MX vs. ATV Supercross Encore

Unfortunately, this sixth game in the MX vs. ATV series seems to have lost its steam over time. First, the good news: MX vs. ATV Supercross Encore adds several game modes and tracks missing from its predecessor, which focused solely on racing on indoor stadiums. Now you can race outdoors in a number of modes, including all National races and one mode called Waypoint for driving from checkpoint to checkpoint in as short a time as possible. A Career mode lets you customizable a rider and his bike or ATV, while an online mode allows you to connect and play (with decent connection speeds). The arcade-like Rhythm Racing mode is similar to Nintendo's Excitebike but from a third-person perspective.

Problem is, the controls are sloppy. You might find yourself pulling a 180-degree spin during a turn because you were too tough on the analog sticks. And trying to pull off a good midair move can be taxing because of using the analog sticks to balance your rider. Even more disorienting is when you're supposed to pull off tricks during a race and must press a shoulder button and push the analog stick in a given direction at the same time. Tweaking the controls in the Settings helps a bit, but overall it mars the experience. Other issues include lots of slowing down when many riders are on the screen at the same time, as well as very outdated graphics. There's also awkwardly stiff animation and lots of environmental elements that suddenly pop into view as you ride. Despite the new content, this game isn't worth your time or money.