Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 Review

I like to ride my bicycle…

Now that the Xtreme sports genre is officially here to stay, just about every

game company on the planet has cranked out a title. Some have been decent, while

others would make good carpet lining for your new puppy. When a particular theme

becomes popular (i.e. the survival horror mess that Resident Evil made),

fans hope that something new will be brought to the table.

Though

it doesn’t really change the core gameplay, Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2

for the Xbox delivers where its PS2 counterpart failed and is a solid addition

to the growing Xbox library of ports.

The most noticeable improvement in the Xbox version lies in the graphics.

Compared to the PS2, it’s simply a night and day difference. Where the PS2 predecessor

suffered from anti-aliasing problems and pop-up, the Xbox version is smooth

and crisp. Dropped frames are hard to come by and the overall look is much more

polished. I mean, it’s no Halo, but it’s no

slouch.

Dave Mirra 2 features 14 playable characters and spans 10 enormous

levels, two more than the PS2 version. Each player begins with a low-end bike,

best suited for beginners. As challenges are completed, better bikes are unlocked.

Once you’ve chosen your bike, it’s time to hit the tracks.

Like just about every other extreme sports game on the planet, you perform

various tricks to score points. There’s a long list of moves at your disposal;

actually, the game boasts over 1,500. However, the trick system takes some getting

used to, as the Xbox controller is ill suited for this style of game. You have

to first hold down the A button to charge, release to jump, tap a combination

on the digital pad, and finally press X to actually do the trick, all the while

holding L or R to rotate your character. Doing this within a few seconds takes

some practice and will certainly prove frustrating for some gamers.

Things are made easier by somewhat floaty physics, though this is an area that

could use a little work.

In order to open other levels, you must gain ‘respect’ points from the other

bikers, which basically amounts to fulfilling level objectives just like in

any other game. You ride through the area, find a particular biker, and he/she

presents you with a challenge. Once completed, you gain respect points from

that biker. If only it were that easy in real life…

The challenges are broken up into different difficulty levels. Once you complete the amateur challenges, you still have to do the pro challenges to earn enough respect points to unlock the next stage.

Unfortunately, the challenges are somewhat uneven. The first level asks that

you obtain at least 25ft of air in a jump, perform a transfer from one jump

to another, knock down at least four ladders…what the hell? Knock down four

ladders? Do I have to pick ’em up again?

Games

in this genre tend to have small levels, giving you the opportunity to quickly

memorize awesome jumps and combo spots. Dave Mirra 2, however, features

enormous levels. You’ll often wander around trying to find a specific cool jump.

It can be a little tiring, but the size of the levels allows for a good variety

of tricks since there is so much to do in each stage. The game certainly has

a decent shelf life.

If you’re not up to completing all of the aforementioned challenges presented

in the Proquest mode, Dave Mirra 2 features other game types. Session

mode allows you to test your skills against other riders, while Free Ride is

basically practice. The robust Multiplayer provides 13 different turn-based

contests, such as H-O-R-S-E, High Score, and even an interesting Wipeout mode

that rates you based on the quality of your crashing.

The game also comes packed with a level editor, which lets you build your

own park to test your skills in creativity as well as on the bike. It’s fine

and should work well for the die-hard designer.

There’s a wide variety of music ranging from rock to hip-hop, but thanks to

the Xbox, you can always load music from your hard drive. So go ahead and nab

your dad’s Best of Polka CD, rip it to your hard drive, and enjoy it while playing

the game.

Dave Mirra 2 is very deep for an Xtreme game. The level sizes, moves

list, and challenges are extremely expansive. If you decide to give this one

a try, be prepared to spend a lot of time with it. It’s a pretty fun ride.