Pure

E3 2008 Preview

Pure is an off-road racing game that is being developed by Black Rock Studio (formerly known as Climax Racing). Having handled racers in the past, such as Moto GP and ATV Offroad Fury, Pure is the evolution of their racing imagination.

The center of attention for Pure is ATV racing with performing tricks at almost every jump. The better the trick, the more juice you’ll build up to use a speed boost to fly by the competition. The tricks start off with one set only being available, but the more you land tricks, the better the sets you’ll unlock before the end of the race. Also, the tricks are highly dangerous maneuvers that look almost impossible. One of the tricks had the player pushing off the vehicle in mid-air and spinning in a circle as if he was sky diving.

The most eye-catching element of Pure has to be the graphics. The environments that are being built are grand in terms of scale and detail. There are hills and jumps distributed all throughout the levels allowing players to take flight to accomplish those risky tricks that they normally wouldn’t do in other circumstances. While tearing through the levels, players will also notice the foliage added into the level to give it a much more fresh and vibrant feel. Oddly, Pure doesn’t have any licensed tracks and is opting for more exotic locations such as a jungle that includes a volcano.

Beyond the environments, players should see mud being thrown onto the player’s shirt. The characters themselves look great as they’ll lean around corners realistically and react accordingly to what should be happening when a huge trick is pulled off.

No licensed riders have been signed to appear in the game, so gamers will have to make do with the riders that are created for the game. Though, there is good news to cheer about -- gamers will have the chance to create their own ATV down to the very frame. Adding in paint schemes, shocks, and much more, Pure should attract the customization crowd that populates games such as Forza Motorsport 2 and Need for Speed racing.

Black Rock Studio has added in 16 player multiplayer sessions to get a full idea of how intense the game can become when trying to be the first to cross the finish line. Both the PS3 and Xbox 360 version will support online capabilities.

For all those gamers in the world who have vertigo, I’d advise you to look elsewhere for your racing fix because Pure is going to deliver the most massive jumps in any off-road game on the next-generation video game. Pure releases on September 16 on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

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