PATRICK: Warning: ATV Offroad Fury 3 may cause motion sickness...but I mean that in the best possible way. The series matures with ATV3, thanks in part to improved physics, and you can really feel a sense of speed as you whip around a corner and launch off a huge jump.

While the gameplay hasn’t changed drastically, you can now hold R1 in a sharp bend and your ATV will settle into a nice drift—I’m sure it’s not terribly realistic, but hey, it is fun. And you’ll find realism elsewhere, like in your garage, where you’ll have a ton of customization options—almost too many. The game’s tracks are much more diverse too, ranging from sprawling countryside areas and canyon tracks to more conventional courses. There’s even a free ride mode in case you just want to mess around and explore. Online play expands to a max of six players (up from four in ATV2) and offers all six race types available in the single-player game, which is nice.

SHANE: Like its two predecessors, ATV3 expertly captures the crucial body-weight physics of the sport, but this installment breaks from tradition with arcadey powersliding and more fanciful level design. Diehards may call foul, but the looser grip on reality really ups the fun quotient. Likewise, the online play receives some successful TLC, with more simultaneous racers, race modes, and goofball minigames (like hockey and basketball) than ATV2. More attention should have gone to the graphics, though: Muddy visuals and questionable rag-doll rider physics don’t impress.

ROBERT: Red state or blue, jumping vehicles off dirt piles appeals universally. ATV3 does it with four wheels, a little finesse, and a lot of patience. Winning isn’t easy, and you’ll be desperate for part upgrades before you can afford them. I’m not a fan of the trick system, which (besides featuring the goofiest moves ever) doesn’t allow you to load a trick while another is being performed, making combos difficult. If you get frustrated, laugh at Bootsy Collins’ ATV3 theme song: “I come with my own independent rear suspension. My wheels in the back don’t even relate to each other.” Funky.

Good: Fun online experience

Bad: Superfluous customizations

Thanks: Not as many instant deaths as in previous ATV’s

The verdicts (out of 10)

Patrick 8.5

Shane 7.5

Robert 6.5

Publisher: Sony CEA

Developer: Climax

Players: 1-2 (2-6 online)

ESRB: Everyone

www.us.playstation.com

Copyright © 2004 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in Electronic Gaming Monthly.