If you’re a fan of offroad racing and you like games, then chances are you know all about the MX vs. ATV series that has been appearing on shop shelves and on digital storefronts since the days of the OG Xbox with MX vs. ATV Unleashed, and for those of you that are old enough even before that with separate MX and ATV releases to dating back further still. It’s fair to say that whilst the recent releases haven’t been awful, they haven’t been breakout successes either, and with the latest effort proving the first release on the current generation of Xbox console, does MX vs. ATV Legends make the most of the extra power available? In short – No, it doesn’t.
There are multiple ways to get stuck in with MX vs. ATV Legends, the most notable of which is the games Career mode option in which players take part in various events across several calendar years of either the MX, ATV, or UTV variety, whilst stopping off at the local ranch to speak to different people who will help your further your career prospects. Each of the three options takes players through a selection of Invitational events and competitive championships in which you participate to earn money and fans mostly, as well as natural progression.
Money earned in these races is available for new vehicles, new parts for your vehicles, new upgrades, and various clothing options for your rider with a wide variety of options available, filtering through the choices is somewhat enjoyable, especially when you spot that part or outfit that really makes the look you want complete.
Besides the Career mode, players can also partake in Exhibition events, Online, or on Split Screen. Each of these options works as you would expect with Exhibition proving a one-off event race, Online allowing you to take on other budding enthusiasts, and Split Screen allows you to challenge your nearest and dearest in some same screen action.
Sadly, whilst all these options make for plenty of racing, MX vs. ATV Legends isn’t a well-polished game, and you won’t get far before you encounter numerous either game-breaking or at the very least immersion-breaking bugs that really take away from the experience.
Even before I’d begun racing, there were glitches in which the screen would flicker, menu options wouldn’t select, and a slightly rarer glitch in which the screen would shake. Once in a race however there were numerous issues from falling through the track and endlessly falling below it, to riders disappearing from bikes and the bikes riding without them, as well as frequent dashboard crashes and occasions in which the joining online lobbies occurred to late leaving the HUD and accompanying race position vacant for the entire event.
This happened so much so that two of the achievements I was able to unlock during my time with the game only occurred thanks to the above-mentioned bugs which really broke any immersion you could have with MX vs. ATV Legends.
Away from the bugs however and gameplay wise MX vs. ATV Legends is just like any recent MX release, albeit a little clunkier on the handling. The bikes handle well and sound like what you’d expect from 125cc and 250cc machines, the ATVs are a blast to drive and the UTVs are interesting to race around in too, but this entry certainly doesn’t hold the finesse and natural feel to things like recent MX releases have managed to achieve in recent years.
More so the tracks that are available for players to tear up the mud in include some rather brilliant options, with the Trails tracks standing out in particular thanks to the tight turns, uphill climbs, and frequent airtime that accompanies each of them. Besides those however are various enjoyable efforts from within the Supercross, National, Rhythm, and Invitational options.
Visually and MX vs. ATV Legends isn’t the best-looking offroad game we’ve seen with some textures looking rather messy and patched together, as well as most jumps literally only popping into view as you approach them which again breaks the immersion quite a bit and isn’t what you’d expect given the power available to the developers with this release. The vehicles however look great with some fantastic attention to detail, especially on the bikes. Finally, and onto the sound, and as with all MX vs. ATV releases, the sound and music options are a big focus. Vehicle sounds are already rather well done within the game with each of the three categories sounding as you’d expect, although again the MX side of things is the most refined, but the music choices certainly aren’t bad and seem to cater to all types of music choices. Whether it’s the incredible theme song Legends are Made from Sam Tinnesz or even the likes of upcoming Reading Festival attendee Poppy, there are certainly some fantastic choices for all to enjoy.
Conclusion
Overall and whilst MX vs ATVs arrival on current-gen consoles was always one we were going to expect, it’s shocking to see it arrive in such a poor state. With glitches galore and a real lack of polish all around, what has long been an exciting series release has this time turned into something that feels like a rushed release that would have really benefitted from utilizing the extra power of current generation consoles to push out something spectacular rather than another general churned out release. Unfortunately, this isn’t one I want to recommend.
This game was reviewed based on Xbox S|X review code, using an Xbox S|X console. All of the opinions and insights here are subject to that version. Game provided by publisher.
