Freebie Feelers... Monster Jam Battlegrounds

Freebie Feelers is a series where we download the free monthly console-specific or newly released free-to-play games to test their worth. This series will contain some useful information as well as plenty of personal opinion. While these articles may not be reviews, we hope that you will be able to use them to help decide whether that free download is worth it.

This time round, I’ll be feeling up the smooth curves and glossy exterior of some monster trucks in this sort-of-but-not-quite-racing game, which is currently available on the PS3 as part of the PS Plus line-up.

What is it?

Monster Jam: Battlegrounds is part racing game, part stunt simulator. Essentially it’s a bit like Trials in 3D and on four wheels. Four massive wheels mind, as this is an officially licensed game of the touring show that comes to large fields in most major towns and cities on a regular basis. You’ll be tackling races over dangerous terrain, jumping and performing stunts, as well as falling on your back an awful lot.

What did you think?

This game was actually quite fun for the time I spent playing it, and I do plan on getting the PS3 controllers out again to play some more later. But quite honestly, this is a poorly created game. The graphics are below par even for a last-gen game, the music is irritating, and there’s very little challenge to be found. As an example, on the first track I landed on my roof twice and still got a “perfect score” result at the end of it. Don’t get me wrong, I didn’t expect Dark Souls, but this is easier than playing Operation with a Parkinson’s sufferer.

It’s got a physics engine that’s just slightly better than the one in Big Rigs Over the Road Racing though and there’s no bearing on the real world. You can steer in mid air for heaven’s sake. That makes sense in Trials as you can shift your weight mid-air on a bike, but when you’re lurching forwards and backwards in a vehicle that weighs four or five metric tonnes, the suspension of disbelief gets tested a little bit.

Is it worth downloading?

Monster Jam Battlegrounds feels like it was created by a bunch of toddlers with crayons and an Etch-a-Sketch. Nonetheless, it’s silly, bombastic fun, even if it isn’t very well created. It’s not the kind of game that you’ll come back to, but it’s an easy platinum, and what else are you gonna play in October on your PS3? It’s not like all the big games are coming out ready for Christmas or something...