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7 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Arcade Racing Fun, but Misses the Feel of Monster TrucksAug 06, 2008
By D. R. Jeanclerc
"Reader, Listener & Obsessive Observer"
Monster Jam would have been a better game had it stuck with just being a good arcade-style racer. It has lots of varied tracks, each with lots of interest: destructible elements, wacky stunt jump points, hidden shortcuts, etc. When you're in a full-field race against other monster trucks, the racing is a lot of fun. You'll be bouncing off of other trucks, flying through the air, and crashing through every imaginable object (buildings, boats, parked airplanes, and even the space shuttle!) from the initial green light. Computer AI is pretty slow, so you'll have every opportunity to enjoy your fill of mayhem and then still use some hidden shortcuts to catch back up again. I once won a race flipped upside down riding on the hood of another truck. This amount of unpredictability gives it a decent replay value as an arcade racer; however, it also doesn't distinguish itself from any of the other titles that do the same (and do it better, e.g. the Burnout series).
So the developers tried to pump up the monster truck feel by adding game modes that mimic actual Monster Jam events (I'm guessing - I swear that I've never attended or even seen one of these things!). Unfortunately, this half of the game is where it falls really short. The freestyle events, where you must perform tricks like crushing cars, jumping buses and popping wheelies before an arena audience, are a real chore. The trick is to maximize the judges' scores by stringing together tricks one right after the other. Easier said than done. And the scores seem very arbitrary - you may think that you did pretty well and then you get a low score but also no real feedback on why. So, you don't really ever know how to do any better and these events become sticking points in the career championship mode. There is also a one-on-one stadium racing mode where you and another truck race for the best time through an obstacle course on the arena floor. Unfortunately, the course design is atrocious and oftentimes you get lost among all of the barrels, barricades and flags while your flawless opponent zips through. This mode would benefit greatly from an overhead map of the course in the corner of the heads-up, but there is none.
Finally, there is no online multiplayer capability or any Xbox Live support at all. In 2008, this is simply unacceptable for any game.
PROS
* Well-designed race courses with lots of destructible elements and hidden shortcuts
* Easily-reachable achievements if that's your thing
CONS
* Freestyle and stadium events are the least enjoyable parts of the game
* No online multiplayer or XBL support at all
* Announcer voice acting is annoying after a very short time
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Monster Jam Rocks!Jan 30, 2011
By S. Bizier
"Martismom"
I purchased this game for my 4 year old son because he's addicted to watching Monster Jam on tv. He loves the fact that he can "drive" his favorite monster truck and make it do the stunts he sees on television. Fun game!
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Monster JamJul 12, 2010
By Josh I just recently got a 360 and got this game. I had this game for the PS2 and didnt like it too much. When I first played this game for the 360 I was pleasantly surprised. The trucks in the PS2 version did not have a glossy look to them but in the 360 they do. Every truck in the PS2 version sounded like crap and they all sounded the same but in the 360 version the trucks sound different and they all sound good. In the 360 version your truck gets dirty but in the PS2 version you truck stays clean. All the outdoor events have a much different landscape and there are more things to smash in the 360. In the PS2 outdoor races there are only four trucks racing but in the 360 version there are six. The championship race in the 360 is much different aswell. The PS2 version had you redo the first race instead of combining the tracks from that particular series like the 360 version. Some of the freestyle floors have more things to crush or smash aswell. Overall the 360 version is way more fun and enjoyable.
2 of 3 found the following review helpful:
cool gameJun 03, 2009
By Rhonda Sherron
"snakelady"
This is a really fun game. I'm 45 and I love it. My kids do as well. I recommend it to anyone.
GoodJan 25, 2012
By tim This game was okay. The monsters are nice and theres a good variety of them. the tracks are nice too. i just thought they could of done more.
based on 11 reviews
( 11 customer reviews )
