Mx. vs. ATV. Alive. First. Impressions.

tobz wrote:

Probably not Rainbow/THQ's fault, that's basically how Australia works with anything, regardless of what the aussie dollar is. btw, EB gave it to me for $58...

Probably not Rainbow/THQ's fault, that's basically how Australia works with anything, regardless of what the aussie dollar is. btw, EB gave it to me for $58. I think GAME will give it to you for that cheap aswell.

Riesenberg448 wrote:

Does THQ.com distribute to you guys? They should have it at the suggested retail price. Some retailers are really jacking up the price. Frustrating for us...

Does THQ.com distribute to you guys? They should have it at the suggested retail price. Some retailers are really jacking up the price. Frustrating for us when we're trying to get you guys the game cheap.

Riesenberg448 wrote:

Does THQ.com distribute to you guys? They should have it at the suggested retail price. Some retailers are really jacking up the price. Frustrating for us...

Does THQ.com distribute to you guys? They should have it at the suggested retail price. Some retailers are really jacking up the price. Frustrating for us when we're trying to get you guys the game cheap.

tobz wrote:

Yeah, the gaming industry (mainly EB ) is generally a "retail $ + 10% (roughly)" society. EB games are terrible for bringing it out at an...

Yeah, the gaming industry (mainly EB ) is generally a "retail $ + 10% (roughly)" society. EB games are terrible for bringing it out at an expanded cost, getting those sucker sales, and occasionally having to pricematch against the cheaper bigW's who generally use appropriate pricing. I ended up getting it for $58, a little bit less than their advertised $70.


Do you think this http://www.teamxlink.co.uk/ could be a interim for online multiplay for Alive on PS3? I can't remember if Alive had Network multiplayer though? It's basically Hamachi for consoles.

GuyB wrote:

I liked not being spun around and shot off in some odd direction for no reason.

the_wood109 wrote:

Hey Riesenberg, Just curious as to which department you work for at Rainbow? Most developers can't talk on the forums about their games... You seem to...

Hey Riesenberg,

Just curious as to which department you work for at Rainbow? Most developers can't talk on the forums about their games...

You seem to not be a PR or marketing guy...could be close, though

I said in another thread that I'll buy the 360 version again.

Rainbow is the only studio making MX games, and I'm down with that. More support and sales will get the studio a bigger budget.

SuperGenius wrote:

I like the taunts, I punted Bubba off a cliff then hollered masel tov which means congratulations, it was awesome.

835 wrote:

@ Riesenberg448 I haven't gone online yet but I was wondering if you were planning on offering Classes online? 125's 250's 450's Open Pro's And will...

@ Riesenberg448

I haven't gone online yet but I was wondering if you were planning on offering Classes online?

125's
250's
450's
Open
Pro's

And will you be offering a 250 2stroke?

DoctorJD wrote:

I know this has been pointed out several times, but let me reinforce it: Do not judge the gameplay until you max out the XP of...

I know this has been pointed out several times, but let me reinforce it:
Do not judge the gameplay until you max out the XP of the bike, specifically the factory frame and suspension. Tires even make a big difference on the first level of bike XP. I had maxed-out my 125 and was loving it, then I unlocked the 250F and started riding it stock... huge difference in gameplay. Finally unlocked all the XP on the 250F and it rips. To add, racing the AI is actually fun. I did a couple of moto's at Grandview and had two epic battles against Ken Roczen (all-time) in both motos. 10 laps bar-to-bar with no take-outs, much better than Reflex. Beating the AI in All-Time mode is tough on a fully modded bike and almost impossible on a stock bike. I like the game.

Short 43 wrote:

I'm very open minded, and I normally like the MX vs ATV games; however, this game blows. I don't have xbox live so I can't even...

I'm very open minded, and I normally like the MX vs ATV games; however, this game blows. I don't have xbox live so I can't even redeem the code for Stewart's track on xbox live... no internet connection. The bikes look like pit bikes and the riders can only goon ride. The graphics suck, and I hope there is an option for NORMAL number backgrounds. Whatever happen to REAL bikes? THQ went back a few years ago to MX Unleashed. I just bought a new game that looks like old games I already have. Final Word: Make the game right or don't make it at all.

Luke417 wrote:

they should of threw out a test launch before the game was out.. This game blows and The bikes are a joke

Grieby54 wrote:

I'm probably 12 hours deep into the game and it's finally gotten better. The tracks before level 25 suck, quite frankly. I've never raced over a...

I'm probably 12 hours deep into the game and it's finally gotten better. The tracks before level 25 suck, quite frankly. I've never raced over a snowy mountain or through a rain forest and I'd prefer not to do it even on a video game. I'm not sure if it's just me or my TV (48" Vizio) but I can't see shit in some of the corners on the tropical maps because of the shadows. So, you'll hit level 25, unlock the good tracks, unlock the 450's, but the 450's will suck till you get the factory frame. So now, at level 36, I'm enjoying the game as I'm sure it was meant to be enjoyed.

