Geekscape Games Reviews Mad Riders
There are racing games, and then there are EXTREME racing games! Or at least there were, but they have really gone out of style in recent years. Even kings of extreme like SSX have become more tame in more recent titles. But does that stop Mad Riders? No! This digitally released ATV racer has style to spare, with gorgeous visuals to boot. But is that enough to deserve a go around, or does this title stall at the gate?
Mad Riders features 40 plus tracks over about a half a dozen locales, all of which look fantastic in motion, (though I can’t say the same for the character models. The audience has a severe lack of faces.) By performing well in races, players will level up, unlocking new tricks, vehicles and outfits along the way. Like great arcade racers of the past, collecting special icons, racers can manually trigger boost charge stations, shortcuts and ramps… but not until you unlock the ability to do so. It feels really limiting in the beginning, since you literally can’t do anything but drive forward or boost when the game starts up, but as the game expands, that’s where it reaches its full potential.
Performing tricks throughout the races nets extra experience points while earning more boost power for extra speed. Plus, it gives you great practice for when other modes come into play. Some of the usual features include checkpoint races where racers have to hit certain spots to advance and trick contests where the racer with the most successful tricks throughout a lap wins. But Mad Riders has some lesser used ideas that make it speed ahead of the competition. Race modes like Perfectionist, where racers repeatedly complete the same lap for a set amount of time to earn the fastest single lap, are great to play. Especially with friends both locally and online.
For all of its modes, Mad Riders is pretty straightforward, which is probably its biggest flaw aside for the slow progression. Even with the large amount of tracks, many of them feel the same. The AI isn’t too difficult, so it won’t take too long to place 1st in every track the game has to offer. Not to mention that there’s nothing more puzzling than being warped to the back of a ramp because your back tires scraped the side of a rail, barrier or edge. Hey game, just because I was close to falling doesn’t mean I actually fell!
Complaints aside, Mad Riders was a pleasant surprise that took me back to a simpler times in gaming. Feeling like the closest thing we’ll ever get to a new Jet Moto, while this racer doesn’t do much to reinvent the wheel, (aside from a few great game modes,) it’s racing, online capabilities and trick systems are simple, yet effective. Plus, for only $10, you can’t go wrong with so many tracks and vehicle types, even if many of them feel similar. So if you’re an arcade racing fan, want a gorgeous HD racer or miss simple, classic style titles, should you download this title? Frankly, you’d be mad not to.
