
	Platform Xbox 360 Genre Racing Publisher Disney Developer Black Rock Studios ESRB E (Everyone) Released September 16, 2008

- The spiritual successor to the likes of SSX Tricky - Great racing online (as long as you've upgraded your ride) - Succeeds in being fun and "technical"

- Invisible walls can send your rider flying at the worst possible moments

Review: SSX On Tour (XB) Review: Burnout Paradise (360) Review: DiRT (360)
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Pure

Score: 8.5 / 10

One would think the "spiritual successor" of the SSX series would actually be another SSX game, so it's unexpected to find that the spiritual successor is the muddy ATV racing game Pure, which drives the line between racing and impossible stunt show.

Besides looking really nice, Pure also plays real nice. It takes all of about five minutes to become completely familiar with the racing and stunt aspects of the game (longer to master them), which revolve around preloading jumps to grab as much air as possible so the player can perform plausible and completely implausible tricks. Successfully landing tricks pumps juice into your boost meter; fill

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up the meter enough and access to increasingly elaborate tricks are granted, right up to the uber move. Some jumps are so massive -- 1/2 mile in some cases -- that the more proficient racers will be able to completely max the boost meter in a single jump. Having that boost on hand upon landing can mean the difference between a fifth place finish and a first place finish.

Finishing well provides

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points in the World Tour Mode, as well as more gear for the fully customizable ATVs, which are modified in a very user friendly garage. There are plenty of slots in the garage to build racers or more stunt friendly rides. The best thing is that there's no money involved and players can simply hold down the Y-button to have an ATV constructed as you watch if you don't want to fret over the color schemes and what handle grips just go with the overall look of the vehicle. Having a variety of engine classes and stunt or racing vehicle means players always have a suitable ride on-hand for Freestyle and Race events.

Don't even bother heading online to take advantage of the lag-free, head-to-head play (with a cap of 16 simultaneous players) until an A-class engine has been earned and outfitted, because that's what everyone else has. In the World Tour mode, players will race against opponents with the same engine class but online it's possible to race against players with lower and higher engine classes. Starting a race the outcome is almost pre-ordained if all opponents are driving Class A vehicles and you're driving a Class C vehicle. Players can specify what class of vehicle they want to race or freestyle against, but good luck trying to find anyone racing with anything less than a Class A. At least with Freestyle events it's about racking up a higher score rather than racing so having a faster ATV doesn't mean an automatic win. Those events are a lot more fun.

Pure is an enjoyable racing game even when an attempt to squeeze in one more stunt results in a pin-wheeling ragdoll rider and dropping a couple of positions. The visceral appeal of driving really fast and performing all manner of impossible gyrations is strong enough to make Pure a gotta play title.

- Aaron Simmer

(October 13, 2008)