MX Vs. ATV Reflex PSP Review

Sorry, THQ, but this is one racer that ends up face first in the mud.

We’ve already provided a verdict for the lackluster Nintendo DS version of MX Vs. ATV Reflex, and now it’s the PSP’s turn.  Getting into it for the first time, we were thinking it would fare much better with better graphics and a responsive control system.  Well, we were half-right, and, although that beats nothing at all, it can’t save the game.

Like previous versions of the game, MX Vs. ATV Reflex on the PSP has a multitude of activities.  You can go on free runs, take part in quick races and tournaments, create your own specialty rider, and perfect your trick-performing techniques to impress the judges.  There’s even a multiplayer option for up to four players, either through local AdHoc or online Infrastructure, and both run better than expected.

Unfortunately, it’s all for naught without good gameplay.  MX Vs. ATV Reflex has bad oversteering, meaning that even holding down the D-pad in a certain direction for way too long results in you veering off the road or smashing into a roadside obstacle.  After a few laps, we still found ourselves going off course way too often, either racing back to the track (and losing our place) or resetting automatically (which costs precious seconds).

What’s worse, some of the touchy collision problems from the DS game managed to make the transition here.  Brush up against an object like a tire or something along those lines even slightly and you’ll stop dead in your tracks, forced to go around it and regain the speed you’ve lost.  By then, the AI riders have already surpassed you for the lead.  Catching back up to them isn’t impossible, although there are times the AI is too superhuman for its own good.  You’d be better off racing against friends that have the same flaws as you.

Two other parts of the game fail almost completely.  The jump-loading system, consisting of pressing down on the D-pad and then hitting up right when you’re at the peak of the ramp, hardly works at all.  A quarter of the time, we ended up getting the air we needed, and the rest, we barely got off the ground, as if an anvil were tied to the back of the bike.  The second part is the trick system, which is useless.  Even if you manage to get enough height, pressing certain buttons to execute tricks and then land properly on the ground is next to impossible.  You’re better off actually trying to perform them on a real bike.  (And it’d be far less painful than doing it here.)

MX Vs. ATV looks good, but that ain't enough.

Reflex also has unlikable audio.  Too often, you’re drowned out by blaring alternative rock that we wouldn’t listen to otherwise (not even blindly on an FM radio station) and loud engine noises that don’t sound any different, no matter which vehicle you possess.

The game isn’t a total loss, however.  The graphics are surprisingly good, with a bunch of detail put into the tracks and realistic-looking riders holding onto the handlebars.  The camera views are helpful as well, although why Tantalus opted to put camera controls on the analog nub is beyond us.  It’s weird.

As good as it looks, MX Vs. ATV Reflex simply doesn’t hold up on the PSP.  The too-loose-for-their-own-good controls fail to deliver and the lack of working trick and jump systems leave you grounded, both on the track and in spirit.  If you must take a ride with this series, do it on the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 instead.  Those versions are way better than this clunker.