The artificially intelligent opponents you race against in ATV4 are more "artificial" than "intelligent," and they rarely make an attempt to avoid you. In addition, you'll usually come out on the short end of any collision with an opponent. One twist to the game's AI is the introduction of rival racers, which are denoted on track with a "rival" icon above their heads. If you hit a rival racer, the icon will gradually go from white to red, indicating that racer's level of aggression toward you. While the system is interesting, it doesn't play a big role in the gameplay. This is especially true on the wide-open courses, where it's very easy to stay clear of your opponents.
If you're not happy with your ride's performance, you can always spend some cash on upgraded parts.
Perhaps the biggest flaw in ATV4's gameplay lies in the freestyle events, which comprise a number of different objectives, from riding through various rings strewn throughout a course to attaining a point total by using a standard stunts-for-points trick system. Although the button-combination trick system is shallow, it certainly works as intended. What does seem out of whack is the balance of the trick points you earn. In an ATV or MX bike, you can earn points only by pulling off a series of more elaborate stunts. However, when driving a dune buggy or trophy truck, you will be inundated with points simply for jumping or sliding through a turn. The heavy-class vehicles aren't eligible for the freestyle events, but nonetheless, it's disheartening to struggle for points in one class, only to earn them for doing practically nothing in another. In our experience, it wasn't long before we gave up on the points-based freestyle events altogether.
The vehicle upgrade system in ATV4 is bigger and better than ever before. You earn credits for races you compete in and can use that cash for cosmetic- and performance-enhancing upgrades to any of the vehicles in your garage. Simple things, such as tire upgrades, are the first place to start. But once the money starts to roll in, you'll want to apply it toward new engine upgrades, improved brakes and clutches, and more advanced suspension, among others. Although the changes in vehicle performance aren't always drastic, the easiest way to see your upgrades in action is after you make a huge jump over a yawning chasm that you just couldn't nail before you made the upgrades.
If you've had enough with the single-player game, you can always switch over to the multiplayer modes. This is by far the most extensive online experience yet seen in the series, with support for up to eight players across a variety of race events. These include races, freestyle events, and minigames, such as hockey, basketball, bowling, and treasure hunt. There are also online championships, where you can run a series of races in such event types as supercross, circuit, and even point-to-point races. You can even race on unique courses that are created with the game's easy-to-use track creator or exchange bulletin-board messages with others in the game's online community. The races themselves are generally lag-free and typically more exciting than battling it out with the predictable AI-controlled opponents.
While the PS2's visuals are getting a bit old, there's plenty to enjoy in ATV4. The tracks themselves are varied, both in design and in background visuals. Some of the open tracks, particularly the point-to-point tracks, have a nice sense of "wilderness" to them. The tracks have little repetition in the background environments, as well as enough foliage and sideline action to keep things interesting. Even the indoor stadium courses a have lot of graphical details to appreciate, such as the popping flash bulbs in the crowd as you speed by it. The vehicles also look good. Not only do the vehicles kick up a lot of grime and mud when turning laps, but by the end of a race, both rider and ride are covered with dirt.
The long, challenging point-to-point races are a great addition to the game.
All four vehicle types found in the game have different engine sounds, from the deep grumble of the trucks to the whining hornet's buzz of the MX bikes. It's the most noticeable aspect of an otherwise respectable, if not remarkable, sound package. The soundtrack, which is noticeably missing the Bootsy Collins funkified ATV rap from the previous game, is fine for those who like uninspiring scream-rock that is mixed with a healthy dose of hip-hop. As an aside: Would it have killed them to include a George Strait song or two? After all, this is a dirt-racing game.
ATV Offroad Fury 4 is a great game that will keep any fan of off-road racing or high-speed games busy for a good long stretch. If this is the last ATV Offroad Fury game for the PS2, the series certainly went out in style, and we look forward to seeing what Climax has in store for us on the PlayStation 3.
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