Customer Reviews

Pure

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(38)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

When playing this game I could really appreciate the fact that it is well made and that the graphics are outstanding. The gameplay however was not up my alley. I thought it was going to be more of a racer that had jumps included, but a good part of the game consists in stringing together jumps and tricks in order to increase your boost. Those that are looking for this kind of experience won't be disappointed, but if you are like me, and you are looking for an experience more along the lines of games like Motorstorm, you may not find this one to be the best option.

I went into Pure thinking it would be overly arcadey, sort of like a Motor Storm, and found that it's actually a super-accessible technical racer that you can play arcadey if you like, or page through 30-some pages of parts to build out your ATV for the perfect race.

The graphics are excellent and framerate solid, even when hitting huge air and getting the zoom-out effect where you see almost the entire map. That is one of the most exhilerating moments while playing.

The students are defined in 1 of 4 levels, basically mapping to the 3 face buttons and both L1/R1 I believe depending on your boost level and then combining that with some direction on your analog stick. This results in quite a few combination *technically*, but actually being fast enough or coordinated enough to pull of a face-button and 1 of 8 directions differently each time is a lot tricker than you think, especially since pre-loading your jump (pushing down then flicking up right as you crest a jump to throw yourself into the air) already positions your hands and fingers in a certain feel - coming out of a preload and immediately into the opposite motion, like down and triangle is pretty tricky.

I found myself pulling off the *same* stunts per-level over and over again (which give you less and less boost as you keep repeating stunts) just because it was the most natural feel to me when I frantically tried to pull something off before hitting the ground.

The game is fairly forgiving, I readily lost some races and readily won others... I couldn't detect any rediculous "rubber banding" that is a stable in the Need for Speed series and some other racers, it was a very natural feel of either "I'm loosing", "I'm catching up" or "I'm winning"... and in some cases "I'm destroying them!".

The amount of polish in this game is evident from the get-go and never really lets go... it's a really safe buy if you like racers and just a lot of simple and accessible fun with great graphics and excellent track design.

Lately you can find discounted copies of 'Pure' in abundance at various game retail locales. If you're able to find a copy under $20 and have a hankering for arcade-style racers definitely give this title a shot. If you're looking for a detailed, simulation grade racer then this title likely does not offer what you're looking for but if quick-to-learn gameplay coupled with high quality realistic graphics and a terrific sensation of speed fits the bill then you certainly will be satisfied with what this title has to offer.

'Pure' offers all the online/offline/solo modes of gamplay that you'd expect from such a title. My favorite mode was the 'career' mode which offered an addictive ladder system as you work your way up through the ranking in pursuit of the 'World Cup.' Even though this title is nearly 2 years ago it still looks fantastic with great sound design to boot. All in all fun, addictive and really cheap!

There are few racers out there nowadays which capture that arcade feel while still feeling current. I am sick and tired of the Gran Turismo's and Forza's where you need to plan every nuance of how to build your car, and then start racing and realize its going to take you days to simply figure out how to drive straight. This game does none of that. It does have the cool feature of letting you build your own ATV, but its not overly complex, and once you get into the racing aspect this game is FUN. A racer doesn't have to have all those things, sometimes you just want to jump right in and race, and this game does just that. It also has some of the better graphics I have seen in a racing game. Plus it's cheap. 20.00 is a steal if you want to fill out your collection.

The sheer thrill of spectacularly arcade style stunt airs, mixed with an excellent and well thought out boost and trick system that takes just a little bit to get used to define the PURE experience. The afterthought racer models and VERY forgiving landing system do not alter the sheer joy that is experienced banging through the varied courses and gameplay styles this racer offers. Leveling through the race system and unlocking everything is addictive and a great game to play for a half hour or so every other day or so to prevent the fatigue that can come from playing a one note racer like this for too long. Even if that note is a golden one as it is here. A star off for the somewhat mysterious motion controls and lack of complete multiplayer experience.

I had fun with this game. As the title says, I am not an ATV person and did not expect much from this game. The graphics (especially the backgrounds) are stunning. It is fun to fly through the air and pull off the trick manuevers. This is defeinerly less of a simulation game (think Nascar) and more of a plain-old fun game. To be a bit tacky, it is "Pure" fun.

It reminds me of the games from the 8-bit and 16-bit eras, but with powerhouse graphics and sounds that the PS3 can deliver!

Combining racing and stunts, Pure is a frantic action racing game. As with many other racing games, you compete through a series of racing cups, with many different types of tracks, most set in outdoor areas such as tropical or desert. The graphics are very nice, sound as well. The music is the typical mostly unremarkable rock with a few recognizable songs, but most I wasn't familiar with.

This is not a pure racing game and it doesn't allow more than one player to play on one console. So if you were wanting Burnout on a 4-wheeler, this isn't it. With all the tricks, it's more like the old SSX games minus the split-screen action.

