The game incorporates a wide array of well-rendered racers, vehicles, and locations. The various racing courses are elaborate and nicely detailed. You can knock competitors out of your way by administering a solid kick while passing--not exactly sportsmanlike behavior, but gratifyingly reminiscent of the classic Road Rash. For tricksters and stunt-riders, the freestyle arenas offer a candy store of possibilities. But the standout feature is the physics model behind the game. The overall handling and responsiveness of the vehicles is surprisingly realistic--even the controller vibration is more convincingly incorporated than in other racing games. Some finesse is required to pull off even the simpler tricks, and as with the real thing, it's easy to lose control of these powerful machines.--Maile Bohlmann

Pros:

• Great graphics
• Realistic physics and handling
• Fun multiplayer and freestyle modes
• Lots of unlockable bonuses

• Music is grating, annoying
• Offensive moves (i.e. kicking) are underdeveloped
• Training/practice modes are oversimplified

Now the bad. This game is supposed to be about tricks and the ability to kick your opponents off their ATV, but the tricks are nothing special, and the kick option is very limited. You hit the B button (which means you have to take a finger off the throttle), and the game decides which direction to kick. If there is an ATV on each side, it's a coin flip who gets kicked. And the supposed variety in tracks and riders is just a lot of the same-old same-old. (Who cares how many amateur or professional riders there are to choose from. Can YOU name a pro ATV rider?) Oh, and the music is insipid.