Yeah, it's a BMX game and it's a bit like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. There, I've said it and won't say it again. I will judge this game on its own merit and try not to draw comparisons with that game. Aaargh, but it's so hard not to! Anyway, developer Z-Axis obviously has a great deal of talent and vision that has culminated in this game, Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX. Ride around, do stuff, tricks 'n chicks 'n all that, be rad and it's not that bad actually.

The first thing that struck me was how large the levels are. I'd heard that they were big, but nothing prepared me for the real thing. It took me ages to find all the stuff in the first level and I'm sure that there are still things I haven't seen or ridden, let alone any of the others. The game has some nice touches to the level missions such as getting the biggest air or longest skid that make it fun to play but the mechanics of riding the bike make it a bit frustrating. Nothing is inherently wrong but it's just little niggles that combine to make a small problem a bit bigger. Clipping is a problem and you'll no doubt be scratching your head as you fall off whilst being a good few feet away from anything, as is the re-spawning positions when you crash. A lot of the time you'll be placed right next to where you went wrong, making it quite difficult to do anything but make the same mistake again. On the plus side however, the tricks are executed using d-pad combos, making it a bit like Street Fighter on a bike, which is nice and refreshing. Note to self; great idea for a game. It's all very frustrating and makes it feel as though more time has been spent on the vastness of the levels than the actual gameplay mechanics. Anyway, I can live with these things and the design of each level is where this game really excels.

It is a bit daunting at first but bear with it and the rewards are yours. The missions take you around most of the levels and the amount of scenery available to trick onto/off is quite staggering. All this is rendered with a silky smooth framerate and very pretty graphics. Impressive stuff indeed. No snazzy effects have been used but then they don't really need to be and you really can see far, far into the distance. The animation is scarily real and it all looks extremely polished, the bike spins and moves very realistically which is in total opposite to your characters animation, which by contrast is a bit shoddy. Sound effects are great, as too is the music which rocks as hard as you should be playing the game.

Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX is a really good fun game to play and the plus points far outweigh its negatives. The level designer is more comprehensive than anything that has gone before it and if you like that sort of thing, you'll blow your load. It's great fun to play and the challenges rise in difficulty very well, allowing you to perfect your tricks whilst not putting too much pressure on you. Don't dwell on the negatives and you'll have a fine time with this game, play it for a blast and to experience the size of the levels because it is a good game and has huge amounts of potential for the future if the mechanics are sorted out. No doubt if you ride, you'll love this game for just being what it is and many others will, but be warned: If you suffer from high stress levels when playing games, rent Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX before buying, you will save yourself a few control pads.