Pure - Xbox 360 (360), Playstation 3 (PS3), PC Previews


	Platform PC, Playstation 3,Xbox 360 Genre Racing Publisher Disney Interactive Developer Black Rock Studio (formerly Climax Racing) ETA September 2008
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Pure

There were very few surprises at E3 2008 and for me one those surprises was Pure - I didn't even know it existed until I laid eyes on it. The fact it's being released this Fall led me to quickly surmise that this would be quickie shovelware. After all, games usually generate some kind of buzz - negative or positive - a few months prior to it being shown to a wide audience. Well, let the buzz start.

Pure, which puts you on an ATV, can be favorably compared to the likes of the SSX franchise. With massive jumps all over the place and three skill levels of tricks -

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normal and special - and the ability to string these moves along in combos, the emphasis is definitely on over-the-top tricks and having fun rather than being a simulation. The speed at which all this happens is convincing and, though time with the demo was all too brief, the ATVs feel weighty and really part of the world. The combination of the tricks and speed can produce fantastic results or tragic ends as demonstrated by some painful looking crashes

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which sent my rider flying.

Seven distinct racing environments are planned, with each having various "tracks" in each. The two "tracks" I got to play with were wide open affairs - there was a definite main path to follow but there were plenty of off-shoots that led to bigger jumps and shortcuts. Watching one of the development leads playing it certainly showed that when you know a track, knowing when to boost, when to brake and how much air each ramp will give you, the results can be spectacular; not only with how fast the game moves but how cool some of the tricks look.

There will be a few different modes of play - including 16-player online multiplayer! - and it seems the development team is using the tracks to determine the different modes rather than arbitrarily inserting game modes. Besides straight racing, you'll also have a trick challenge where 1st place isn't necessarily the person who finishes first, it's the rider who attains the largest point total. It'll definitely take some practice to dominate online because, as I wrote before, each "track" is expansive with several different paths to take. To string combos along you'll have to know the tracks like the back of your hand. The learning curve to actually pull off those jumps is a relatively short one. Yes, I was being coached by one of the developers but within about five minutes I had the confidence that I could perform some of the higher level tricks once I had worked up the "stunt meter". (The tricks are done pretty much by pressing a direction on the control pad and holding one of the face buttons.)

Though it's not a simulation, Pure will also feature a garage where you can create your own ATV right from the frame to the color of the fenders and everything in-between. There are "preset" racers as well, which highlight the different styles. For example one ATV is better for tricks while another is better for speed.

Even at this point Pure feels like a complete game even though the demo was a fraction of the final game. I'm just glad the wait to get the final game will be a short one - I can't wait to spend some time with the 16-player multiplayer races.

- Omni

(July 28, 2008)