Early game play (level 1-9):
-It's a tough line to walk, I'm sure, for THQ to give you enough to keep your interest, but not too much so as to lose motivation for continuing to play. I think Reflex was done right - you can unlock most of the stuff pretty quick, but it's the career that keeps pushing you through the game. In Alive, you unlock things very slowly and there is no career to keep pushing you, only leveling up and unlocking things. The early progression is very slow, and I agree with most that it's too slow.
-I recommend really hitting the free ride hard. Get a gold medal for everything you can (which is a bit tough with a 125 as it's lacking power), and that will bring you lots of XP.
-Throw the AI on rookie and run 5 laps on a short track over and over (thank God you can press Y to replay the same race) to boost the XP up quick.
-This is ok for the hardcore moto fan to make them push through the game and improve their skills before giving them all the bike goodies, but the average gamer is going to hit a wall pretty fast when they have to continue to play the same tracks over and over again to get anywhere in the game.

Mid game play (level 10-24):
-You'll unlock some more tracks and the 250f. The bikes always suck until you've unlocked the factory frame, so don't count on much difference until that point.
-The new tracks are a step in the right direction, but not quite good yet.
-Keeeep trucking. This is where I spent a lot of time on short track and revisited some free ride areas to complete the objectives that I couldn't on the low-powered 125.

Late game play (level 25+):
-Congrats, you've played this game for a loooong time.
-Revisit those free ride maps and mop up what's left that you weren't able to do on the lower-powered bike.
-You've unlocked some pretty cool tracks and the 450's. Again, the bike will suck until you unlock the factory frame.
-Once you've unlocked that factory frame the game really starts to come around. The bike handles like it should, the tracks play like they should, and you've finally hit the more enjoyable portion of this game.
-There's really no point in playing online until you've made it to level 33'ish. The bike will hold you back so much without the frame that it will be incredibly difficult to be competitive.

What I don't like:
-Progression is too slow. I don't think you should have to repeat the same things over and over so early on to unlock something new.
-Goon rider and gestures. This has been beaten to death, but I stand firm in thinking it needs to be fixed. The rider just seems like he's along for the ride as opposed to in control of the machine. He just kind of hangs on for dear life everywhere but the corners.
-Some of the helmets don't look right. The Thor helmet looks so inaccurate that I don't think I'll ever use it and the Fly helmet is pretty off too. They had these nailed in Reflex, so I'm not sure what happened in Alive.
-Online gameplay - The online is excellent for the most part, but there are two things that have me thinking "wtf..." to myself. Once the leader finishes, the rest of the pack has 15 (!) seconds to finish the race. Why? It used to be a whole minute! The second thing is that after rushing the end of the race, you spend about 45 seconds, IIRC, in the voting menu voting on the next track. I think those two things should have been switched around. Let us finish the race, and give us 15 seconds to vote on the next track.

What I do like:
-Ground physics are fantastic. Gone are the days of riding on an ice skating rink.
-Dirt looks good. Lots of attention to detail with the environments.
-Sounds are good.
-Controversial as this may be, and corny as he may be in the game, I think it's pretty cool that THQ tried to give us a unique experience by having James in the game. I know you guys are going to rip on him all you want, but I still think it was a cool idea.
-DLC - there's not any really out yet (I'm especially waiting for bikes) but I'm excited at the idea that the game isn't going to get stale in a month or two. On reflex I have to decide which track to spin the millionth lap on. With DLC, hopefully that's long gone.
-Online gameplay. Much better as far as racing and joining races is concerned. I like the new voting system as well. I'm still not sure what any of the post-race info means, but I do miss being able to compare lap times at a glance.

Cliff notes:
Alive is a great game that has a couple of glaring issues. While I, and I'm sure everybody else, would like to see these issues ago away, it's not something that ruins the game. Single player is pretty slow, but you'll be happy that you put your nose to the grind stone and got through it once you hit level 33 and have a tricked out 450. I'm still getting used to how the game plays, and there are still some techniques that need to be mastered (ie: When the hell am I supposed to release the clutch upon landing a jump? Just before I land, just as I land, or just after I land?). Overall I'm really enjoying the game and I'm enjoying the new physics and gameplay. I think supercross is going to be a clusterfk for most at first because being smooth and getting into a rhythm is going to prove difficult, but I look forward to the challenge. The fact that there's still room for improvement is what brings me back to the game! Go out and grab the game, grind through the first few hours on the same 'ole tracks, and you'll find the polished game can be uncovered with a few hours of hard work and, at times, monotony.

Riesenberg448 wrote:

Fantastic review from one of the bigger critics. I understand it isn't all roses and cherries, but I love the fact you took the time to...

Fantastic review from one of the bigger critics. I understand it isn't all roses and cherries, but I love the fact you took the time to break it all down.

I'm also happy you see we aren't completely dumb and it does become a fun experience.

One note on the timers, we're actually working on that right now to up the time to finish the race and lower the time waiting on the next event screen. Luckily, with our own servers this time, these changes can happen quickly.

MX690 wrote:

Yes a down loadable demo would have been great. Judging by these reviews this games is not something i want to waste $64 on, i can...

Yes a down loadable demo would have been great. Judging by these reviews this games is not something i want to waste $64 on, i can buy 2 liters of air filter oil for $64 and at least it would be more practical than a useless game that could potentially become a drink coaster. A debugged Reflex with more tracks and better online is all i wanted.

CeeTee wrote:

Just got the game at lunch time and had a 30 min play and i....... LOVE IT!! Awesome game, great graphics and sound is amazing! Got...

Just got the game at lunch time and had a 30 min play and i....... LOVE IT!! Awesome game, great graphics and sound is amazing! Got to level 10 in that time and really cant see why some of you took so long to get there??

Will have a real go at it after work, i work from home so its hard no to pull myself away to go play!