Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

10 Hours or Less

The Bottom Line:

"Just plain fun"

With all of the emphasis on open-world, go-anywhere-type racers, a game like Pure almost seems destined to get lost in the shuffle. Despite each track having multiple paths, you CAN'T really go too far off the beaten path(s), and there's not much in the way of variety in the actual races themselves: sprint (5 short laps), race (3 longer laps), and freestyle (see how many tricks you can pull until you run out of gas). That's it...at least as far as career mode goes. Nope, not much in the way of variety, and even less in terms of what you can really explore. But just like its well-designed and breathtakingly beautiful tracks go to show, Pure proves that simple can be wonderful indeed.

Everything here is extremely accessible and intuitive, from designing your quads from the frame up (there's a quick-build feature if that's not your thing, and it works just fine...I built every one of my quads using this feature, and all were competent), to pulling off the many tricks to gain boost in races, and points in freestyle. Freestyle is almost a bit TOO simple, due to its very easy controls and in that you don't have to possess that much skill to win...I found that gaining access to the super-stunts (not difficult at all) and finding the right ramp (ensuring you'll have enough air to pull it off and land) will pretty much ensure victories in freestyle races almost to the very highest class...one big combo will also do the trick. As for the races...they're quite a bit of fun and very exciting, though sometimes a little uneven in difficulty (I'd sometimes struggle with a race in a lower class, yet place in first on my first attempt in a higher class, and with the same quad), and sometimes early-on in each race there's a bit too much bumping, as all 16 quads start off incredibly close together. The tracks are truly beautiful and incredibly easy on the eyes, though the color pallette seems a little limited.

If I have any real complaints, it's that, along with the simplicity, the game has a bit of a stipped-down feel...as pretty as the tracks are, there's not that many of them, and it would have been nice if there was more to do than sprint and race, from a pure racing standpoint. It would have been nice if there had been duel-type races, or races against less than 16 opponents on occasion, or lap-elimination races. With only two types of real races (freestyle is a much different beast), repetition does have a way of setting in, and the fact that you WILL see the same tracks repeated thoughout doesn't help. With more race variety and more tracks, this game would have been an easy 9...but even with these faults, this is still an absolute blast, and well-worth enjoying...while it lasts.