MX vs ATV All Out Review
Fast Facts
MX vs ATV All Out
Developer: Rainbow Studios
Publisher: THQ Nordic
Website: mxvsatv.com/
Genre: Racing, Sports
Platform: Nintendo Switch
Age Rating: PEGI 3
Release Date: 01/09/2020
Price: £34.99
A code was provided for review purposes.
Welcome to the world of MX vs ATV All Out on the Nintendo Switch, where players get to ride a variety of off-road vehicles such as ATVs, bikes and UTVs across multiple open environments and indoor arenas.
Play in a series of events across multiple different types of races and aim to be number 1!
Compound
Compound is your first port of call and it’s here where you’ll be able to learn the basics in a number of tutorial stages that are marked on your compass. After partaking in a few lessons you’ll be able to hunt down some cog collectables around the compound, and at any time press the pause button to bring up your menu options.
You can press the L or R bumpers to cycle through the main modes in the game such as the events, garage and other options, allowing you to quickly access anything at any time while driving freely around.
Moto, ATV or Buggy
One of the really cool things in MX vs ATV All Out is the ability to play with 3 unique vehicles. Each one can be customised and have parts changed to improve their performance. You can also change or equip new colour palettes and designs in your garage making your vehicle your own. Out of the three vehicles, I’d say bikes are my favourite vehicles as they’re just pretty responsive and feel good to control. I wish I could say the same about ATVs which feel incredibly floaty and have no real weight behind them… thankfully the buggy is fairly better.
Controls and the Art of Racing!
Bikes control fairly well in this title; you can use the throttle with the ZR trigger and brake with the ZL. Steering is used with the left analogue stick and you can also lean into turns with the right analogue stick, which helps on tight turns or corners. By tapping the clutch, the L bumper will allow you to gain a small speed burst to get yourself over hills or boost ahead of the pack… but be careful as overusing the clutch will actually slow you down.
Bikes are pretty fun to use; hitting bumps and jumps can feel quite thrilling as you launch into the air, the exciting truck style keeping races fun. The terrain also provides unique experiences especially in the open environments that sees you riding across rugged terrain or across muddy rivers.
However, ATVs feels completely different and so far I’ve not enjoyed using them. They feel really slow, clumsy to drive, quite light and floaty which I don’t like. The last game I played that had great ATV controls was, believe it or not, ATV Drift & Tricks. While not considered to be a fantastic game it’s a lot more enjoyable to drive the ATVs in that game than in MX vs ATV All Out. It’s mainly got to do with the weight.
Thrills and Spills
Racing feels pretty thrilling in open environments but there’s a little something lost when playing indoor events. Mainly as it’s nice to have the freedom to drive to each way-point in a free-roam setting but the indoor events restrict your movement and you can’t deviate from the track all that much.
Talking about racing there are 6 different events to take part in including: Series, Single Events, Online Play, Local Multiplayer, Time Trials, Arcade.
Let’s take a brief look at each one below.
Series
Series have 21 different events to take part in, and a few are initially unlocked. Once you’ve accessed an event there will be a number of different races and courses available. You’ll need to complete races and earn trophies in each one to win the overall competition. The prize money allows you to buy and upgrade your rides in the garage upon completing them successfully. (Note: some cups are DLC only and will have a small yellow cube next to them!) The Series mode will take a long while to get through giving plenty of hours of enjoyment.
Single Event
Single Event, however, allows you to pick from 7 different categories of events and tracks. This mode gives you more freedom to pick and choose what you want or don’t want to play. (Note: There are a handful of tracks that are locked behind a pay-wall)
Online Mode
This mode allows you to play in either quick match, custom games or allows you the ability to create your own games with friends. Although, I haven’t found many matches online.
Local Multiplayer
Local Multiplayer has similar options to Online Mode but this focuses purely on local play.
Time Trial
Time trial allows you to race on any unlocked courses but again all DLC courses are also shown and will not be available until you purchase them on the eShop.
Arcade Mode
Arcade Mode allows you to play with other players locally and play in any event type, including free-ride in split-screen.
Garage
You will also have access to your own garage and use 5 different options to tinker with your vehicles these are: Vehicles – swap and purchase new parts. Tuning – allows you to modify vehicles and performance. Rider – allows you to purchase new equipment and gear, as well as customise your rider. B.R.A.A.P – you can build an AI profile allowing these unique riders to race in any event with you. Dealership – allows you to purchase new bikes, buggies and ATVs with earned M, which is the main currency in MX vs ATV All Out.
These features allow you to create a unique identity for online play and better performance for your vehicles during the more difficult events or cups.
Issues
The problems I have here is that the DLC is constantly available to see on your events and series pages. I feel this is a little intrusive. It makes it look like there’s less content in the base game and most of the DLC is tracks. 40+ DLC tracks are unavailable to the player which is pretty bad. They could have easily been added into the game. Plus there are also DLC bikes, ATVs and buggies too, which makes me think the developers got little carried away with it all.
Graphics and Sound
The graphics are decent in this title; there are some really nice visual effects like when riding your bike your jacket and top flutter in the wind which is pretty cool to see. There are some nice environments to look at too. However MX vs ATV All Out does suffer from poor textures and performance issues. The frame rate dips and stutters consistently throughout the game when things get hectic. The worst offender is the compound environment which lags a lot and has some other odd music and sound effect bugs. It’s a mixed bag overall.
The music fares a little better with some recognisable tracks, one especially from the Gamecube era from the game 1080 Avalanche.
However, the music is fairly low in turns of volume but the sound effects are incredibly loud. Plus I’ve noticed a few technical issues when driving near any open water, which sounds like a herd of mosquitoes at a rave. It’s very odd and off-putting.
Verdict
MX vs ATV All Out is a decent racer. It provides a thrill and gives you enough content to keep you busy for a good long while. However, the game has some performance issues and bugs that need fixing. Not to mention a whole ton of DLC add-ons that are locked behind other pay-wall. If you get over these issues, there is still some fun and longevity here for the right player.
Rapid Reviews Rating
You can purchase MX vs ATV All Out at the Nintendo eShop here.
You can find and read our reviews on OpenCritic.
