ATV Offroad Fury

ATV Offroad Fury was one of the most popular launch titles for the PlayStation 2, introducing players to its take on off-road ATV racing with an emphasis on physics, jumps and environmental destruction. The game offered a wide selection of tracks set in varied landscapes - desert, mountains, forests and coastal areas - and players could choose from dozens of ATVs with different power, weight and handling suited to different riding styles.

The gameplay was built on a combination of classic racing and a free-roam mode that allowed players to explore large open maps outside of structured races, searching for hidden areas or performing stunt jumps for bonus points. The career mode gradually unlocked new tracks and vehicles based on race results, giving the game a clear sense of progression and rewarding players for improving skills. The physics system emphasized leaning and balancing the rider in the air during jumps, giving the game a distinct, tangible feel compared to ordinary car racing games of the time. The graphics, with dynamic terrain, ground deformation and visible tire tracks, were among the technically ambitious features on the still-young new console at the time of release.

The game received very positive reviews, especially for its scope of content, fair difficulty and sense of freedom when riding across open terrain, and became the foundation of a long-running, successful series with several sequels on PlayStation 2. A split-screen multiplayer mode for several players further extended the game's lifespan and was a popular reason players returned to it even after completing the main tournament. ATV Offroad Fury is still remembered today as one of the titles that helped define the early years of the PlayStation 2 as a console with a rich offering of racing entertainment for a broad audience, from arcade players to those looking for more realistic off-road physics.

Why play it: For players looking for an open off-road race with fair difficulty and rich split-screen multiplayer, this is one of the titles that defined the early years of the PlayStation 2.