Platform: PlayStation 2

Developer: Rainbow Studios

Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment America

Release Date (NA): November 9, 2002

Genre: Racing

Nerd Rating: 9.25 out of 10

Reviewed by Dovahkyle

Talk about a great way to waste an entire Saturday with some friends, and maybe even lose some bets? I stumbled across this beast of a racing game because my brother and his buddies brought it over to my apartment raving about the sick soundtrack and the awesome tricks. I…Hate…Racing games! But this one was totally different. It changed the way I looked at the typical racing game. If it wasn’t for how much I liked this game, I probably never would have tried Burnout, which became my all time favorite, by far.

Again I’m a role-playing fanatic, so seeing me sitting in front of a starting line on a four-wheeler about to race countless others is just ridiculous, even to me. But the learning curve on this game gives even us RPGers, a great time and the chance to actually be good at a racing game. And the last game I played that had as good a soundtrack was Crazy Taxi, the game that introduced me to The Offspring back when I was sixteen. I don’t even remember who’s house it was where I played it, but I remember asking “Who sings this? This song is awesome.” (by the way, I hated that game, probably because I sucked at it).

Gameplay: According to friends who have played the original, the major step up was the soundtrack- otherwise, the game was almost identical, aside from some extras found on the ATVs themselves, and of course some new tracks. The race modes are as follows: Enduro (my personal favorite)- long races in awesome scenery, passing checkpoints where top speed and quick turns rule the race; Supercross– the typical indoor stadium style dirt track with tight corners and woop-di-doos; Freestyle Stunt– a large open area with all kinds of double and triple jumps to perform tricks for points; and Nationals– a lot like the Supercross but outdoors, with much larger tracks, amateur and pro circuits, and terrain ranging from ice, sand, snow, or mud. Although the ATVs themselves cannot obtain any damage, a hard hit could throw the rider clear into the bushes (or tire pile, depending on race mode).

The split-screen multiplayer on this game is sick! I have seriously wasted full days and nights racing our own custom brackets. This really is one of the best split-screen racing games I have ever played besides maybe Burnout Revenge. No previous racing experience required, and the preloading engine for jumping the ATVs makes getting air for tricks a breeze. Just push forward on the left analog stick and right before the jump, pull back and wow, the air up there is clean and clear. Bust out a superman or a knack knack for some showoff points.

Controls: The two-button system for driving makes even the most novice of racers a pro in no time. Gas and brake, what else do you need? Just three buttons in combination with the left analog stick make for some awesome tricks and trick combos. Obviously that only adds up to 24 different moves, so freestyle stunt racing can get pretty old unless you have some betting money on the table for a maximum point competition.

Graphics/Sound: The graphics are great when everything is flying by at 60 or 70 mph. How good do they really have to be? The scenery in the enduro and nationals races is awesome! It feels like you’re in a different country in every race. As for the soundtrack, you better like bands like System of a Down, Korn, Cypress Hill, and Alien Ant Farm, because this music is adrenaline junkie food for speed. I personally loved the music in this game, I just wish they would have put more than 21 songs because after about six hours of racing, those 21 songs get old real quick. It got to the point where we would just turn the music off on the game and throw a mix on the computer.

Replayability: The replay aspect for ATV Offroad Fury 2 is undeniable. I would still be playing this game if my PS2 controllers wouldn’t have crapped out on me. When you have 2 or 3 friends over, throw this game in and race till you’re blue in the face. The ability to change tires, gear ratios, and engines makes for some interesting racing between friends where some might kill in the supercross, and others might be king of the enduro track.

Overall, I can’t believe I am actually saying this- I love this game, and yes it’s a racing game. It may drive you up a wall with its music, but that is just one start menu option away from not being a problem, and I would take real music over lame “modern” video game music any day, so it could be worse. Pick it up on Amazon, you won’t be disappointed.

*FS Rating System*

Gameplay: 9

Story: N/A

Controls: 9

Graphics/Sound: 9

Replayability: 10

Overall: 9.25