MTX Mototrax Xbox
Published
by Activision
Developed by Left Field Productions
Released - Out Now
Price : £39.99
Earlier this week we looked at MX Unleashed which, whilst it was good, did little to differentiate itself from the many other motocross games out there. Here we have MTX Mototrax, again another motocross title, developed by Left Field Productions. One of our complaints with MX Unleashed was that it didn't support online play. Well right at the beginning I'm pleased to tell you that MTX Mototrax fully supports Xbox Live. What other other pleasant surprises does the game have in store for us? Let's find out in our review of MTX Mototrax.
As with any recent motocross game the heart of the matter is the career mode. You'll begin by creating your custom rider and then you'll head off for a brief tutorial with Travis Pastrana to learn the basics of the game. Once done you'll have a choice of supercross (inside arenas) and motocross races (outside) and later you'll have access to freestyle events where you can perform tricks and try to outscore your opponents. There are 125cc and 250cc series, although initially only the 125cc series are available. You'll also have access to free ride level, the first of which is Travis' Compound. Here the game feels more like a Tony Hawk's Pro Skater game as you can ride up to people and take on challenges. Completing the goals in the free ride mode will give you access to more tricks that can then be used in the freestyle events. Doing well in your career will attract sponsors and racing teams and this will enable you to have better gear and bikes.
Aside from the career mode you can also have exhibition races and there is also a time trial mode where you can race against your own ghost in pursuit of a hot lap. The multiplayer options available are 2 player versus races, system link races for upto 10 people and Xbox Live races for up to 8 people. Extra online modes include King of the Hill and Freestyle Battle. King of the Hill is a battle for the gold helmet with the player who holds it for the specified amount of time being the winner. Freestyle Battle is where you have to grab the gold helmet to score points and the winner is the one to reach the specified amount of points first.
One of the best features of the game is the Dirt Wurx Track Builder which allows you to create your own supercross track. You can create the track of your dreams and use it to race in exhibition races if you want to. Unfortunately though you're stuck with the same indoor arena with which to design your track in and you can't design outdoor tracks. It would have also been great if you could have taken these custom tracks online and it's something we'd definitely like to see should there be a sequel for MTX Mototrax.
It's essential in any game that the controls are comfortable and easy to use. For the most part the controls are satisfactory although I do have a few issues with them. The brake function has been bound to the X button which isn't what I would have expected. Personally I would have preferred to use the left trigger to brake, especially as the right trigger is used to accelerate. No problem you would think as you can reconfigure the controls. Well, and this is my biggest gripe, you can't and are stuck with the default controls, which is very disappointing.
Graphically MTX Mototrax is one of the best looking motocross games on any console. That said though it's probably not as good as it should be on the Xbox but the quality of the graphics are more than acceptable. The frame rate is rock solid throughout and the sensation of speed is impressive and easily better than in previous motocross games on Xbox. In all there are around 26 supercross, motocross, freestyle and free ride levels in the game and they all look good. The rider animations are generally good too although there are some clipping problems but nothing too severe.
MTX Mototrax is fine for deaf gamers but there some areas that could have been subtitled. The introduction to the career mode is not subtitled and the commentary for the introduction to each event is also not subtitled. However the tutorial tips you receive from Travis Pastrana are shown in text, which is great as they will teach you the important basics of the game. All important information, which is shown on your PDA, is shown in text too. The PDA contains all of the e-mails you'll receive as well as sponsors, statistics and bike information. Of course the Xbox Live side of the game doesn't support text chat, but this is a problem with the Xbox Live system as a whole and not the game.
MTX Mototrax is a good all-round motocross game that thankfully allows you to play online against your friends. The single-player game has been well thought out and is generally enjoyable and the free ride levels make for a nice change of pace. It's a shame that not everything is subtitled though and it's also a disappointment that you can't customise the controls. Still what we have here is a good motocross/supercross game that fans of the genre should appreciate.
Overall
Game Rating: 7.7/10
It's great to see online support at last for a motocross
game but it's disappointing that not everything is subtitled
and that you can't customise the controls.
Deaf
Gamers comment:
There are omissions but thankfully the tutorial messages
are shown in text.