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How Metascores Are Calculated
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Afro Samurai
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games. |
From the core founding members of the MX vs. ATV franchise comes the next off-road racing experience: BAJA. Conquer the toughest terrain Mother Nature has to offer and build the ultimate off-road vehicle. Combining the best elements of the real-world sport with the right balance of arcade fun, BAJA transports players to the epic open worlds and unforgiving terrain found at the pinnacle of off-road racing. Stunning visuals, vertical environments, and unpredictable terrain are crossed in over 100 square miles of drive-to-horizon landscape. Master hill-climb, circuit, and rally races to earn career sponsorships on the path to off-road supremacy. Harness the horsepower of elite Trophy Trucks, 4x4’s and Buggies to finally compete in the definitive off-road endurance challenge, the Baja. Supercharged Vehicles: Harness the horsepower of over 40 elite Trophy Trucks, 4x4’s and Buggies across eight varied vehicle classes. Horizontal Racing: Suspension, torque and horsepo wer are perfectly balanced to create the ultimate edge-of-control racing experience. Fine-tune the roar of your off-road machine with over 200 authentic vehicle parts. Power past the competition in 4-player split screen and 8-player online racing. [THQ]
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more... 90
Game Chronicles
Overall, BAJA: Edge of Control is an awesome blend of simulation racing with a bit of arcade. I personally love this title.
 83
GameShark
What’s most impressive is the game’s physics engine.
83
1UP
The best news, though, is that for all its departures from "conventional" racing titles, Baja gives you just as many customization and tweaking options as those games do.
80
Official Xbox Magazine
The refined physics mesh with the superbly slick controls to create and authentically challenging racing experience, chock full of wicked-fast wheeling. [Nov 2008, p.61]
80
Gameplayer
BAJA is a real wolf in sheep’s clothing – a robust, addictive and unique racer that handles better than DiRT and sounds better than Forza disguised as unassuming release schedule filler. It even supports up to four-player split-screen, which is great considering split-screen of any type is a real rarity these days. It’ll probably vanish without a trace, but right now we’re turning off the driving aids and screaming off into the sunset.
80
Game Informer
As a debut title, it's a straight-forward affair. [Dec 2008, p.112]
80
Thunderbolt
It’s a punishing game but rewarding in equal measures, and will draw you in like no other racing game quite has managed so far this generation - bring on BAJA 2: World Tour.
75
Da Gameboyz
Although Baja: Edge of Control is a pretty standard off road racer, it takes enough risks in its gameplay to a make it a very solid title.
75
GameSpot
This ambitious racing game delivers a rewarding off-road experience provided you make it past the initially steep learning curve.
75
XboxAddict
This game really could have been a must have with some more attention to the AI and some polished graphics to appeal to the general mass of gamers that feel graphics are more important than gameplay.
72
Gamers' Temple
I love the long race idea and I sincerely wish other games would give it a shot, but in this game, it just doesn't outweigh the drawbacks.
70
Worth Playing
Baja: Edge of Control takes a few risks in the off-road racing genre and, for the most part, comes out a winner. Making it more of a sim and less of an arcade racer isn't exactly the safest thing that the developers could have done, but the result is a game that treats the sport seriously and gives enthusiasts something else to play when they tire of driving expensive sports cars around asphalt roads.
70
Team Xbox
A racer that is solid at its core, but it does little to make itself stand out in a sea of competent motorsports titles for the Xbox 360. There’s value in Baja: Edge of Control’s premium asking price, but it’s really hard to imagine said value being squeezed out by anyone other than desert or simulation game racing fanatics.
70
GameTrailers
Baja manages to capture the chaos and intensity of off-roading, but the finicky controls undermine the experience.
70
GameSpy
You are almost always riding the finest line between screaming along somewhat stably and totally losing it, and in that sense, Baja succeeds tremendously. Those kinds of stakes may not appeal to everyone, however, and the majority of people who tend to like finishing races may not need all of the incredible realism that an intense sim like Baja has to offer.
69
IGN
At times, it’s an edge-of your seat experience that gives you a sense of accomplishment for sliding across the finish line in one piece. Other times, it’s a confounding mix of erratic handling, insane difficulty and drab repetition.
68
My Gamer
With the wealth of tweaking options, the high learning curve, and the dominating AI, Baja: Edge of Control is a game that only hardcore fans can truly sink their teeth into.
66
GameFocus
The game concept holds enormous potential and brings a rare realism to the off-road genre, but it requires a few tweaks to the gameplay, and a more elaborate career mode.
62
Games Master UK
An ambitious simulation of off-road racing but it's sadly not as involving as we'd hoped. [Dec 2008, p.78]
61
3DJuegos
Baja is as ambitious and attractive in its proposal, as clumsy and little inspired in its execution. The longest races, main feature of the title, eventually become boring; the adversaries AI is so over the top that it becomes frustrating; and unfortunately the graphical section for the Xbox 360 version is poor.
60
Meristation
The name of the game does great justice with the final result. Baja features a wild control system that doesn´t help to feel like driving. The game tries to go using the dirt track but at the end, it can´ t recover and finish falling down the mountain. While there are some interesting game modes, like the Baja endurance competition, the number of variables that affect our car are just too much for a normal player. The choppy framerate makes the game a bad choice on PS3, while the Xbox 360 version is smoother and much more detailed.
60
X360 Magazine UK
While not doing anything completely wrong, Baja fails to inspire and races tend to descend into lonely, boring slogs to the finish line. Realism doesn’t always make exciting gameplay.
60
GameZone
This game was made for a specific group of hardcore race fans who will dig the hour-long races and in depth customization. Mainstream race fans will be disappointed.
60
EuroGamer
Baja is a fussy racer, held back by twitchy control and incredibly dull design. Truly dedicated fans of the real race, or hardcore racing nuts with vast reserves of patience, may well get something out of it. Most people looking for a grimy, gnarly rock-hopping racer will be quite happy with something like "Pure."
60
Level7.nu
Baja: Edge of Control does have some things going for it. Great handling, great courses and tight racing brings a lot to the table. Unfortunately it lacks the edge it needs to stand out from it's competitors. The attitude is pale, the career mode is way to shallow and somewhere down the road it gets lost in the dust from it's competitors.
60
Armchair Empire
Baja: Edge of Control is a decent off-road racer with a healthy amount of vehicles, tracks, and options to keep racer fans happy, but ultimately it offers nothing that hasn’t been seen or perfected in other racing games, past or present.
52
Cheat Code Central
In the end, it seems like Baja: Edge of Control was trying to please everybody and, in doing so, managed to create an experience that isn't ideal for anyone.
50
Edge Magazine
Players are in danger of slipping in to a meditative trance from sustained focus on the undulating, serpentine ribbon of dirt that their vehicle consumes. Hypnotic, perhaps, but not especially compelling. [Dec 2008, p.93]
50
Gaming Nexus
Baja is an off road racing game in a time where there is an unusual glut of off road racing games on the market.
50
Gaming Age
So while Baja is technically impressive, it's also maddeningly difficult, and easily one of the more frustrating racers I've played recently. The controls are unforgiving, and the vehicle damage is definitely realistic but also provides a huge hurdle for actually enjoying the game.
50
GamePro
Baja aspire to be a simulation, yet it ends up losing its appeal in the process
46
Xbox World 360 Magazine UK
A semi-decent racer hidden behind layers of bad design and presentation. [Christmas 2008, p.72]
40
Official Xbox Magazine UK
Don't be seduced by the trendy soundtrack or gnarly subtitle; there are already too many fantastic racing games fighting for space on the pre-owned racks.
Blue Box gave it an8: |
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