NIDZUMI+

In my mind Pure has been disregarded as another one of those ATV games that doesn’t inspire to much. So it was with great cynicism when the demo hit the marketplace last week. Not only was Pure one of those ATV games it has also albeit to a small degree, slipped under the radar so far. So in my mind an apology should be served as not only does Pure have an exciting premise but it also has graphics that are nothing short of phenomenal.

The basic premise is that you race ATV’s over massive jumps while performing outlandish tricks and stunts over them. This in it’s self is nothing new but the truth is that it’s hard to recall the last time this was done well. The vehicles do have weight to them but feel arcadey while flying over over exaggerated jumps. These jumps provide the perfect place to pull off a large verity of tricks the game offers.

The stunt system is surprisingly complex while remaining easy to understand and most importantly easy to use. Your boost bar is spilt into 3 levels and if you have enough boost to fill a level you’ll get access to another set of tricks. These tricks are spilt up simply by the face buttons and the bumpers. So for example a third of the bar means you can pull tricks by using the B button and two thirds means you can use the X button. The tricks on display are more advanced the higher level they are and thus become harder to perform. This might sound confusing but it’s incredibly easy to pick up and play.

Another interesting aspect about the control system is the way you get higher air from jumps. As you approach a jump you can pull back on the analog stick then when your about to go airborne you can flick the stick forward to get heightened air. This works astoundingly well and helps in giving the user a better sense of control while approaching a jump.

To unnecessarily cut the game short I will draw comparisons to Motorstorm. To be honest this game actually has more in common with SSX instead of Motorstorm but it’s easy to see that the team at Black Rock have taken a few of the ideas seen in the Playstation exclusive. The idea of multiple paths long massive rock ridges has been perfected in Pure or at least the track available in the demo is. The concept of different routes should make you want to explore but it has never really been exploited as well in other games. The amount of jumps and shortcuts on offer should be enough to extend the longevity of the game.

Despite being have a simple premise, Pure does a brilliant job of the concept. Pure has graphics that will blow you away, a bloodpumping soundtrack, a great sense of control and an interesting enough of control scheme that will keep you coming back. Although it must be stressed these are early impressions from the short demo and it’s not certain how well the game will hold up in the long term. But even if the buzz doesn’t last long, when it’s this good, who cares?