For us seeing a game like this hit the Xbox 360 was exciting because there is just nothing else out there like it to play. MX vs. ATV: Untamed does plenty of things right, a few things great, and one thing terribly wrong. The things done right are the gameplay mechanics and game modes, both of which will keep fans of the series and gamers new to the MX series happy. The single player campaign has enough substance to warrant the full purchase for people itching for an ATV or MX type game and even basic racing fans may find a diamond in the rough in Untamed. A quality multiplayer experience adds to the fun but can become quite boring after a couple races, stick to the stunt modes and mini-games for maximum fun. What the developers nailed were the controls, finding a perfect balance between simulation and arcade racing. Even though the graphics are far from what we expect these days and it cannot keep most gamers hooked for long, MX vs. ATV: Untamed still deserves a test run (demo available on Xbox Live now) and should be quickly picked up by previous fans of the series or people in love with off-road bikes. We are cutting a little slack to the game because it is the first one in the series to grace the 360 (even though it is very similar across all systems, this generation and last) and there is little else like it to play. For the next MX vs. ATV game to score better we need to see some new modes, more originality, something exclusive to this specific type of racing, and some graphics that match those of other off-road games on the next-gen systems. At the end of the day most people that are interested in this game will get it whether it is good or bad but gamers looking to just dip their feet in the “off-road bike racing” water should defiantly give Untamed a chance to draw them into a genre otherwise not accessible on the Xbox 360.
