It's too bad that gamers are currently hooked on Tony Hawk 2 (and with good reason!) to get out of their houses to purchase this outstanding title, because this game has depth. It has an amazing soundtrack. It has great gameplay. Most importantly, it has shown me that Acclaim can make great games if they attempt to put some effort into their titles. Rather than creating a title that could have well been just a pretender to the throne, Acclaim and Z-Axis have succeeded in creating their own little niche with this title, and have bestowed upon us what could be considered one of the few contenders to the admirable Tony Hawk.

Visually, Dave Mirra doesn't falter. The graphics are lively and contain a good amount of variety of textures so you won't be bored too much when you get stuck at a certain level. Dave Mirra and other riders in the game, such as Chad Kagy, Kenan Harkina and Shaun Butler are recreated nicely in the game, outfitted with some of their trademark gear. The PlayStation really can't pump out better graphics than what Acclaim has presented us with in Dave Mirra, but I really can't wait for the Dreamcast version of this game so gamers can see how good this game can really look like once you pump up the quality of the textures. The animation for each rider's moves is superbly captured, and it's really evident when you see moves such as the Flair and the Double TailWhip. Acclaim spared no expense in providing us a world that's not only true to the whole attitude of freestyle BMX, but contains some of the best variety in belivable locales that I've ever seen in a game, even beating out Tony Hawk.

Right when you start playing the game, you'll notice several differences from Dave Mirra BMX when compared to other games such as Grind Session and Street Sk8er. First and foremost is the button layout, which puts a new spin on the otherwise tried and true formula that Neversoft set. Triangle still executes your grinds and X still allows you to jump. Square lets you perform flip tricks, but Circle is now a functional modifier button. What this allows you to do is increase your score several times over by adding small little multipliers such as bar spins and one handers. For example, you could get a certain amount of points by executing a Superman (Square trick), but add in a No Handed modifier at the end of that, and you'll be left with a No Handed Superman, which will provide you with double the amount of points you could've had. This works for almost every trick, although there are some which aren't allowed due to the impossibility of such combinations, but it doesn't detract from the game at all. In my opinion, it only adds to the game, forcing players to come up with awesome looking combinations, while keeping them believable. I can't really see how someone could pull off a No Handed Tailwhip anyways. To accelerate, you need to hold up on the directional or analog pad to to gain your speed, while pressing down will allow you to brake. One of the neater features in Dave Mirra is that the game actually measures your skids when you brake.

While the engine is pretty rock solid, it's not without it's share of hiccups. Most notable is the fact that the game goes into slow motion when your rider crashes. Although I'm assuming this was done for dramatic purposes, it does get annoying when you need to rack more points and the clock is winding down because you're still viewing your bail. Another problem I have with the engine is the fact that you can grind from any situation. I've had times where I would be descending from a jump and I could grind on the lip of the bowl I was tricking on. Speaking of grinds, you'll never have to worry about tipping over to one side because of balance, as the game will automatically end a grind once you've passed a certain point in your balance. It's rather annoying to me, but I'm sure that other players would like this feature. Otherwise, the engine is exceptionally good, with no clipping or slowdown from what I've observed.

There are a plethora of single and multiplayer modes that'll be sure to keep you occupied for a long time coming. Obligatory to almost every 'extreme' game is the Career Mode (named Proquest around here). In this mode you are given a set of challenges to accomplished before you are allowed to advance to the next stage. There are three levels of challenges that you need to complete before you truly finish a stage: Amateur, Pro and Hardcore. Finishing the Amateur will allow you to go to the next stage, but completing the Pro and Hardcore challenges open up completely new areas in the stage. In the first stage for example, once you have finished the Amateur challenges, the Pro challenges will appear that'll require you to complete a challenge that will take you to a completely new part of the stage. This occurs regularly during each stage, and it really brings a good portion of replay value to the game, not only because it allows you to open up the stage completely, but because many of the challenges (especially many of the Hardcore ones) are extremely hard to accomplish, but not to the point of frustration.

Probably my favourite mode out of the ones offered in the game has to be the Wipeout mode. Two players are pitted against each other to see who can wipeout with the most style and with the hardest thud. It's surprisingly great fun to see the Miracle Boy fall into oblivion because of a botched No Handed Superman.

When it comes to the tunes, the soundtrack is amazing as well. Acclaim went to great lengths to make sure that each track really suits the theme of the course, so nothing feels out of place. Music by Deftones, Pennywise, Rancis and Swingin Utters really bring the game to life with their musical talents, and really complement the gameplay nicely. As for the sound effects, they sound exactly like they should. Grinding on a metal lip will produce a rather unsavory sound, while hearing your bike wheels spin when you're catching some major air is something that's odd, but very welcomed.

To give you a visual representation of how good this game is, I suggest you follow these instructions. First, go to the kitchen and get a Twinkie (one will do), now get some chocolate pudding and a glass of cold milk. Dip the Twinkie into the pudding and eat it, and then wash it down with your milk. It tastes magically delicious, doesn't it? Now, take that magically delicious taste from your mouth and cram it into a CD mixing it with Dave Mirra and a couple of his closest friends, and that's what you'll get in this game.

Bottom Line: Anyone who enjoys anything to do with BMX will like this game. Hell, even gamers who don't know anything about riding a bike will probably enjoy this a lot.

· · · Reno