Review - Mad Riders

Quad bike games have had something of a mixed experience on the current generation of consoles. While Pure still remains the pinnacle of the genre, its serious nature means there's something of a gap in the market for a more arcadey, off-the-wall style game. Not surprisingly then, Ubisoft's hoping that Mad Riders – with its assortment of power-ups, boost bars and stunts – can fill the void. And while it certainly fits into that category, some frustrating elements prevent it from being an essential purchase they're hoping for.

From a structural point of view, Mad Riders owes a lot to Black Rock's other excellent racing game Split Second. The main game involves a tournament broken up into a series of races where up to three stars can be earned for finishing in third, second or first place. Earning a certain number of stars in each event then unlocks the next tournament and so it goes from there. And as you'd expect, there are different types of events available from straightforward races and arenas to stunt mode, ghost competitors and against the clock challenges.



Where races speak for themselves, the other events are bit more complicated. Arenas feature an assortment of checkpoints that need to be reached ahead of the other riders within a confined space; Stunt mode involves scoring the most points before the race is concluded; while Ghost and Clock both involve a speedy run to the finish in a race against time. All events have power-up tokens to collect which enable you to activate shortcuts and add to your boost bar, which can then be used at will to speed through the courses.

As is often the way with such racing games, you're incredibly limited in your options when you first start out. The vehicle that you drive is quite slow and you can only perform one stunt in the air, although more options naturally unlock as your rider levels up. It's one of those games where early tournaments feel a bit lacking, as the game feels more rewarding once more vehicles are at your disposal, more stunts can be performed and there are more potential shortcuts available to you.



Although there are technically 45 tracks, many of these are actually the same with some slight variations in route change (so, shades of Ridge Racer there). With eight main tournaments though, plus the additional Elite tracks – races that aren't for the faint hearted – that are unlocked throughout your progression through the main game, there's plenty of meat on the bone here and the added multiplayer mode means there's incentive to come back.

And to be fair, it can be a lot of fun. The racing is always fast and furious, the different routes that are available throughout the courses mean you'll easily find different ways to succeed while the power-ups combined with stunts means that your boost bar is readily available. Yet for all the times when you are satisfied with pulling off a few stunts before zipping past an opponent, there are just as many occasions when things feel too out of your control for it to be any real fun.



For example, later unlocked vehicles are much easier to handle and speedier, but none feel completely right in the air and have an almost floaty feel, often making it difficult to guide your vehicle to another path and perform stunts successfully. As a result, while races and arenas are usually just fun, events that pit you against the clock or see you accumulating stunt points are more annoying and feel like an endurance. And with the emphasis on speed and lots of stunts on a constant basis, the handling means that it can feel like you are fighting the game as opposed to playing it.

It's also more than a bit on the glitchy side. Riding up a tree is quite impressive, but not when it's not part of the stunt options and involves your rider respawning, leaving you to lose the race as a result. Sometimes the respawning process is a bit flawed too - understandable when you've collided into a giant statue, less so when you've only slightly clipped a wall. Tracks can also feel a little messy; with different routes that can be taken on the ground and in the air, it's often difficult to see how to progress through the course, especially when many of the routes aren't always as well signposted as they should be.



It's a shame because there's clearly a competent and enjoyable game buried underneath such flaws. But when the main part of the game – namely, driving and stunts – feel like they're a chore because of some twitchy problems, it's hard to be impressed with all the peripheral elements stuck around it.