A slightly watered down port of the home console releases, MX vs ATV Untamed is looking to fill a niche that so far hasn't seen much success on the Nintendo DS. As a racing game, Unleashed only has one game to compete against on the DS, and that's Mario Kart. THQ is betting on its more serious and realistic racing game to do what no one else has done and enjoy racing game success on Nintendo's handheld console, without the help of Mario.

Of course, without taking the cartoony path of a game like Mario Kart, MX vs ATV Untamed is forced to rely on the Nintendo DS for realistic graphics - not one of its strong suits. The game starts out very promisingly with some excellent looking menus and well-designed rider graphics, but once the race begins it all goes downhill. While it's clear that a great deal of time was put into making the riders and bikes look as nice as possible - and they do look good - it's equally as clear that there was little to no effort put into the tracks. Riding along on one of the very limited number of tracks is like Super NES crossed with the next generation; it's really bad looking but it has that next gen 'we only use brown and grey' mentality to it. The minimal availability of tracks wouldn't even be worth mentioning as a problem if they weren't all basically the same thing. There's not much to differentiate one track from the other, aside from slightly different timing on the turns. Monotony is a bit of a running theme for the game.

If that wasn't enough blandness, those playing with the volume nice and loud will get a huge dose of what can only be described as N64 wrestling game metal. The medium paced riffing of MIDI guitars has never worked in the past and it sure doesn't work here either. Generic riffing with a few harmonics thrown in detracts severely from enjoyment in the game. It's a real shame too, because the home console version actually has a pretty decent lineup of real songs by real bands.

The game isn't all bad though; in fact, with the music turned down and ignoring the look of the tracks, it's actually quite enjoyable. The Stunt mode especially shows off some of the more entertaining aspects of the game; going through a series of tracks you compete to earn the most points possible before the time runs out. It's a much more free feeling mode and really easy to pick up, plus not having to worry about placement eliminates a lot of the problems present in the X-Cross Tournament mode.

Using the same tracks that are featured in Stunt mode, the X-Cross Tournament pits one rider against three others in a series of races with the final scoring based on placement in each race. There are a few different options for which vehicles can compete in the race but it's never really explained whether these options affect gameplay or if they're simply cosmetic. Races, while fun, can feel very cheap at times, since the computer opponents almost always travel in a tight pack, meaning that just one slip up can cost you the entire race. Taking a corner a little bit tight can result in the game registering you as going the wrong way, resetting you onto the track and instantly turning a first place lead into a fourth place defeat.

The race mode requires quite a bit more planning and technique than typical racing games for the DS, as the shifting of body weight and proper application of the clutch can make the difference between finishing first and rolling in last. Unfortunately, the DS' directional pad really isn't the best control method for such an important and sensitive adjustment; without an analog input, weight shifts and turns are all or nothing, meaning that while computer opponents are able to take even the sharpest turn smoothly, players are left tapping the d-pad to get just the right angle.

The controls are pretty intuitive for the most part but without a glance at the manual there are a few things that aren't really evident. A brief tutorial would have been a nice touch, since some of the game's nuances are a bit hard to grasp at first. Untamed is played almost entirely with the direction pad and face buttons, with the R and L buttons having a very limited use; surprisingly it features almost no use of the stylus and never requires it. The only thing the stylus is actually available for is menu navigation but it's not actually necessary. The bottom screen is simply used as a referential map for each race and as a score display for stunt modes, a welcome break from a glut of games that put something in there purely because they can.

MX vs ATV Untamed is a very mixed experience, showcasing some pretty impressive ideas with a largely woeful follow through. While fans of the series might be satisfied by the chance to play MX vs ATV on their DS, casual racing fans will find themselves quickly switching back to Mario Kart.

Reviewed by Dick Ward for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).