The game also lets you engage in standard races outside of the career mode, though a large number of the tracks and vehicles need to be ‘unlocked’ in career mode first. You also get multiplayer action over Xbox Live/PSN, System Link, and Split-screen protocols, though there’s also a unique curiosity in the form of a “Panorama” mode – this lets you connect three consoles with three separate screens together to form the “ultimate Baja experience”. Sadly I wasn’t able to meet the requirements to give this a spin, but I picture retailers with excess copies of the game and hardware lying around will get some awesome use out of this mode.

There aren’t that many complaints I have about Baja, but there are still a few bones I have to pick with the game. One thing in particular that stood out was the suspicious absence of a replay feature. I get the feeling this was probably left out more due to a lack of time than a lack of interest (given all the effort that was put into the other parts of the game), but it’s still a bit disappointing not being able to replay some of my best (and worst) races. You also cannot check out a preview of a given course’s layout prior to committing to a race, meaning each new track is pretty much a blind attack. The interface is a sluggish, as well– it’s not terrible, but I had some problems getting into multiplayer matches at first because of how long it takes to scroll through the game’s large vehicle selection, and because you can only do it during the match warm-up face (which gives you about 30 seconds to choose a ride before you’re defaulted into spectator mode for the entire race).

Despite these problems, I still see Baja: Edge of Control as one of the best off-road racing titles in my collection. Maybe it’s just that my desire for racing games has been hyped up by the new season of Top Gear, but all I feel the blissful moments that can be had in this game when you pull off the perfect turn around a tight bend (or fly off the edge of a cliff at a bad angle and go tumbling down a hill with parts flying in all directions) make the investment more than worth it.

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