Stuck in Second Gear- ATV Quad Kings Review

If I actually participated in as many extreme-themed sports, as I have through gaming, I would surely have the mobility skills of a sickly centenarian. My vicarious electronic adventures have sent me racing at breakneck speeds down the alps of the SSX series, and grinding elevated platforms in the Tony Hawk games. Yet, I have never crashed as easily any title as often as I have in ATV Quad Kings for the Nintendo Wii. Bumping into a fellow racer will predictably send the player toppling end over end, as will grazing any part of the game’s environment. If it weren’t for the game’s liberal respawn system, Quad Kings might have been overcome by its sinister insistence on calamity.

Those expecting the graphical splendor or depth exhibited by the ATV Offroad Fury titles may be disappointed- Quad Kings can’t compare the refinement of the Rainbow Studios-developed series. One contributing factor is the game’s simplistic driving model.  The Offroad series was built around an immersive mechanic that allowed players to maximize the amount of air obtained on jumps. By pulling back on the left stick, riders could pre-load jumps, springing from the apex of a hill with a quick snap forward snap on the controller. ATV Quad Kings contains no similar attribute; players automatically jump off of each hill, making cornering the only absorbing challenge of each race.

Along with a driving model that sticks to the essentials; ATV Quad Kings visuals are comparatively basic. While the game does have a speedy framerate that remains steady throughout split-screen play, the game’s tracks are blandly rendered. Each of the title’s nine courses contains a distinctive shortage of texture maps, and uses flat polygons to construct the racing environment. With the exception of giant tires on the game’s track borders and rider animation, Quad King’s visuals are strictly utilitarian.

Beyond the game’s controls and graphics, ATV Quad Kings offers four play modes, ranging from a World Tour campaign, Freestyle stunt variant, Arcade and Time Trial. Both the Arcade and Freestyle diversions allow for two player local matches; however there is no online functionality. As players accumulate money through the game’s races, and as pick-ups in the Arcade variant, new vehicles can be purchased, although this feature is inexplicably buried within the player’s profile.

Quad Kings allow players to steer each ATV and dune buggy Mario Kart Wii style-with the Wiimote held like a steering wheel, or with the Nunchuck. I found the Nunchuck offered tighter control around the game’s sharp corners, and presented less fatigue when playing the title for long durations. The successful player will likely avoid the risk associated with an ideal racing line, in favor of a running an untouched race down the middle of a track. Quad Kings uses a combination of two buttons to imitate one of twelve stunts to mixed effect. Button combos don’t feel responsive, and when are they executed properly, the game’s camera make a disorienting shift in perspective.