Pro on PSP. Baja-style point-to-point races will also make their debut in the series, offering players multiple paths to complete the open-environment “tracks.” Online tournaments supporting up to eight players will also be available to those with internet connections, giving players the ability to race, talk, and chat with other racers. New tricks, returning multiplayer modes, and improved visuals round out what could potentially be one of the most extensive off-road titles to date.

As the October release date nears, we here in the office have received a playable demo that features a couple of the new vehicle selections. Racing in an off-road buggy feels pretty loose and fun, unlike a more realistic racing title in the vein of World Rally or something. Achieving a slide in dirt turns is effortless to do, while recovering from the slide is equally simple as well. From what we’ve seen, the additional vehicles will do more than just add to the ATV roster, but instead provide an experience that is unique from the ATVs themselves.

I cannot remember looking forward to an off-road game quite as much as this one, but the demo was not without a few faults to raise our attention. In racing the buggies, I experienced plenty of crashes that were caused by super-aggressive AI rivals that did everything they could to put me off the track. A little bumping and grinding is understandable, but this felt more like vigilantism instead. Hopefully, the developers can tweak the AI so computer racers care more about winning the race and less about putting you through a tree.

By Patrick Evans
CCC Staff Writer