Ever experienced the close up roar and destruction of monster trucks? Monster Jam is a tour that takes place throughout the year across North America and showcases the orchestrated mayhem (monsterjam.com). I had my first initiation into the event at the Monster Jam in Miami’s Sun Life Stadium this past weekend. Having previously played the recent Monster Jam: Path of Destruction (available for PS3, Xbox 360, Wii), the game piqued my curiosity as to how it compared to the real life event. Most of my gameplay driving and racing experiences either involved speedy arcade racers, cute kart racers, and the occasional simulation racer (when I can bear its unforgiving nature). Monster Jam: Path of Destruction is clearly yet another breed in the driving and racing genre, as my kart racing drifting skills or overly excited accelerator finger would not work in the Monster Jam game. Monster Jam: Path of Destruction calls for a whole different bag of driving tactics. What better way to learn than from observing the pros?
The live Monster Jam event proved even the pros had a challenge controlling the hefty beasts. Arena matches include two race types: Stadium Races (see video here versus gameplay here) and Freestyle competitions (see video here versus gameplay here). Both of those competition types are found in Monster Jam: Path of Destruction. Stadium Races are quick bursts of single laps, which end within seconds. The key is not to oversteer or hit any obstacles or the monster truck will flip, as it tends to do quite often (demonstrated here in this video of Grave Digger’s short Stadium Race run). Freestyle events showcase the destructive power of the monster trucks and tricks such as the cyclone maneuver (see this video here). In the Freestyle event, players will need to execute plenty of flips, barrel rolls, wheelies and more. Path of Destruction definitely made this look easier than it was to pull of in the live event (see what happened to the monster truck Mopar Magic in this video here). Some monster trucks, like the Backdraft, were completely crippled before starting a Freestyle event. In game, however, players are likely to have many rollovers.
In addition to the Monster Jam live arena events, the game offers a few more game types: Circuit Race, Time Crunch, Gate Rush and Team Race. Circuit Race is similar to rally racing, which takes players inside and outside of stadiums (see a gameplay video here). Time Crunch challenges the player to lap around a track while hitting Monster Jam logos to add time. Gate Rush is similar to Time Crunch, but it takes place in a freestyle arena (see a Gate Rush gameplay video here). Team Race allows players to partner up with another monster truck and compete against another team to the finish line.
Monster Jam: Path of Destruction is a game that puts you in the pit of the Monster Jam event. The pros sometimes lost control of their beasts, as will happen to players of the game. Calculated steering controls and resisting the temptation of full throttle had its rewards. Trophies/Achievements are steadily won in the game, but there still are a few tough ones. Monster truck champions are included in Monster Jam: Path of Destruction (see Monster Mutt cutscene here), so fans can unlock their favorites. Players can also trick out their own monster truck with a variety of truck bodies, paint jobs, wild ornaments (tails and UFOs included) and plenty of patterns and decals. More accessories are unlocked as the player gains experience points in the game. Multiplayer allows players to complete with friends in 2-player split-screen matches (Freestyle, Stadium Racing, Circuit Race and Team Race). Monster Jam: Path of Destruction is a different breed of racing and driving game. If you’re looking for a unique racing experience or want to enjoy some of the mayhem of the Monster Jam event, give Monster Jam: Path of Destruction a go.
For more details on Monster Jam: Path of Destruction, visit the official website at monsterjam.com/videogame.
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Thanks to Sandbox Strategies for making the Monster Jam event and gameplay possible!
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