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Pure
ATV Racing for Kids!
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Despite how awesome of a game Pure can be, I’m disappointed in the purchase. It’s not surprising that it carries the Disney branding because it just feels like you’re playing a kids game. The graphics are gorgeous, the gameplay is simple and perfect, the tricks are intuitive and feel great... But for some reason I just feel like it’s not something my age group should be playing..
Pure serves up some amazing racing actually. It really reminded me of playing Excitebike (if you know what that is, you’re lucky... and getting older :) ) I bet the makers of the original are wishing they had done something more like Pure when making Excitetruck. The gameplay is really simple, but difficult to master, which is the sign of a great design. I really like it when racing games mix the core gameplay with perfect graphics. What I mean by that is that you really need to pay attention to the mud and water spots in this game, and aim for the more solid footing. That is all meshed in with graphics that appear to be very inconsequential because of their detail, but really if you pay attention different parts of the track really give more speed than others. The only thing that would have made it better would have been if they really let other riders work down the dirt so you had to keep finding original paths, but that may be too much to ask with graphics this good.
The interface is large. Too large. Every once in a while someone makes a game that people can still play on their tiny TVs, and this is definitely one of them. Every piece of the GUI is massive and takes up far more screen real estate than it needs to.
The online play is terrible, because I can’t get a game started and keep it running. Each time I go into the rooms there is like 5 or 6 people, total, online, which is always the sign of a dead game. It’s surprising too because it’s getting fantastic reviews. I haven’t thrown it in for a while. Maybe more people have left single player mode since you really need to get your A-level vehicle before you can compete online anyway. |
Graphics
The reason I picked Pure up was because I loved the graphics so much in the demo. It would have been worth picking this up just for the eye candy if it were a little cheaper. Definitely a bargain-bin purchase.
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10.0 |
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Sound
Nothing about the sound in this game jumped out at me other than some decent surround effects. The music is terrible and was turned off quickly. I know it's probably accurate ATV sounds, as well, but they still sound geigh.
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6.5 |
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Gameplay
Great controls and simple gameplay mechanisms that take a while to master.
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9.0 |
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Originality
Nothing that hasn't been done before other than some great work of meshing complex graphics with gameplay effects. I liked how you had to look for dry spots on the track.
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7.5 |
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Interface
Everything is too big, too bubbly, and too childish. Online play is difficult, cumbersome, and scarce.
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5.0 |
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Fun
I enjoyed the game while it lasted, but moved on quickly. I found it easy to place first within a race or two in every event.
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6.5 |
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Lasting Appeal
I played it for a few days and it's already in the stack of games to be traded. I'll throw it in for some online play until NBA Live '09 comes out in a couple weeks, but it's definitely gone as soon as there is a reason.
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3.0 |
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Overall
Pure is decent, but your money is spent better on other things this month. If you love ATV racing then definitely pick this up, but if you’re looking for a generally good gaming experience it's lacking, somehow..
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6.8 |
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