Freekstyle

"EA Big finally hits motorcross and this is what you get..."

Introduction:

EA Big lately has been going to sports and transforming them into EA big style. And let me tell you that is a good thing. If you already didn’t know this a “extreme” dirt bike game like no other.

Gameplay:

This is the stuff that you need to be reading right here. First of all get all of those MX superfly and Jeremy Mcgrath games out of you head. This is no way near comparison to them. This game redifines motor cross. First of all the race ring is not a traditional all mud hill stadium. Think of this like a trail through the jungle, or desert, hardcore style, no circles, a lot of hills, and a lot of big ass air! Don’t get me wrong, the traditional tracks are cool, but once you play an EA course, there is none other. Also did I mention that the bikes go fast as hell, well for dirt bikes of course. Now lets get down to the bare basics. Of course you got tricks, but these tricks are not like any old regular tricks. Sure you got your old regular tricks like a rodeo or a can-can , but then again, this is EA Big we are talking about. The are out of his world tricks, I mean do 2 flips then a one handed superman tricks. Then for even more enjoyment you get what is called a freekout meter, which is a meter that fills up whenever you complete a trick. Slowly and slowly it fills, until you reach your freekout, which then equals HARDCORE - EXTREME tricks. I don’t want to spoil it for yourselves so you go figure out when you buy it.

Graphics:

I can not tell a lie. The graphics on this game are great. Everything from the bikes to the character models to the surrounding are superb. This game can really show off PS2’s graphic capabilities. Now these graphics aren’t perfect, sure there are some jaggies, and the trees don’t look so real, but better than you would expect....way better. Out of most EA big games this is one of the best.

Sound:

The game’s soundtrack consists of mostly rock. Well actually it is all rock. They even have Dry Cell.
The motorcycles sound realistic enough, but you’ll be concentrating on the race so much that you won’t even bother to notice. They even have little audio commentary from the characters when you pick them, mostly humorous, or trying to be ^_^. But the most fun is hearing the riders fall off when you knock them off their back. The only reason I keep the volume up ^_^.

Controls:

Top notch. Simple, easy to learn controls. 4 trick buttons all placed close together so you won’t have to scramble all over the controller to pull off a simple trick. I recommend best used with the Dual Shock 2. I honestly can say that these controls are perfect. X is to gas, Square is to stop, and so on. Then again its just a motor cross game so there is much going on except pressing X.

Replay Value:

This is where the game doesn’t exceed as well as I thought. You have your basic three modes. Circuit, where you go from track to track, (unlocking more on the way) winning races to be the best(and to unlock more characters). You also gain points to increase your racing stats of the character you choose. Then you have freestyle, where you go in Tony Hawk Pro Skater like stadiums and show off your tricks. This mode really gave me the most fun, since you can pull off all the tricks you can’t afford to do in the circuit mode, and let me tell you, these tricks are fun as HELL. Then there are your generic exhibition races where you can race against a player or practice a race you are having trouble on. You know the same old yaddah yaddah, yaddah. After awhile, saying you unlocked everything, it tends to get a little boring. Let me warn you that the circuit mode tends to get boring during the middle.

So should I buy this game or not?

Well if you can find it under 50 then I say its a steal! But if not I say its one of the best rentals you can find. Everything about this game excels, except only if it had a little more replay value, this would be a PS2 legend. But overall, this game rocks.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/22/03, Updated 02/22/03