Pure
Preview
Unleash the madness
by Liquid306
previewed on X360
Pure
It would seem that the ATV centric racing games have had a steep decline in the last few years, only having small support roles in more recent titles such as Motorstorm and Halo 3 (Mongoose). Does this mark the end of the ATV racing game? Not if Black Rock Studios has anything to say about it. Their upcoming title Pure steps away from the more simulation centric ATV-Off-road Fury franchise, this game is all about intense speed and high flying stunts. Off-road racing fans rejoice because this game is looking to give the genre a much needed adrenaline boost.
Pure is a full on arcade style ATV racing game with a heavy emphasis on doing tricks. With its overall arcadey feel, you can jump higher and go faster than ever possible on ATV’s. A huge feature of the game is the “Boost or Bonus Trick System” which either allows you to pull off more insane tricks as the meter fills or using the meter as a boost gauge if you are lagging behind in the race. By successfully landing tricks, you fill up more of your boost gauge and unlocking additional trick buttons.
Tricks
Initially you only have only ‘A’ tricks available but every third of the boost gauge that you fill will cause the ‘B’ and ‘Y’ buttons to become available, allowing more complicated tricks. If you successfully land an increasing amount of insane tricks, your boost increases with it. Eventually you can max out the boost gauge which opens up signature tricks. Each character has 8 signature tricks and each one is more over the top and more impressive than the other. If you fall off your ATV, your boost gauge will deplete resulting in less buttons available for pulling off tricks. This provides a nice give and take approach to how you handle tricks and boost throughout each race.
Racing in Pure is more like racing in Burnout than other ATV racing games. When you are barreling down a hill at break-neck speeds the camera pulls back and the dirt from the rear tires flies around the screen in spectacular fashion. While on the track the focus is to line up the ATV for the perfect take off on the next ramp. When you hit that ramp and you are in the air, the camera zooms in a little bit closer to the rider. This lets you focus more on your tricks and you get to take in the view from over a hundred feet in the air at the same time. The environments look lively and come in seven variations. There are no indoor stadium tracks: in Pure it is all about large scale outdoor environments with jaw dropping draw distances to boot. The game sports 32 tracks and each track has multiple routes that allow for different strategic racing styles. Expect to see locations such as Thailand, New Mexico, and New Zeeland just to name a few.
