This game takes everything that kept me playing MX vs ATV Reflex for the past year and added real world riders, nearly photorealistic environments, better sound, better collisions (bar banging) and tons of upcoming DLC for things like SX and real bikes. No, I am not fooled, I will absolutely end up paying full price for the game after getting all the DLC. . . but for someone who doesn't want SX or care about real bikes, then they will save some money. I have watched a lot of SX and MX on Speed over the past year or two, and it is very cool to ride against real riders rather than the random computer generated (non-persistent?) AI riders in Reflex.
There a few negatives, but not many. For example, out of the box there don't seem to be any points series, but I assume that you will download those. Also, you start with most of the good stuff locked and need to play for a few hours to level up. This is no different than Gran Turismo, etc. and to me adds to the enjoyment of the game. By the time I have unlocked the good stuff, I will be much better at the game. It is a little harder to crash in Alive than it was in Reflex, but that is not a bad thing. Neither is the bike on rails though, it feels fairly well balanced overall.
I am ok with giving this game a 5 for fun and overall because the predecessor was one of the few games I played for a full year after I bought it and this one (after 5 hours) takes all the things I enjoyed about the previous one and adds more.
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I've been an avid follower of the mx vs. atv series ever since it's inception. Being a motocross rider myself there are many things I can see that I don't like right out of the box, but they are pretty minor. You really have to give this game a chance because once you level up your rider and bike, the bike handling and all the good features we crave are unlocked. You basically just start off like a goon, the 125 is very underpowered and the James Stewart Compound's tracks are pretty much impossible to clear anything on the 125. The bikes handle better in my opinion, not nearly as twitchy as the reflex controls, but I find the bikes wheelie way to easy and the clutch feature doesn't function as a real life clutch. You have to hold the clutch button down and let it "power up" which is nothing like a real bike. It's nice to race against guys and not instantly crash upon coming in contact with them. I feel like they went in a step backward in the realism department for the bikes and riders and stepped forward for the actual gameplay. I miss the little things like the throttle twisting on the start gate, you can actually see yourself revving the bike. Like I said these things are minor and I think the overall game will get better as time goes on.Best Deals for MX vs ATV Alive - Xbox 360
MX vs. ATV Alive is more like a true-to-life MOTOCROSS simulation. You won't find supercross tracks--THIS IS MOTOCROSS! You won't find tricks, flips, and silly stunts. THIS IS MOTOCROSS!The controls aren't easy, timing is crucial, and understanding how to use the clutch, brake, seatbounce, powerslide, corner, and lean are critical elements to being competitive in this game. THIS IS WHAT ITS LIKE TO REALLY RIDE MOTO! They finally made a MX game that is realistic and made from the mind of a real rider instead of some fat computer nerd who THINKS he knows what it's like. If all you want to do is hold the gas down and win, go play midnight club.
MX vs ATV Alive is finally like RoadRash in that you can upgrade your bike! FINALLY!!!
You can also bang bars with other riders and not turn completely sideways (like what happens in virtually all other MX games!). Now, instead of tomahawking several controllers into my floor, my rider stays up and thanks to the reflex engine I have a chance to gain my balance (AGAIN, JUST LIKE REAL MX!)
Understand that IF YOU MAKE A MISTAKE -YOU WILL BE PASSED. This is typical of real life. You can't slam into a tree, get up, and expect to keep your position--that makes absolutely no sense.
My advice for the people who gave it 1 or 2 stars, you guys really need to STICK with the game for more than a few laps or you'll have find appreciation for the game like this.
Take time to learn the tracks, figure out which obstacles require a seatbounce vs the ones that don't. FINISH THE RACE EVEN IF YOU'RE LAST! You'll at least gain Exp and rank your bike up to unlock more powerful parts which will make you faster and more competitive. Why is everyone on live such a sore loser? It's just a game!
Beyond my praise, sure, this game could use some improvements:
For 1, the 1st person view still SUCKS. They fixed the headshake from Reflex, but the point of view / field of view is still way off. It looks like a helmet cam, perched atop someone's helmet instead of the way real riding is actually perceived. In real life, you can plainly see the gas tank, handle bars, and front fender at all times. You rarely see these in the game except in hard corners or when in a wheelie. This makes it extremely difficult to gauge which direction the front tire is pointed and thus makes 1st person game play difficult. Hopefully they'll fix this in the next game!
Second, the roost. C'mon guys. Why haven't you watched guys in the dunes dust off a nasty berm? Roost could have made this game a LOT more fun especially if a player in front of you splashed some mud up on the camera or blasted you with dust. Again, just speaking from real life.
Overall, I absolutely love this game and it's the best MX game I've seen so far. Of course there's room for improvement, but this is a definite buy!
FYI My experience includes real life experience in motocross and motocross games for the past 2 decades! I've played every motocross game for console and computer. Everything from excite bike for nintendo to Motocross madness 1, 2, all of the MX vs. ATV series, etc.
Honest reviews on MX vs ATV Alive - Xbox 360
I was on the fence about this game, and waited a few days to buy it. Now that I've played it, however, I'm very pleased with the purchase and think the game is a big improvement over Reflex. Note: I've been playing the game with Jump Assist and Corner Assist off. The controls felt terrible when I tried with them on.PROS:
____Improved reflex system/controls
Say goodbye to randomly getting knocked off your bike by opponents. You can also say goodbye to inexplicably rocketing 45 degrees to the left when you hit a jump. The controls are less twitchy, and you feel more in control of what you are doing. I think the system takes a little more finesse (which is good), without being on the razor's edge that was Reflex.
