Throughout the years, I have been given the opportunity to play the different evolutions of ATV: Wild Ride. The most recent version, which takes the game into the 3D realm, stands on its own.

Even though Wild Ride 3D is just an advancement of the DS version, it still seems like its very own game. Wild Ride 3D offers most of the same levels, but bolsters better graphics and controls. The addition of the circle pad feels more natural than the D-pad on the DS. Even the ATV controls feel like they received a tweak or two, which makes the game controls better overall. The controls do seem a little weird at first, but one can quickly become comfortable with them. The game graphics have been revamped to show smoother, crisper edges as well as the sound enhanced to optimize the 3DS speakers.

Something I have always loved about Renegade Kid games is the sound design. Every sound you would expect to be in a ATV racing games is there and done well. But, what makes the game really stand out, and feel like an old school arcade racing game, is the music. The songs that are played are by Renegade Kid’s own, Gregg Hargrove, in the band “Swift Justice and the Hired Goons.”

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ATV Wild Ride 3D is one of the only eShop games that offers local multiplayer and online multiplayer. The multiplayer mode offers the ability to play quick races with up to 4 players local and throughout the interwebs.

The game’s single player offers a few different options. The single player offers 24 tracks spanning USA, Thailand, England, Russia, Canada and Mexico. The game also offers four different game modes; World Tour, quick race, time trial, and my favorite, freestyle. In freestyle, the goal is to score as many points as possible by doing tricks. Tricks are performed by holding down the L or R button while going off jumps and using the circle pad, in different directions, to perform your aerial radness. For someone who grew up not caring about winning in racing games, but performing the coolest tricks, the freestyle game mode is a nice break from the grind of circuit racing.

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There is a lot of good in ATV Wild Ride, but if I had to pick on a negative, it would have to deal with the game collision mechanics. Maybe it has to do with something about being a DS game or a problem with the porting, but the game seems to be flawed when deciding that a solid object is…well a solid object. There were a few times that an object would not act like an object, letting me pass right through it, or a delay would occur where I found myself falling off my bike while safely in the middle of the path.

For me, these little issues of physics are not that big of a deal. ATV Wild Ride 3D has the feel of a high-speed 90’s arcade racing game. Those 90’s kids may remember that little glitches, like these, are what make a game fun. Compared to the more sophisticated racing games of the day, the glitches of ATV Wild Ride 3D could come across as annoying.

For a $7.99 eShop game, ATV Wild Ride 3D offers a lot of game value. With the ability to play local and online multiplayer and with all the different game modes, one can easily get their money’s worth.