Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX

by Acclaim

Product Features

• BMX Biking on Playstation!

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00004TJDL
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 4.9 x 0.4 inches ; 5 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: September 12, 2000
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,389 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater from Activision became a megahit last fall. Since then, dozens of companies have tried to bring fringe sports like surfing, sky diving, and other "me, too" extreme sports titles to market, and all of them looking to cash in on the craze. Up until now, none have matched the quality or replayability of Tony Hawk, and only a small few have come close, including this month's challenger, Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX from Acclaim.

Instead of using a skateboard to race against the clock and perform dangerous midair stunts for points and prestige, this game is all about daredevil BMX bike riding, so that players can aim to pull off a "Superman," "Icepick," "Tailwhip," or "Toothpick." In total, there are over a dozen unique environments, such as Camp Woodward's backbreaking "Lot 8" or the San Jose Ramp Club, to name two.

First, players must select their rider of choice, be it repeated World Champion biker Dave Mirra, 1999 Dirt Circuit Champion Ryan Nyquist, or eight other stars of the sport. Each of the riders enjoys his own signature moves, plus even more riders can be unlocked over time. However, there is no create-a-player feature, as there is with a few other games of this kind.

Fortunately, controlling the rider is a cinch to learn for younger or novice gamers, and there's enough substance here to keep players pedaling long after the goals are met. In fact, along with the "Free Ride" mode, the timed "Session" mode, and the challenging, career-based "Proquest" mode, there are 10 different two-player games, including our favorite, dubbed "B-M-X", in which the second player has to mimic the first rider's moves (remember basketball's H-O-R-S-E variant?).

Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX's visuals are only satisfactory, with nothing really to kick heels about. The 3-D engine brings a few annoying screen "pop-ups" (objects and backgrounds awkwardly disappear on occasion, as riders move in relation to the "camera") and "clipping" problems (in which the rider gets stuck mysteriously) that probably could've been ironed out with a few more weeks in development. And, while the midair stunts and crashes look painfully real, the game also seems to lack a convincing sensation of speed.

But, even with its shortcomings, Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX is a rad BMX arcade sim that proves that the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series, while still the king, is not the only game in town. --Todd Mowatt

Pros:

• Controls are easy to learn
• Great two-player games

Cons:

• Annoying "pop-up" and "clipping" problems
• No create-a-player feature

Product Description

<I>Tony Hawk's Pro Skater</I> from Activision became a megahit last fall. Since then, dozens of companies have tried to bring fringe sports like surfing, sky diving, and other "me, too" extreme sports titles to market, and all of them looking to cash in on the craze. Up until now, none have matched the quality or replayability of <I>Tony Hawk</I>, and only a small few have come close, including this month's challenger, <I>Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX</I> from Acclaim.<p> Instead of using a skateboard to race against the clock and perform dangerous midair stunts for points and prestige, this game is all about daredevil BMX bike riding, so that players can aim to pull off a "Superman," "Icepick," "Tailwhip," or "Toothpick." In total, there are over a dozen unique environments, such as Camp Woodward's backbreaking "Lot 8" or the San Jose Ramp Club, to name two.<p> First, players must select their rider of choice, be it repeated World Champion biker Dave Mirra, 1999 Dirt Circuit Champion Ryan Nyquist, or eight other stars of the sport. Each of the riders enjoys his own signature moves, plus even more riders can be unlocked over time. However, there is no create-a-player feature, as there is with a few other games of this kind.<p> Fortunately, controlling the rider is a cinch to learn for younger or novice gamers, and there's enough substance here to keep players pedaling long after the goals are met. In fact, along with the "Free Ride" mode, the timed "Session" mode, and the challenging, career-based "Proquest" mode, there are 10 different two-player games, including our favorite, dubbed "B-M-X", in which the second player has to mimic the first rider's moves (remember basketball's H-O-R-S-E variant?).<p> <I>Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX</I>'s visuals

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Have For Every BMX'er!, September 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX (Video Game)

Growing up during the first rise of BMX freestyle, watching Eddie Fiola, Ron Wilkerson, and R.L. Osborne get huge air in the well-thumbed pages of BMX Action magazine, I dreamed of being able to do the same thing in real life, or at least on my Commodore 64. This game is a long-delayed dream come true, combining the incredible moves of today's BMX stars with the ability to combine and modify them on the fly - a videogame first that opens up a virtually limitless array of tricks to perform. The levels are wide-open and quite large, with secret areas and interactive obstacles. The controls are simple to pick up, but mastering the harder tricks takes time. Graphics are about the best I've seen on PlayStation, with great lighting and shadows throughout the worlds and wonderful detail on the textures. The soundtrack is spectacular, and really captures the spirit of today's BMX'ers. The rewards you earn as you progress through the game are excellent - new bikes, new outfits, secret characters, etc., I already know I'm not going to be putting this one down for a long time! And the crashes make you actually cringe in front of the screen - absolutely spectacular!

Comparisons to Tony Hawk's game are inevitable, but I found DMFBMX to be quite a bit deeper and more flexible, especially with regards to trick performance. (I was never into skating that much anyway). This game lets me relive and exceed the BMX dreams of my youth, and for that, 40 bucks is definitely a bargain.

39 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm hopelessly addicted, September 16, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX (Video Game)

I played Hawk like mad, but since I got this game on Thurday, I haven't been able to put the controller down except to sleep and eat. It's that good. IMHO, even better than Hawk--and that's saying a lot. Mirra BMX has this Modifier trick system that lets you combine tricks on the fly. So for example, you can turn a Superman into a Superman Seatgrab or Superman One-Hander. There's 10 pro riders in the game, including Mirra, who's the reigning champ of BMX today. The sound track was awesome too--Sublime, Rancid, Social Distortion, Cypress Hill--the list goes on. Last but not least, the graphics rocked. The animations were silky smooth, and I still haven't seen nearly all of the 1,300 tricks you can do. I'm still playing the ProQuest mode, which lets you compete as a rider and earn real life sponsors like No Fear and Adidas and Fox, and then upgrade your bikes (all real bikes in the game, btw). I could go on and on here, but I gotta get back to playing!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mirra's awesome, October 13, 2000

By 

Freddie Lee "fatragdoll" (California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX (Video Game)

This game has turned out to be much more awesome than I expected. It was real easy to ride and do tricks. I like how the buttons are set up. The challenges are just hard enough to keep you working on them, but not so hard that you would completely give up. The levels are fun to play, especially when you can start doing superman's, flairs, and grinds. This is truly fun and addictive game!