Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX

"Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1.5"

I got this game a while back, and played it non-stop until I beat it with every character and unlocked absolutely everything this game has to offer. Yes, it's that addicting. No Tony Hawk game has kept me that enthralled. (No, not even my shiny new copy of THPS 3 for GCN) Anyway, onto the review.

Graphics (8/10): Not bad, not bad at all for the trusty old PSone. The bikes look fairly realistic, as do the riders. The environments are excellent (with one exception: the New York level is worst out of every level in THPS, THPS 2, THPS 2X, THPS 3, and this game). The park editor really shines the most in graphics, because it's easy to see where you're putting stuff. In 2 Player mode, however the graphics really show some noticeable slowdown, which hampers the enjoyment of this mode, which kept me from giving it the 9 in graphics. After all, this is no Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2.

Sound (9/10): Some excellent underground (read: not extremely popular) bands supply the music for this game, such as Pennywise, Bad Brains, etc. All the grinding and other standard BMX sound effects are spot-on with what's happening on-screen.

Gameplay (9/10): This aspect of the game is also excellent, because of the simple fact that they changed the timing in this game so that it's about a half-second off from THPS and THPS 2, which translates to a steeper learning curve. But the brilliance of the game is that you WILL bail a lot for the first hour or two, but if you stick with the game, you will find tricks are more satisfying to land because of the higher difficulty. Also, the Career mode alone is ingenious, with more interesting goals than THPS 1. It also features 8 Pro Riders, along with a legendary skateboarder (hint, hint), and a hilarious character I guarantee none of you will ever expect (especially their FMV after you beat Career Mode with them).

Multiplayer (7/10): Like I said earlier, the framerate hampers the enjoyment of this mode. Coupled with the pop-up this mode, well just isn't too interesting and fun, and definitely won't keep you coming back for more like the Career Mode and Park Editor will. I give it props for trying though, with 3 multiplayer modes: Trick Attack, Horse, and Graffiti.

Rent/Buy: Buy, the Career Mode will keep you busy for a month or so, then there's always Free Ride and the Park Editor to keep you coming back for more.

Overall: (8/10)

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/29/01, Updated 07/31/02