Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 (Xbox) Compare Prices

Game Review & Description: Tired of snow and skateboards in your search for extreme-sports entertainment on the PlayStation 2? Then why not switch to a (slightly) more conventional form of transport--the BMX bike--with Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2? Mr Mirra--the Tony Hawk of the bicycle world--and a host of his professional chums have given their names and likenesses to a game which manages to be extremely tricky and highly entertaining, offering eight unique parks to play in and more than 1500 different tricks to master. It has to be said that the learning curve is quite steep during the first hour or so of play. Tricks fail constantly due to the way the bike handles and though the courses are fairly wild affairs with plenty of opportunities for stunts, many seem impossible to achieve.Stick with it, however, and what you have is a graphically wonderful action-fest that borrows the best bits from Tony Hawk's and SSX and combines them to produce a competent game that cheerfully fills a rainy winter afternoon. The soundtrack is among the best for the PlayStation 2--there's no techno-rubbish here, just steady metal from the likes of GodSmack, Ozzy and The Cult. Graphically, there are some nice touches: the playing environments are large and well designed and there's no clipping. If there's one thing that spoils the overall look it's the fact that the riders have pale, lifeless faces which make them look like extras from Dawn of the Dead.Overall, Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 has a lot going for it; it's not as fast paced as SSX and it doesn't have the instant appeal of Tony Hawk's, but it's certainly chock full of quality entertainment. --Chris Russell