Mad Riders Critic Reviews

Mad Riders has a few faults, but none of them are major. The core racing game is outstanding, and one of the best off-road racers on the market. It's worlds better than the MX vs. ATV games, and about as good as Pure. It's one of the few XBLA releases that is easily worth its full asking price, and is an easy recommendation as long as you liked Pure. If you did, then you'll adore this, if you didn't, then give the trial game a shot and see if it wins you over.

It will inevitably leave you itching for your next race.

Ubisoft has a lot going for Mad Riders, and thankfully it's going in the right direction. After all is said and done, and our vehicles are finally out of gas, we stop to think, "Is Mad Riders a game that will conquer the Xbox Live Arcade and take over the top spot?" Probably not. While the execution is solid, there are a few blemishes that separate it from the leaders of the pack. With that being said, is Mad Riders worth a purchase? If you enjoy racing off road through extreme courses on ATV's or a buggy, then absolutely.

Although Mad Riders might not feature anything in the way of innovation in either its core gameplay or race modes, I appreciate how developer Techland has honed its racing craft and made it so I never have to let up on the throttle.

Mad Riders is a good arcade title starring the long time inflated quads. The game, however, is ideal for anyone looking for a fast-paced game, easy to understand.

A light, casual and funny game at a low price; if you're into arcade and frantic racers, it's worth your Microsoft Points.

Mad Riders is all about adrenaline, lightning fast quads and huge huge jumps. The vehicles are not as difficult to control as in nail'd and the stunt system has improved. But still AI and visuals are not up to standards.

The title's lack of track variety or anything really unique, takes away from what had the potential to be a great off-road racing experience.

Sadly, the floaty handling returns, which limits the feeling of tactile connection to the game. Similarly, while the simplistic trick system is adequate for boost hoarding in races, the stunt events are a fiddly chore. Techland still hasn't entirely 'nailed' it then, but you definitely won't feel robbed for the price.

Mad Riders has the feel of something whipped up between bigger projects to keep the teams at Techland energised. That's not meant to be an insult, mind, as it feels like the sort of game that would have been fun to work on and design, which carries over into the experience of playing it.

Why did they put four wheels vehicles in this Wipeout clone? Who copied the Excite Truck feeling so well? We don't have an answer but Mad Riders is a well conceived racing game, despite the lack of variety in the gameplay and game modes.

Although the game copies-and-pastes track sections into one another to make-up its large track roster, it's still 45 original tracks at the end of the day which will keep you guessing upcoming turns instead of memorizing them.

Speed, great music and tons of content. It's impressive how much Techland is willing to give you for just 800 Microsoft Points. Many other developers wouldn't think twice about releasing this as a full price title.

A good sense of speed but way to easy.

A good Off-Road racing videogame with a great arcade style, astonishing environments and accessible driving.

Overall, Mad Riders is a good - but not great - racing title, and those looking for a new racing experience will feel that this is $10 well spent, despite the omissions and issues.

Mad Riders borrows a little too liberally from other titles to truly have its own identity. What is there, however, is an enjoyable enough arcade racer.

It's an uninspiring distraction from games like Pure and Nail'd. The lack of congruency between the level design and control scheme definitely doesn't help.

Mad Riders features some thrills and excitement but nothing that really demands the attention of gamers.

Mad Riders is not a bad game, just an unfortunate one. Nail'd is now in the bargain bin along with some of the older MX vs. ATV games, and they are much better. This feels like a stripped down version of Nail'd and one that is not nearly as entertaining. The lack of diversity and progression are disappointing, and the stiff controls don't lend themselves well to this type of game. If you want an off-road racer for your console, there are a lot of other, better choices out there.