How to fix MX vs ATV ALIVE. imho

Reflex was a huge leap considering all the MX/SX games that have ever been out.
I think they finally got on the right track after all the MX vs Whatever that had come out since MCM2. The graphics are simply awesome with an HD TV and an HDMI cable.
What I think they blow it on are trying for realism in certain aspects and nailing it dead on, but not even close others.
The opening sequence to a race where the camera pans across the start is awesome.
The riders look great, the gate area looks awesome, the camera dude walking back wards in a squatted position is really cool. It gets the gamer excited to do battle.
Other cool things are when the rider takes a look over his shoulder over a jump, or yanks a tear off. The riders body and bike look sick.
His style is very realistic. The wrist yanking the throttle, his feet up shifting etc. is also very cool.
These things should have remained in the new game. Why go back wards with the new game?

I don't mean to BASH these guys at all. I am thankfully for REFLEX! I love it and play it all the time with my kids. We have an absolute blast.
What I am trying to do here is list what I think would make this game completely awesome based on my own and a lot of friends opinions.
Since playing the very first video game back in the late 70's and remaining a gamer for 35+ years I guess I have strong opinions.
My opinion here is simply recognizing what video game companies have been shooting for on a whole since the beginning. And that is games with options.
Games that give the players more and more control over thier experience. It seems like the guys over at THQ are going back wards. They are taking options away from the gamer.
They have a great MX console game with REFLEX and with a little tweaking could cement it in history as the best ever.


So here is what I suggest.
1) The bike handling is very good. The need to be constantly feeding into the controls makes the game challenging and never gets boring. The double stick is ingenious.
Correcting the bikes attitude in the air upon landings, lining up sections all are done very well. Yes the bike is too light and floats around way too easily when contacted in the air.

2). Get the track pics correct while rifling through SX tracks. Two of them are swapped.

3). If you must have the slut with the fake boobs 2 feet from my nose allow us old fashioned conservative
dads with little kids and insecure wives to click past it taking us right to the 5 second rev before the gate drops.

4). Ad the option to set tourneys with points for single and multi-players sitting on the couch while offline.

5). Allow free ride every where in the game. You know how many countless hours people would love to hit the sides of all those big jumps in the SX tracks?
Also how cool it would be to set it on free ride (my version of free ride) and race each other going back wards on the tracks. Don't bother with a spline for AI.
Just free riding them backward would be a popcorn spilling blast.

6). Toggle the green arrow off or on option before a race.

7). Toggle the track break down off or on before a race.

8). A replay control menu. Record all or part of each race. Make the replays of the entire race available with VCR controls. Allowing the option to record practice (again my version of free ride)

9). A I riding characteristics should be consistent with the skill level. Rookie should be slow and sketchy like they are in the game. Amature drones should take you out more and be faster with false confidence.
Pro should be like it is now a nightmare back in the pack forcing you forward. All Time you should be able to attack the track with another drone side
by side for lap after lap going inside outside with out them turning right over a left berm putting you into orbit. That would be a blast.
When crashing going straight to the knocked out rag doll how about on the lighter wrecks have him still conscience. The player should have as much "power" as the drones.
Many a time a drone will take out the rider and when the rider remounts and returns for pay back he simply falls off the bike upon first contact. This happens over and over.
If you have the inside you should have the control in almost most every stuff or take out move.
When the rider crashes he needs to be reset where the bike comes to rest. Not back where he was separated from the bike.
How about the rider jumping to his feet, running over and kicking the bike back to life?

10). Old timers class with vintage bikes and riders

11). Returning to the track deal needs to be refined a little. When you crash or blow off the track you should be allowed to run down the
side of the track and re-enter for at least a few seconds just like in a real race. Yes if you use it to pass then dock the time or what have you.

12). The tuff blocks are a little too tuff. Making them part of the experience is a great idea. We do see racers struggle with them Like RV did this year
and missing a main. But how often does a rider slide up into a turn at 4 mph and hit one and do a front flip? Also if you put your front wheel against one and
pin it a modern 450 would not just sit there spinning the tire.

13). Test test and test!. On a couple tracks you can be well within the track and get counted back. Over the finish all the way to the right on the 3rd SX track will do this.


Marketing fopah
Instead of trying to dangle one hook out there promising the world, only to drop another one for more money and sell tracks later is lame.
Make the game right, give the gamers the best product and charge what it's worth. People are not stupid and are sick of getting jerked around as it is these days.
If each player doesn't have the same tracks then you will divide the online gamers right off the bat. Lame.

Also instead of trying to create a "coolness" about the game with the fake tits, the middle finger etc. How about sell the game on it's own awesome merits by making it an absolute blast.
less player limitations. More options and more realism. Sure this is a game and we all get that. But the people who play this are going to compare it to the actual deal just
like all other stick and ball and motor sports games. Come on THQ the market is ripe for this game.
We will pay the extra 20 or 30 bucks for the MX vs ATV Ultimate edition in a couple years when you get all this stuff figured out!