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Rainbow Studios and published by THQ Nordic released the most recent licensed Monster Truck game on PC, Xbox and Playstation. This is the first Monster Jam game since Monster Jam: Path of Destruction that came out back in 2010 almost ten years ago. So after nine years since the last game does this new one bring the best Monster Truck game to date?
Gameplay
I guess we should start with the meat of the game, the gameplay. You drive a monster truck and compete in different events ranging from freestyle to multi truck racing with your favorite monster trucks. There is also free roam mode that would be exciting if the game had more to do.
The different game modes.
These different events you can play individually with the quick play option or you can play through a “career” that is more a group of quick play events with stats carrying over and there isn’t really a story or motivation to play career over quick play other then you can unlock stuff. Quick play lets you chose from any event and select whatever track you want and set the settings however you wish and off you go. You also unlock the trucks from career mode there are 25 stock ones and more have been added via DLC. You can also upgrade your truck as you progress through the career but I found it best to just keep upgrading the starting truck unless you have a particular favorite truck you want to use. At the end of the day it’s just a skin for the truck you’re driving and assuming you spend the time to upgrade whatever one you want to use as your main truck the stats are kind of pointless. Furthermore specific events I found either really difficult and would just attempt them but usually fail them like the two wheel event where you have to drive on two wheels to score points. Alternatively the freestyle events that I would watch as a kid are so easy they are a chore. You can get 10 out of 10 by just doing front or back flips and those are not very difficult to even do.
This video sums up my issues with the game nicely. Physics are wonky and front/back flips are to easy.
If you can put up with the limited and repetitive game modes and completely inconsistent difficulty levels for events then you’re left with some less than stellar physics. The trucks feel to unrealistic and not like they are thousands of pounds of machine and metal and more like they are a truck on the moon. At first I felt fooled that the trucks were huge machines and as I played more the wonky physics became more and more apparent. It really ruins the immersions and takes you right out of the experience. It looks like you’re driving a monster truck but it doesn’t feel like you are.
Controls
This I would say are the best aspect of the game given that you are able to have different levels of control including allowing you to control the front wheels with the left joystick and the rear with the right joystick. I was quite happy when I found this out. I however feel that once you learn the advanced controls the game becomes a bit too easy allowing you to do things the AI just can’t.
Graphics and Sound
The game looks decent and by decent I mean there is not a whole lot going on. The damage modeling of panels coming off the trucks are awesome but outside of that its your standard fair. I wasn’t wowed at any point by the visual presentation but also not underwhelmed at any point. I would have loved to see bent tubing and other physical damage to the truck. The ground deformation was okay, the trucks made ruts in the ground and would crunch cars but other objects either in the stadium or on track were solid blocks and were lame. The sounds in the game were alright again nothing that wowed me but they were not damaging to the overall experience.
Final thoughts
I’m not too impressed with this title. As someone who has some understanding of the both technical driver skill involved and the mass of these machines and having that represented so poorly in the game really left me wondering. I would say the too sum up this game it looks like you’re playing a monster truck game but it does not feel like you are. With other non licensed monster truck games you’re really just paying for the trucks and likenesses and I don’t really think that’s enough to warrant the game not to mention they are solely adding just trucks and no more tracks currently as DLC. I’d say to wait for this to be on sale but even then it is so limited in content and things to do I’d almost skip it unless you MUST have a licensed monster truck game.
Disclaimer: This game was provided by the Publisher. We do not have any relationship with Plays.tv we just like their program.
