Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2

"A mediocre imitation of Tony Hawk."

For the last few years, extreme stunt sport games have done well. The first game in this genre to really do well was ''Tony Hawk Pro Skateboarding''. You control a skateboarder from a third person view, and can manuever the skateboard, do mid-air tricks, etc. in an elaborate 3D arena environment.

Although they are not my favorite class of games, I do find that they can be fun, and are usually well worth renting for a long weekend. If nothing else, they give a bit of a thrill in allowing you to perform stunts you'd never do in real life.

Since the success of the original THPS game, there have been several spin-offs and imitators, some being more successful than others. I saw Dave Mirra BMX 2 in the store and decided to try it out. Big mistake....

I was not impressed with Dave Mirra BMX 2, not at all. It has decent graphics and sound, but nothing I would consider out of the ordinary for a machine as powerful as the GameCube, PS2, or XBox. The 3D environments are large and varied, but just don't seem to have the originality of THPS and others. There seems to be fairly noticable 'fog' and 'pop-in' as you move about the 3D arenas. The detail of the buildings, ramps, etc. actually seems to be very plain and lacking - I really think this aspect of the game could have been done better. Overall I give the graphical presentation a 5 /10.

And as for the actual game itself, DM BMX 2 is a blatant and lesser quality rip-off of Tony Hawk with bicycles instead of skateboards. If you are into these kinds of games, THPS is a better game - and is the original. Again, an average 5 /10.

Honestly, I think that some of the older versions of Tony Hawk for the older Playstation One are more impressive, both in gameplay and in graphics.

After renting this game I then tried Tony Hawk 3 for the GameCube - wow! In every aspect - gameplay, controls, graphics, music, sound effects, you name it - THPS3 is far, FAR superior to DM-BMX2.

In good conscience I can't recommend Dave Mirra, except perhaps to hardcore THPS players who have unlocked every feature and have fully played out that game. If you have done so, then perhaps you will get some playtime out of Dave Mirra. Otherwise, I doubt you will think this is a worthwhile purchase for $50. Definitely rent this one before you buy!

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 01/10/02, Updated 01/10/02