What do you get when you mix BMX, a console, and a reviewer? Not much unless you are playing a BMX videogame.

The extreme sports genre has exploded since the arrival of the first Tony Hawk game and now almost every publisher is trying to cash in on the experience. Although all of the games haven't done so well, some have almost reached the status of the Tony Hawk franchise. Accliam now delivers Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2, the sequel to the game that showed that "extreme sports" is more than just skateboarding.

The visuals in this game are absolutely great. All of the levels have great high-resolution textures and the levels are simply massive. One of the perks for picking up the Xbox version was the high-resolution and a few added levels, and this game greatly benefited from the upgrade. Each of the levels features something happening at the same time that you are there. In the first level there are numerous bikers doing tricks and you can even talk to some of them. In the Subway level there is a working train moving along the grind-able tracks. These things help the game feel more like a living breathing world.

While the environments look great, the game takes a hit visually with its character models. All of the people look like they are 2D cut outs and have no emotion to them at all. The bikes on the other hand look as real as they could get in a videogame and don't look right when the bikers are on them.

The draw distance in the game is very good considering how enormous the levels really are. You can see everything in the level as you are riding it, except for the other bikers. Sometimes you may find them coming out of nowhere (kind of like in real life) which is a bit scary considering that you are riding, minding your own business and all of a sudden you are hit by another bike.

The control in this game is a mixed bag of good and bad. When you first plug in the game you will be thrown off by the game's approach with the controls, especially if you are used to playing Tony Hawk games. Although the trick system is very good, all you have to do is push a button and a direction on the left analog stick and you are off. This limits the amount of tricks you can do though. You have about 8 or 9 different tricks and grinds that are really hard to do because of the imprecise D-Pad. So more often then not, you will be stuck doing the same trick about ten times in a row. In a nutshell, the control system is both limited and easy to use.

Moving you character is pretty clumsy and imprecise. When you are trying to get started, sometimes you will find yourself bumping into many walls and getting knocked off your bike. This is very annoying and you can end up not fulfilling one of the many objectives because of this. Also when you are riding it is ether all or nothing, there is no in between. This can also become annoying when you are trying to get something that is hard to reach. If the control was fixed then the game would be a much more pleasant experience.

The many objectives you have to do in each level range from really easy to really hard. After a while the hard ones are way too hard to do and get really repetitive. After the fifth level you may find yourself get bored with the game and quit.

What will keep you coming back though is the park editor. One word: massive. One more: huge. This is easily one of the best features of the game. A lot of attention to detail was spent here.

The multiplayer function is far too expansive for its own good. There are over 10 different things that you can do, and half of them aren't even important or fun. Some of the better ones are Best Of Five, Best Trick and B-M-X (kind of like HORSE). The multiplayer modes only feature one run at a time, so you can't both compete at the same time. That's right, no split screen. It gets pretty boring watching the other person play for three minutes. The multiplayer option seems as if it is only there to be there, without a lot of care put into it.

Some of the lesser multiplayer options include Best Fall and Longest Grind. Who wants to watch somebody get a long grind over and over?

The sound track for the game is really good featuring tracks from such bands as Fenix TX and Sum 41, and the fact that these tracks are actually good is absolutly shocking. Most games, including Tony Hawk have only used second-rate tracks but Dave Mirra uses the hits, a refreshingly good change of pace. You can even use your own tracks, which isn't really necessary because the tracks on the game are good enough already.

The sound effects are typical bike noises and grunts of pain when your biker falls on his face (or other body parts). All in all the sound effects are what you would come to expect from a game like this.

Adam Westenburger
Ran into one too many poles in the construction site.

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