ATV Quad: Power Racing (PlayStation)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 2.0 stars Mediocre
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 4.8 (2.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Shane Satterfield
• Reviewed on: 08/29/2000
• Updated on: 05/17/2006
• Released on: 08/23/2000
• Originally published on GameSpot: ATV Quad: Power Racing (PlayStation) Review

The PlayStation has few software gaps waiting to be filled. With well over 1000 games available, it has everything from four versions of Bust-A-Move to a Teletubbies game. While dirt bike racers are really nothing new, Acclaim has decided to forgo the usual two-wheeler route in favor of attempting to tap into what it must see as the cash-ready four-wheeler market. Kids living in the sticks or professional quad racers might find the game inviting initially, but ATV: Quad Power Racing is really just another PlayStation niche title that misses the mark.

ATV: Quad Power Racing has four modes: championship, single race, time attack, and two-player. Championship mode has both pro and amateur circuits where you race against five other quads vying for first place. You start championship mode by picking one of the six available riders and one of two available quads and then choosing one of three tracks to race on. The only difference between the amateur circuit and the pro circuit is shortcuts located throughout the tracks - they're boarded up in amateur races and opened in the professional circuit. The stereotypical forest, snow, and desert environs are here, but any sort of indoor tracks have been omitted. If you complete a track in first place, you may move on to the next version of the track. Two quads are available out of the jewel case and four other bikes can be unlocked when you do well in the championship mode. A secret "super quad" is available once you conquer the professional circuit. Each quad has its own unique attributes for acceleration, suspension, and top speed, and you can really feel the difference in each bike's abilities, especially handling.

The single-race mode lets you take a spin on any of the unlocked tracks, while time attack lets you race for the lowest time possible. Both modes make the process of learning the tracks somewhat easier. The two-player mode is probably the most fun you'll have with ATV: Quad Power Racing. Here the frame rates stay solid most of the time, and the tracks are long enough that you can stay in the race despite several wrecks.

The tracks are extremely long - we're talking bust-out-the-eye-drops long. By the time you make it to the third lap, you'll be sick of squinting to see where the track leads next and even more pained by sitting on pins and needles, scared to make the one mistake that will cost you the race. The steering control is fine, but merely tapping the brakes slows you down so much that it almost guarantees you'll soon be eating someone else's dirt spray. The powerslide isn't much help either because it also slows down your bike far too much. You're faced with the challenge of keeping the throttle wide open while bouncing over the hilly, curvy terrain - a near impossibility. There is also a strange physics glitch where bumping into bikes in front of you sends the competition sprinting ahead while you pick the dirt clots out of your goggles. Other times, running into someone from behind sends you and your bike inexplicably rocketing 100 feet into the air. This is especially frustrating considering the ATVs are wide enough to take up more than half the width of the track.

Even more frustrating is that the artificial intelligence is far too daunting - even on the very first track. You may cruise along without a single collision or miscue for a lap or two, but the second you even so much as veer slightly off-road, you can guarantee that you'll be passed by at least two riders. This is especially frustrating in the initial stages of play when you're simply trying to become accustomed to the game's controls. There are shortcuts located on each track, and once you learn to use them, things do become a bit easier, but the limited payoff of one super quad does not justify the difficulty you will have completing this game.

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