____Audio
The engine noises in Reflex drove me insane, being either A) wide open or B) some 8-bit sounding garbage. Then there was the issue of the engine sound cutting out entirely when you went off a jump or were in whoops. The engine noises are now progressive and can trail off, and are far more realistic. A much needed and well-executed change.
____Customizable races You can change the difficulty, opponents (MX, MX/ATV, just 250s or 125s and 250s), and # of laps (from 3-30) at the start of each race. Longer races are SO much better in MX, because the track really changes and there is time to commit and recover from mistakes.
____Ride whatever you want.
Rather than needing to place in races to make money to upgrade your bike, you level in this game. Thankfully, you can level up doing whatever you want. Do a 3 lap race, do a 15 lap, or ride Free Ride, it all gets you XP. I was worried about having to level up, but it hasn't been an issue.
____Terrain deformation
Much improved over Reflex, the changes happen at a slower, more realistic rate and yet ultimately can be more significant. The track -reallychanges over the course of a race. You need to take it a little easier before the ruts are really built up, and changing lips and bases of jumps make racing more dynamic.
____Graphics
The lighting is fantastic, notably going in and out of shaded areas. The fabric effects are neat, and the terrain and roost are also improved over Reflex.
CONS:
____Free Ride areas feel fenced in.
In Reflex the Free Ride areas were HUGE and really felt free. You could explore mountaintops and anything you had the skill to ride over. Unfortunately, in Alive the free ride areas feel more like boxes, with less interesting contents. There are intrusive invisible walls, and it feels less like a gentle "don't go so far from the base" and more like "You will play in this box on these hills." (They are fun, and it's nice to get XP in them, but they lack compared to Reflex's)
____No tutorial; awkward for the first few races.
The game doesn't do a good job of introducing itself. There is a new seatbump system (push R3 while holding the right stick down to get far more air) which is necessary to clear many gaps, and if you don't know this, a lot of tracks are very frustrating as you case jumps again and again. Also, after playing a lot of Reflex with upgraded bikes, it took me a few races to adjust to my new, slower machine and the slightly different physics and controls (but it was worth it!!). I'm still not sure where I should be using the clutch outside of starting from a stop.
____2-stroke and 4-stroke are different classes
In Reflex, there were 125(2-stroke) and 250F, then 250(2-stroke) and 450F. Now the progression is 125 2-stroke, 250F, 450F. You can still race whatever bike you want on whatever track, so this is fairly minor.
____No replays at all
The "highlight reel" in Reflex was sort of weird and clunky, but it was better than nothing... which is all there is now.
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This game is fun, but too frustrating. It could have been so much more. I do not recommend purchasing it, not even used. In fact, I am not even going to sell my copy. I am going to drive a stake through it, burn it, then smash it and scatter the pieces.About me: avid motocross and supercross fan, long time rider and gamer.
Pros:
Very good graphics
Wide variety of outdoor tracks
Good audio
Partial control of the rider and bike; ability to wheelie, whip, scrub
Rider to rider bar banging and collisions
Cons (this is only a partial list):
No shifting control; no independent front and back braking; the controls have no feel they are more like on/off switches (this may be the fault of the xbox controller?)
Running off the track (even if you gain no advantage) resets you to the point you left the track usually losing several places. It would be better if they could just limit the top speed and let you merge back in, without gaining any positions, the way they do it in real supercross.
The first person camera does not display enough of the front of the bike it needs a larger vertical field of view; even better would be some way to easily look around. The 3rd person camera is not bad but you do get blocked by other riders which makes it tough.
The motorcycle customization is saved but the choice of rider is not.
Only bogus bike manufacturers are included all brand name bikes have to be downloaded for an additional charge.
No career mode.
There are only two supercross tracks (if I remember correctly they cost extra) and neither are real tracks in the current supercross series. Actually, they look more like arenacross tracks.
Multiplayer mode: you can't place a vote for the location of the next race IF you just entered the lobby. The other riders may choose a track that you don't have and the game doesn't tell you which one it is it just displays a question mark. SO after waiting five minutes for the current race to finish, then waiting for the voting to complete, you get kicked because you are missing some unknown content. The fix is to download ALL available content, at an additional cost of course. It may not be worth it; I have never seen a full starting gate online. There are usually no more than 5 players of any level.
The performance upgrades all deliver the same performance. The bikes come equipped with stock parts. At a certain level different upgrades are unlocked. An FMF pipe gives an increase over stock, but it gives the same increase as every other brand and model of pipe. Same thing for tires and suspension. It would be awesome if all the riders had different specs (height and weight) and you could change/adjust tires, suspension, pipes based on the rider and track conditions.
Bogus physics and stupid AI the bike can come to a complete stop, standing on the front wheel, without ever touching the brake. The bike suspensions have NO dampening the front end constantly bounces up in the air after landing a jump. Uncontrollable, random wheelies; even downhill in the snow. The rider reflex allows you to push the front of the bike down when in the air, but it will not help hold the front end down during a wheelie. The AI controlled bikes can jump farther, turn quicker, jump over, under, and around you. I can win at a couple of the tracks EVERY time I race; there are many others where I can't place higher than 9th or 10th. No matter how many times I restart, a random rider will take me out in the corner, a barrel, or a tire, or a barrel and a tire will roll out in front of me as I exit a turn, or I'll randomly lose traction, or randomly hook up and wheelie through a turn, or wheelie downhill through the mud and snow, again. Frustrating.
This game tries to be a sim, but in the end it is really just an arcade game. It is sad that this is the best (only?) game in the genre. Someone, please, build a motocross/supercross simulation with career mode, the ability to tune the bikes (suspension settings, tire choices, engine mods, dynamometer), better multiplayer (online race series each weekend for prizes?), better controls, and a track designer.
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