E3 2002Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 2 impressions

Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 2 has been a long time coming. The game was shown at E3 last year in an extremely early form--you could ride a bike around a level, but not much else. But the year since Activision last displayed the game appears to have been a constructive one. The game uses an entirely new engine, yet still feels pretty similar to the original game and, in turn, the Tony Hawk games.

Control in Hoffman 2 feels the same as in the previous game. The buttons all basically do the same thing--you can manual on your bike to extend combos and do things like peg grinds and stands. The major new feature this time around is the addition of flatland tricks. The flatland tricks work a lot like the manual tricks in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3. You start with a basic manual, then while you're balancing, tapping out tricks will combo your manual into lots of different tricks, like decades and other tricks too crazy for us to write down.

Graphically, the game has a really sharp look to it on both the Xbox and PlayStation 2. The Xbox version looks a bit better than the PS2 version, with a crisper look and better lighting. Both versions run at a pretty nice pace. The goal system is set up a lot like the early Dave Mirra games, with multiple sets of goals that open up as you complete the previous set.

Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 2 is scheduled to hit shelves in the fall.