Baja: Edge of Control

Posted 4 years ago By - Jeffrey Lansing

Baja Edge of Control sees the THQ team put the pedal to the metal on a very realistic off-road racer. THQ isn’t unfamiliar with the off-road genre, having published the popular "MX" franchise. Edge of Control won’t have you on the edge of your seat, despite making a solid attempt to live up to the Baja name and reputation. Here’s our review:


The second you put your foot on the gas pedal, (or in this case, your index on the trigger button) it doesn’t take long to figure out this is a truly unique racing game. The extremely unavoidable bumpy terrain on all tracks makes other off-road racing games feel like a stroller ride through the park. The realistic environments are so rough at times it can be a serious challenge to keep your vehicle going in a straight line. But that’s part of the fun with Baja Edge of Control.

Going straight is just part of the games steep learning curve. Hitting turns presents the biggest challenge but once mastered, it’s a lot of fun. The game let’s you use the hand-brake to send you drifting through corners. To come out of the corners with speed, you need to use the clutch to rev your engine giving you a very satisfying mini boost. The use of the clutch is a nice feature, but not always necessary. On most sharp turns there are berms which allow you to keep your foot on the gas. Another fun aspect of the game is the jumps. On a lot of the races, you get the sense that you spend most of the time in the air, as opposed to on the ground. You have unrealistic control of the vehicle in the air, but it’s very helpful for making a solid landing.

A major aspect of this game, especially on long rally or Baja races, is the damage to your vehicle. Damage occurs by hitting other cars or trucks, running into trees or boulders, or by landing poorly off a huge jump. Not all crashes are realistic, but seeing a truck tumble down a mountain is definitely jaw-dropping. A lot of the damage is cosmetic with side panels flying, and doors swinging freely. But on long races, damage to a number of things like your oil pan, tires, and suspension, can impact the performance of your vehicle. Repairing the damage in game is possible, by making a pit stop at a service station, and if they’re not available, you can summon a helicopter, and make repairs in a matter of seconds.

The AI in Edge of Control makes the game very challenging, even on the easy level. Sure some drivers screw up, and go for an entertaining tumble, but the racer that leads the pack often runs a perfect race. At the same time, if you accidentally fall off a cliff, and find yourself way behind, your opponents seem to slow down to give you a chance to catch up. A particular nuisance with the game is the ease at which you engage with other vehicles. The first turn I took in the game, I locked tires with another car, and we screeched to a halt until we were able to separate. It’s frustrating, because knocking other cars into trees or off cliffs would be so much fun, yet you find yourself avoiding contact at all cost.


The game does a fine job of giving you a vast array of track selection. There are nine environments available, with several tracks in each one. Rarely do you find yourself recognizing turns or scenery. Edge of Control also has a great selection of cars, which range from old VW buggies, to 4x4 SUV’s. The one thing it’s missing is performance rankings for each vehicle.

The game falls short when it comes to play modes. The simple race mode allows you to compete in six different types of races, which include circuit, rally, hill climb, open class, Baja, and free ride. Hill climb for me was the most exciting. It’ll have you going up ridiculously steep mountains, and then back down again, which leads to the most insane crashes you’ll see (fun if it’s the opponent, not so fun if it’s you). The Baja race mode is what this game is named after, and it brings a new element to the off-road racing genre. It is broken down into three choices based on their length in miles, the Baja 250, 500, or the grand-daddy of grueling off-road races, the Baja 1000. Patience is a virtue with these races, because they can take anywhere from one to three hours to complete. Multiplayer simply puts you on the starting line with three of your friends. Multiplayer online options are limited, and not very user friendly, offering very few games to choose from. The free ride mode also deserves a mention. I played that online, and just went for a drive in the mountains with a Jeep Wrangler. It’s fun to get some speed on the mountain tops to create some of the messiest crashes you could ever imagine.

The main attraction of Edge of Control is the Baja Career mode. You start with the slowest vehicle type, and move your way up through the 9 different categories of vehicles by joining leagues, and earning experience points. Doing well in the races also helps you earn cash(or what they like to call credits) which allows you to upgrade the performance of your vehicle, or even buy a new one. It’s a good concept, unfortunately it doesn’t require any strategy. Basically, if you have enough money, you can max-out every performance attribute. It would’ve been nice to force players to choose handling over horsepower, or vice-versa. Winning leagues isn’t rewarding at all, and you develop no sense of competition, as your opponents are different in every league. Despite good depth with a lot of tracks and vehicles to choose from, Baja Career lacks a number of key components.


Visuals in Edge of Control are relatively good, but they won’t make you say "wow". The landscapes are diverse and provide good attention to detail. An interesting (and surprising) thing is wildlife in the game. Every race you’ll see a little rabbit(or five) scamper across the track. The first time it happened, I ran right over it, but fortunately for little bunny lovers out there "Bugs" doesn’t become roadkill. On top of the rabbits, you’ll find a flock of birds sitting on the track that fly away, and I also saw what appeared to be a pig running down the racetrack(also very surprising). The vehicles look really good, and flat tires and the smoke from under the hood add a realistic touch. If you don’t get motion sickness, try out the first person view. It’s shaky and harder to see the track but very impressive with an increased sense of speed.

The in game sound effects and noise meet expectations. However three races in, tired of listening to the revving engine, I opted to play music during the races. The in game tunes brings a hard rock vibe, which fit the game well. The hard rock is in sharp contrast to the Mexican menu music that makes you feel like Zorro has dropped his swordsmanship, and decided to get into off-road racing.

If Edge of Control was rated on how many tracks and cars there are, then it would be worth every penny. Unfortunately, it’s a video game, and the game modes leaves too much to be desired to give it a high replay value. With mainstream sports titles getting increasingly elaborate, and with racing games like the "Need for Speed" franchise offering a lot of depth, Edge of Control just leaves you wishing for more to suck you in and get you addicted to this game, something it doesn’t accomplish. The Baja Career is the main focus, and does some things well, but other things very poorly, and in the end that’s why the value isn’t that high.


The game intro is a real eye opener, showing real clips of drivers tackling tough terrain, hitting jumps and smashing up their vehicles to bits. Unfortunately that’s as exciting as this game gets. The game has great potential, is unique, enjoyable, and does a great job of tackling the Baja style of off-road racing. Unfortunately the game modes, including online multiplayer, leave a lot to be desired. It’s worth a look if you’re a fan of the Baja 1000, or simply enjoy off-road racing games, but aside from that there’s no reason to race out and play it.

The game concept holds enormous potential and brings a rare realism to the off-road genre, but it requires a few tweaks to the gameplay, and a more elaborate career mode.

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