As you race around the track, to get "boost" and be able to go faster, you need to perform tricks. Performing a trick requires a somewhat complicated "pre-load" move which involves flicking the analog stick down and then up at the edge of a jump, preferably assisted by boost to give you extra speed. It sounds a little complicated but isn't too terribly hard once you get used to it. It does require a bit of button dexterity to do well though. There are different tiers of tricks, you can only do the basics at first but as you successfully pull off more tricks you get more boost and can perform more tricks. With full boost you get to do special tricks, but they require a looong jump to have time to pull them off. So there's quite a bit of strategy as to when to do the special tricks. More tricks = more boost and if you max out your boost and keep performing special tricks, you'll stay at max boost. But that isn't possible on most tracks, there aren't enough big jumps to get you jumping high and long enough for special tricks over and over.

Successfully performing tricks and getting the resulting boost reservoir is almost required to win races. This takes Pure away from being a pure racing game and makes it more of a stunt/racing game. Not sure how I feel about that, it takes a bit of the mindless fun away from it. It does add strategy though.

You can customize several different 4-wheelers to use during the races, more slots become available as you proceed through the game. You'll get things like hand grips, handlebars, frames, bodys, sprockets, engines, shocks, etc. Choosing parts is a bit cumbersome to me, a particular set of handlebars may increase tricks score by 2 and decrease handling by 1. You have 5 or 6 stats to keep up with and many parts are just a tradeoff of two stats, rather than an overall improvement. Plus when you have 4 or 5 different parts to choose from it becomes a memorization exercise as well, which part gave the best overall values or tradeoff? And if you get first place in a race you may win several new parts.

There is no custom character creator if that matters. You can choose from several male and female characters.

Overall I like Pure quite a bit. I'm taking off one star because of no split screen multiplayer. Really, that's one of the HUGE advantages console gaming has had in the past, it should be a social experience where you can invite friends over to play. The other star is removed because I think overall the tricks are a bit cumbersome.

I downloaded the demo from the Playstation Network, and loved it so much that I went to go buy it immediately. I've been looking for a good game to play when friends are over or with my brother, so I was excited about this one. When I got to the store I read the back of the box which says it's only a one player game. WTF???

How can a company dump millions of dollars into the development of a racing game, and not think to make it a two player game? Is this the only racing game on the planet that doesn't have that option? I almost feel like te game should cost half of what other racing games cost.

Granted, there is an online multiplayer mode, but I'm still shocked that that's the only way I can play with friends.

Buy this game if you want to waste your life away alone in a room in front of your TV.

SSX meets Motorstorm

Pure isn't the definitive racing experience, but it's definitely a great time in short to medium length sittings. In a nutshell, the game combines a complicated trick system (a la the SSX games) with the off-road vistas of Motorstorm. Unlike Motorstorm, Pure doesn't offer an array of vehicles to choose from; this is an ATV game. However, Pure does allow the player to 'build' an ATV from the ground up and periodically offers race rewards in the form of part upgrades. In this sense, the game offers that pseudo-rpg sense that series like Need for Speed have been exploiting to good effect for the last 5 years. Like Motorstorm, the game offers a relatively linear progression of races; the interface in this regard looks almost lifted from Motorstorm, itself.

Pure has some nice production values, though they fail to reach levels established by EA in the SSX games. Slick menus follow you wherever you go. In potential sequels, I'd like to see some notification in the bottom of the screen when a new song starts. As it is, the soundtrack is decent, but I can't really tell what's there. Additionally, the game offers up a set of player characters, but the art and voice-acting (if it can be called that) will make you want to strangle whomever you pick.

The physics and general gameplay of Pure feel very much like Motorstorm plus tricks. I hate to mention a previous game so many times as a descriptor of this one, but the comparison is quite valid. In comparing the two, each have relative strengths. If you prefer the addition of tricks, Pure is the right choice. On the other hand, Pure's track design simply doesn't offer the same amount of depth and character as Motorstorm. The tracks are well-designed, but you won't remember any of them two months from now.

I look back at this review and realize that I've spend the majority of it making criticisms. Please note that these act more as exceptions to the fact that this is a great game.

Usually I try to avoid any game made by Disney. Though after reading some very good reviews about it, I decided to take my my chances, and thank goodness I did !The games graphics make you feel as if you are actually in the game, ( e.g puddles spraying the screen and mud smearing your shirt if you crash ) . Stunts are truly awe inspiring as you pull off tricks that are not physically possible in reality ! The controls are fun and not as complex as past ATV games have proven to be, so that is certainly a huge boost of game play. Though what I love best about this game is the breath taking landscape. My heart always races as I fly over the mountains of New Zealand and do a couple backflips on my vehicle as I descend at a sick speed to the ground. The game enables you to design your own personal ATV with loads of engines,shocks,handlebars,wheels and alot more, that you can choose for your ride."World Tour" a game mode in Pure is also sure to excite, as you try to become the best ATV rider in the nation, while earning those upgraded parts for your vehicle along the way !You can also choose to just do a single race, including a sprint race, a normal race, and best of all, Freestyle, where you collect special boosts and gas ( you can't run out of gas if you wish to complete the race )
The only need for improvement for Pure is maybe to have more game modes(World Tour is the only one) otherwise this game is 'pure' amazing !

- Ryan S