MX vs ATV All Out Anniversary Edition Review (PS4)

It's been a year since MX vs ATV All Out graced PC, PS4 an Xbox gamers with the ability to cross rugged terrain using MX bikes and ATVs like the speed demons that they are. As such, what better way to celebrate this event than with an anniversary edition that brings together the base game, 3 DLC along with additional tracks and all customization options included.

Not your typical Menu

One thing that struck me as interesting was the fact that you are flung straight into the game, from which you can enter the main menu, instead of the other way around as you would expect of any game.

Customizations galore

The menu is where you can discover the character and vehicle customization screen, as well as access the marketplace for new parts, game settings, Photo Mode and more. The character customization screen is where you can change every detail about your driver, from sex to helmet and outfit design, as well as the color scheme.

+1more

As for the vehicle customization panel, this is where your inner grease-monkey will get excited, since besides the typical customization features you'd expect, such as model or color scheme, you can also perform some fine-tuning on your vehicle, increasing some stats by a certain degree, while sacrificing others of course. A sense of accomplishment is provided to you through the use of digital currency which you can attain through racing, and you will use it to unlock all the customization features that the game has to offer, as well as entirely new vehicles.

+4more

The Visuals

First of all, the differences between the PC version and the PS4 version are extremely noticeable, especially when it comes to the rendering of the environment. For example, in the PS4 version, given that you move around the tracks at high speed, the console cannot fully render the environmental elements properly. This may lead to situations where you reach a corner of your track, and suddenly trees appear, or if they were already there, they shift from 2000s graphics from afar to 2019 graphics up close.

+2more

Massive maps

Because motor-crossing with bikes and ATVs means that the terrain is anything but flat and boring, a lot of effort was put into rendering the maps, and there are a lot of them, that's for sure. Each track can be explored at will in free form, and you can make great use of the game's Photo Mode. While using it, all UI elements disappear from the screen, and you can take epic looking screenshots with the sun glaring behind you, next to a large body of water or, if you have the reflexes of a ninja, right in the middle of a jump so that you can obtain those bragging rights.  What's even better is that the authentic outdoor tracks have a time of day variation feature, allowing you to wait until the sun is about to set for even greater screenshots! As for the soundtrack, the songs that are available are befitting for the game, as you will indeed feel like grabbing an energy drink before making that bin 360 while jumping.

+2more

Must have skipped a few Physics classes

Full disclosure, I did not play the game when it was first released, so everything in it so far was treated as a whole new experience. I expected a game that came out in 2018 have a certain degree of realism to it as far as how you interact with the environment, and you'd expect any problems that may have been found to have been fixed in the 2019 launch of the Anniversary edition, but that doesn't seem to be the case. First of all, there are plenty of instances where the game alternates between trying to keep you on the bike as much as possible and throwing you off it as soon as you land on a pebble. One good example is when you are making a sharp turn and you end up so tilted to one side you are almost parallel to the ground, yet you make a gravity-defying rebalancing act that would make Issac Newton turn in his grave. Another good example is when you hit an obstacle at relatively low speed, yet your driver flies 50 feet into the air, then lands in a manner that makes you understand why they call it "ragdoll physics."

Neither of the inconveniences mentioned above are game-breakers though since you'll most likely have a good laugh whenever they occur. Fortunately, the one aspect most of you will probably be buying the game for, and that is the actual driving, feels exceptionally realistic. *Word of advice though*, you should know that there are significant differences between controlling motocross bikes and ATVs, so playing too long on one of them will make you feel like an amateur when switching to the other, so try alternating regularly between the two from time to time.

+4more

The Good

The Bad

Conclusion