Dave Mirra BMX

Genre: Sports
Platform: PC, PS2, Dreamcast
Allegiance: Acclaim/Z-Axis Ltd.
Vintage: 2000
Rating: E
Intelligence Agency Report by: Dave K
The first major trick biking game ever released. You are Dave or one of his other fellow BMX riders. So hop on and make your way through fun filled levels of non stop BMX action.

Weapons Expert Report by: Dave K 
Story/Premise
Game Play
Impact
Visual
Audio
7.00
9.25
8.25
7.75
9.50
Overall 8.75
(not an average)
Version Reviewed: PC 

This game was conceived after the major success that was Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. Since Tony Hawk was chosen to title that game because he was the first person to complete a 900 degree spin in skateboarding competition. So when they looked for someone to star in this game, naturally, they chose Dave Mirra, the first person to complete a double backflip in BMX competition. 

When it comes to the physics of the game, Dave Mirra BMX was ahead of its time. It introduced the rag doll physics – where the character goes limp like a rag doll upon crashing – that were previously only seen in first person shooters and brought them to the sports games. The controls for the game are similar to that of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, with a jump button and then a variety of trick buttons. The key difference is the air modifier control. The standard tricks like a tailwhip or a decade can be modified, and with quick fingers and some skill, you can turn your decade into a one-handed decade, or your backflip into a superman backflip, or even the incredibly crazy no hander backflip. 

Dave Mirra also featured an excellent soundtrack; songs like “Never Alone” by the Dropkick Murphy’s, “What I Got” by Sublime and “Greed” by Pennywise are just a few of the great tracks in this game. The quick beat of the music enhances the gameplay by making the game more of a rush. The graphics at the time of release were nothing incredibly spectacular. However, they are good enough to make the game fun while not making the game unplayable at any point. 

Now for a game that is so much fun, Dave Mirra BMX unfortunately suffers from having a quest mode that is a bit too short. Aside from that, granted, there are some tasks which will prove to be rather difficult, especially if it involves a fast plant or a wall tap, but overall, the tasks are pretty easy. The two player mode can be entertaining for a while, but gets old quickly. However, you will have hours of fun trying to complete all of the different trick combos in the game. 

While this is no longer a recent game and not yet a classic, Dave Mirra BMX is definitely a game worth owning if you’re a fan of BMX, or just this type of sports game in general. If you’re not, then I think that you’re missing out on a real fun game.