PixlBit

Mad Riders is an ATV based racer that emphasizes high speed races and tricks. Players have a few options available when starting up the game, including Tournament mode, which is the mode that is based on progression in the form of star collecting. Players have a series of challenges to complete in a specific map, like winning a race, landing a certain amount of tricks, or beating the clock. Finishing in third place will earn one star, second place earns two stars and first earns three stars. After collecting a certain amount of stars, you gain the ability to progress.

Tournament mode spends the first few levels teaching you the simple control scheme. The driving and drifting is standard affair, and there is also a trick button, which allows you to perform certain tricks in conjunction with the analog stick. The interesting part about the tricks of course, is that you don't start out with all of your tricks. You begin with the ability to do backflips, but throughout progression and earning experience, you level up and gain more access to tricks like wheelies and front flips. Leveling up also grants you access to more ATV's which all come with specific stats and can be colored to your liking.

Thankfully, the computer AI isn’t as relentless as some games in the genre. While there were times that the computer kicked my butt, after I got used to the tracks and controls, I was able to finish fairly with not many issues with rubber banding AI. The game definitely has some difficult challenges and races, but it rarely feels at the fault of the computer.

One interesting thing about playing in tournament mode is the fact that you can enable multiplayer as you are racing. Sometimes while playing by yourself, you will see an option that allows you to join players who are playing on the same map which is really simple and easy. Standard multiplayer options are available as well, which pair you up against others in races, trick challenges and time attack modes.

While there are many reasons that Mad Riders is a fun title, it does little to create something entirely original. Most of what the game offers is standard across similar titles, and there is little that makes Mad Riders stand out, other than its cheaper price.

Another small gripe lies in the fact that a lot of races are reliant on memorization and trial and error. The fast paced nature of the game prevents this from being too much of a problem, but players annoyed with doing the same tracks over and over again to progress might be annoyed.

In the end, I realized that I enjoyed Mad Riders a lot. It's a fast-paced, high flying trick racer and that’s right down my alley. Those looking for a more realistic flair to their racing games might not find much to enjoy about Mad Riders, but if you do enjoy your racers a bit less realistic, give Mad Riders a shot. You may find that you enjoyed it as much as I did.