Hands-on with Pure

Ever played Freekstyle? Well, that's a good place to start when trying to imagine Pure. However, in place of motorbikes, this has quad bikes. And they're very fast, too. In fact, speed and excitement are the buzzwords here. This is an arcade game through and through, but the crucial difference between Pure and Freekstyle is that Pure has its roots in the real world.

So you get physics and realistic environments and the like, but you also get the insane airtime and unreal stunts… again, very much like the classic EA Sports BIG games of a few years back.


Above: When you realise how far down the ground is, you'll feel a real burst of adrenaline. This is extreme stuff

From our short time with the PS3 version of the game, it looks like Pure has succeeded in ensuring it gets the basics right. Races are fast, the feeling of being not quite in control of your vehicle as it skips over the bumpy surface of the track down the side of a mountain is sublime and the draw distance is 20-30km. And they're not kidding. Jump off the top of a mountain and the whole valley is rendered, complete with more mountains in the background. These 'Vertigo Rush Moments' are the game's biggest selling point and they really do impress.


Above: "Hey - I can see my house from here!" We still love Hot Shots

Justin Towell

Justin was a GamesRadar staffer for 10 years but is now a freelancer, musician and videographer. He's big on retro, Sega and racing games (especially retro Sega racing games) and currently also writes for Play Magazine, Traxion.gg, PC Gamer and TopTenReviews, as well as running his own YouTube channel. Having learned to love all platforms equally after Sega left the hardware industry (sniff), his favourite games include Christmas NiGHTS into Dreams, Zelda BotW, Sea of Thieves, Sega Rally Championship and Treasure Island Dizzy.