Re-masters are starting to become a real big thing now. We`ve seen so many announced and so many that will be coming at some point at this year, that it feels like nearly every major franchise and any other franchise for that matter, has revealed that they`re going to re-master some sort of game for the next-gen console. A few weeks back, Rainbow Studios released a re-mastered version of MX v ATV Supercross Encore for the Xbox One, a few months after the PS4 got it`s released. Is it a game that is warrant of the re-master treatment? Or is it a game that should have stayed on the back burn days of the last-gen consoles?
I always fear that Re-masters are going to get ruined big time. I don’t want to see a favourite game of mine back on the 360 which I quite enjoyed, very very much so, get the treatment only for it to be dragged through the mud. I don’t want to see it. MX v ATV Supercross Encore is the fifth instalment to the MX v ATV franchise, and Rainbow Studios, have developed under new publishers, the re-master of the hit that many motocross fans have loved on the 360 and before-hand. Now, if you`re a fan of the Motocross, and motorbikes in general, then this is going to be a must buy for you. I wasn’t someone that played awfully loads of the original back on the 360 those years back, but I remember it enough to be able to think that it`s a game that could easily be a laugh with a few of your mates, and taking different classes out for a spin in a range of different championships. However, as I have said earlier in the review, some games don’t warrant the re-master treatment, and there is always the fear of it being ruined. I fear that the fans of the original Supercross Encore title, are going to be very disappointed.
I threw myself straight into a bog standard race as I tried to gain momentum and get to grips again with the controls. Similar to any other car game in terms of control, you`ll have to time those jumps and the speed of your bike, so that you are not spinning out or wheeling off your bike and into the hard-ridden ground, taking you out and pushing you back that little bit further to where you were in winning the race. A few laps around the track and I was fairly confident I could jump straight into the action, and thrill and rides of the Championship.
You have the option to choose within the championship whether you want to race MX, ATV, or a mixture of both. Each championship has a certain number of races across a range of venues, and in line your position will give you points in the overall leaderboard. The higher up the grid you finish, the more points you`ll gain, and the more chance you have of winning the championship. You`re given the chance to really customize your vehicle, and really manage to make sure you fine tune your car to the finest detail, to help you gain the momentum and keep that suspension going at the good rate in order to get you over the final line.
However, in near enough every game, you have a flaw that is personal to you and you feel ruins the game. I mentioned earlier in the review about the controls feeling quite similar to other racing games you may have played, but be prepared, it`s going to take some real, real getting use-to. It really is. It feels very, very sensitive, and perhaps a little too sensitive. You`re going to need to edge your controls to the fine edging detail when turning, as a too sharp turn will see you go 90% to either way and crash straight into another rider. It`s a game where at times the controls feel a little too lacklustre, and can become a very real frustration as the game wears on and on. Another thing that really started to get on my nerves in a while, is how temperamental it could be in your bike hitting the ground. You`re just about the land a jump, and there`s nothing a worser feeling than thinking you`ve hit it right, and then you land and it goes terribly wrong. The landing mechanics within the game feel awful, and something that wish had been worked to be a little bit more realistic. The controls are a key factor for any game, and when the main core mechanics aren’t right, you`re going to lose a lot of interest very quickly.
Graphically, it isn’t a game that is really going to grab you and make you think wow. It really, really isn’t. Poor frame-rates and poor realism ruin the graphic capability of the game. Looking at cue-girls moving like a robot – it just feels like it hasn’t been properly worked through, and is something I`d have expected to see on the 360 graphically. Re-masters have tended to be an improvement in terms of graphics while maintaining and supplying the same content we grew to love on the 360, this isn’t one.
Fans of the series will get it, and no doubt enjoy it. For the neutral though, it isn’t worth the investment. I think Rainbow Studios are better off working on a brand new title in the franchise, and releasing that instead of attempting re-masters.
A huge thank you to Nordic Games for supplying us with a Review copy.
