Rider Reflex is the backbone of control and offers players side-to-side movement of the rider’s body in addition to the usual forward/backward leans. It’s a simple addition that, when combined with the deformable terrain, transforms Reflex into one of the most realistic off-road racing games to date (ATVs and anomalies of physics aside). You can lean into a tight turn without a single pull of the brake, whip your bike out to land in the perfect line, and throw your body sideways to avoid wrecking after a sideswipe. These are all examples of maneuvers that could be mimicked in previous games, but never with such a tangible degree of control.

Reflex boasts an impressive lineup of 41 tracks. They run the gamut of scenic forests and deserts to indoor supercross tracks and the flowing ramps of freestyle. It’s to the designer’s credit that each stands out with unique lines and memorable sections. With a chain of 19 series, each home to multiple races, some amount of repetition is unavoidable. Reflex does a remarkable job of keeping the experience fresh with a variety of race-types. While one round of fishtailing through the sand will be a straight shot to the finish line, another is a game of elimination in which the last rider of each lap is disqualified. Like most modern racing titles, progress is very flexible, allowing you to jump between series and races at will.

Free Ride is the only type of series that I can do without. Each Free Ride map is open to exploration and home to four challenges. You are tasked with a hill climb, hitting targets with your vehicle, and a timed sprint to a checkpoint. Discovery Points drag the whole experience face-first through freshly-fertilized mud. They are golf-flags hidden in the landscape and must be found to get the gold trophy. Close your eyes, flip a quarter into your backyard, and try to find it. How much fun is that?

Despite the sadistic tinge of Free Ride, the A.I. is superbly balanced, and may be the fairest opponent I have faced in a racing game. A competitor will bound over your head, nail jump after jump with perfect rhythm, and, when all seems lost, he’ll catch a rut on a turn and sail over the bank. Like you, the A.I. has moments of flowing precision and embarrassing bails. There are no mysterious speed-boosts or impossible landings. The level of challenge stays consistent from beginning to end, with four difficulty settings that can be changed at any time.

Multiplayer isn’t much different from the main game, and runs smooth without a hint of lag. You can play in different series, such as Freestyle or Waypoint, or kill some time with Tag or Snake – an off-road take on Tron’s light cycles. The main detraction is that the series are set to be played with a full cast of 12 riders continuing from race to race. Everyone goes back to the loading stage if even a single rider drops out. I like the idea of having a small space to tool around in as a lobby, but waiting five minutes between each race gets tiresome quickly.

Reflex feels like everything Untamed was meant to be, albeit with a slight tinge of disappointment. It’s a gorgeous game with great track designs. Deformable terrain and Rider Reflex are both incredible additions to the series, but they are weighed down too heavily by the physics and near-complete uselessness of the ATV. Such aspects keep Reflex from being truly revolutionary, but not from being the best motocross game on Xbox 360.