Conclusion
To conclude, let me emphasize that I did not include a section where I talk about the game's faults. That's because it simply does what it does extremely well. While PURE is not a perfect game, any minor flaws are completely overshadowed by the amount of fun you'll have playing it. Black Rock Studio definitely has another winner on its hands. Sadly, I do feel that the game will go underappreciated due to the lack of publicity prior to its release. After all, a game this fun should not go unnoticed. As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, PURE caters to those who can appreciate its whimsical approach to racing. It's definitely a departure from games like GRID, but should hit home for those who enjoy the TrackMania games. The focus is definitely on the amusement factor here. While I rarely hand out wholehearted recommendations, you have mine as I firmly believe that games like PURE are the reason we play video games. It's lighthearted, over-the-top, unrealistic, and above all, pure fun.
- Excellent handling
- Intuitive control scheme
- Enjoyable vehicle customization
- Largely fun aerial stunts
- Beautiful graphics
- Lack of split-screen option
- Lack of variety in multiplayer modes
PURE takes the serious aspect of off-road racing and throws it out the window with its high-flying stunts and high speed action. You might find better racing games out there, but you'll be hard pressed to find one that's as much fun to play.
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MFK - Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - link
Hey, not to be a pain in the butt or anything. But the reviewer seems to give a lot of credit to how fun and 'different' this game is.But the matter of the fact is, that this game is really no different than previous ATV racing games.
Leaning forward and then letting go to catch more air? Already been done.
Stunts on ATVs? Over done.
Stunts done Tony Hawks Pro Skater Style? Is there any other way to implement stunts? I mean all games involving stunts, require you to move the stick in a direction and press one of the stunt buttons.
So I really fail to see whats so different about this game. I will honestly confess that I am not the biggest gamer out there, but this game really does feel a repeat of all the ATV games out there albeit with a graphical update.
Hell yea its fun, but it is nothing that has not been done before. I guess that is all I wanted to say.
:)
EddieTurner - Tuesday, September 30, 2008 - link
Not being a pain in the least. I did mention those exact sentiments though. To quote the second paragraph: . . PURE's style of gameplay isn't anything we haven't seen before . .Sabrewulf6000 - Monday, September 29, 2008 - link
Aside from the menu loading times (track loading isn't bad) and the missing riders on atvs problem I had that a clean graphics driver update solved, the game runs and plays fine, no hitching or pauses for me. One thing though, is there no AA support for this game, not that its a real problem with the graphic effects they use, its not too noticeable. Has anyone tried forcing AA yet? Also, are there any DX10 graphics differences that I am missing? The game looks fabulous in DX9, just like to know if I am missing out on anything.Athlon64 X2 5000 BE @ 3.2Ghz|ASRock 939 Dual-Sata2 W/AM2 Board|2x1 GB GSkill DDR2-800|Gigabyte 8800GT 512MB|Corsair 750W PS|XP Pro
error8 - Monday, September 29, 2008 - link
I've played it on an 8800gt and a 4870 and above the terrible loading times, there is the stutter. Every now and then, the race makes a short stop for a fraction of a second and then it plays like nothing happened. What the hell?? It just kills the racing thrill, if there was any. ;)Alphafox78 - Monday, September 29, 2008 - link
I went to buy this yesterday so that I could play with my brother. it looked really good until we looked at the back cover and noticed that its only single player unless you have xbox live. what about split screen??? you cant do it. I had to pass.mmntech - Monday, September 29, 2008 - link
Seems to me that games in general are moving away from split screen in favour of online. I know Grid, Dirt, and Motorstorm are online only. It allows for more players but it isn't exactly a social activity.Pure is actually a pretty decent game. I enjoyed the PS3 demo. It offers a different twist compared to most other recent racing games. The graphics are decent, the gameplay with the tricks is interesting, and the tracks are pretty original.
Lonyo - Monday, September 29, 2008 - link
Couldn't you just say:
"It's a bit like motocross madness but with ATV's"?
Xavitar - Monday, September 29, 2008 - link
I had the same thought. Motocross Madness and Monster Truck Madness 2 were both fantastic games.StevenG - Wednesday, October 1, 2008 - link
Loved Motocross Madness and Motocross Madness 2. One of my favorite aspects of those games was the "freeride" mode where there was no track to follow, just a huge hilly outdoor area where you could go anywhere. It was a blast exploring to find new lines with jumps that had just the right size and shape and landing zone to allow pulling off big multi-trick jumps.Anything like that in Pure? Or are you always following some predefined track?
EddieTurner - Wednesday, October 1, 2008 - link
Sadly, no. However, many of the track are fairly wide open with multiple routes to take. A game I played this week called "Baja Edge of Control" did have that true free ride mode. The game had a lot of potential but the 1990's graphics was a big turn off on the 360 and PS3. I did have some fun with it though.