The buzz: Who knew that zipping around upon four-wheelers had such broad appeal? Sony has managed to transform its seemingly niche ATV series into a substantial hit.

The buzz: Who knew that zipping around upon four-wheelers had such broad appeal? Sony has managed to transform its seemingly niche ATV series into a substantial hit, creating a colossal fan base from packing a playable demo with each PS2 Network Adaptor (and the replete game with PS2 console/Adaptor bundles)

We didn’t look for new developer Climax to mes with succes yet this third offering dares to be different—looser hinder more powerslides, and a deeper trick body (think Tony Hawk–style reverts) give the gameplay a distinctly more arcadey be moved Don’t expect major changes to the well-regarded online play, though: You’ll still be able to gain all muddy with your sprouts on the Net.

What could travel wrong? With a new developer and any noticeably reworked gameplay, ATV3 might strike die-hard fans as too abundant of a departure from the established norm.

Copyright ?© 2004 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserv Originally appearing in Electronic Gaming Monthly