Amazon.co.uk Review
Tired of snow and skateboards in your search for extreme-sports entertainment on the PlayStation 2? Then why not switch to a (slightly) more conventional form of transport--the BMX bike--with
Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2? Mr Mirra--the Tony Hawk of the bicycle world--and a host of his professional chums have given their names and likenesses to a game which manages to be extremely tricky and highly entertaining, offering eight unique parks to play in and more than 1500 different tricks to master. It has to be said that the learning curve is quite steep during the first hour or so of play. Tricks fail constantly due to the way the bike handles and though the courses are fairly wild affairs with plenty of opportunities for stunts, many seem impossible to achieve.
Stick with it, however, and what you have is a graphically wonderful action-fest that borrows the best bits from Tony Hawk's and SSX and combines them to produce a competent game that cheerfully fills a rainy winter afternoon. The soundtrack is among the best for the PlayStation 2--there's no techno-rubbish here, just steady metal from the likes of GodSmack, Ozzy and The Cult. Graphically, there are some nice touches: the playing environments are large and well designed and there's no clipping. If there's one thing that spoils the overall look it's the fact that the riders have pale, lifeless faces which make them look like extras from Dawn of the Dead.
Overall, Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 has a lot going for it; it's not as fast paced as SSX and it doesn't have the instant appeal of Tony Hawk's, but it's certainly chock full of quality entertainment. --Chris Russell
Product Description
Customisation is key in
Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2. While you still can ride as pros Dave Mirra, Ryan Nyquist, or others, players also can create their own rider, choose their own sponsors, and even design their own park. As you progress through the game, your custom rider may even get a chance to unseat Mirra himself as king of the BMX hill.
Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 supports up to 12 riders and features 10 multiplayer games, including a bikathon com petition. Eight game levels are added in this release, and they're four times beefier than before. You can race through a total of 11 levels in this edition. The game is complete with integrated traffic, featuring moving cars, trains, trucks, even riders and pedestrians.
Its open trick system is the biggest yet, with more than 1,500 tricks and signature moves, many motion-captured from Mirra himself. A fitting soundtrack accompanies the game, including cuts from Ozzy Osbourne, Methods of Mayhem, the Cult, Godsmack, and others.
