Jeremy McGrath Supercross 2000 Preview

In light of the game's relative success on the N64 platform, Acclaim is releasing Jeremy McGrath Supercross 2000 for the PlayStation this July. JMS2000 was known, mainly, for its all-star cast of riders and its solid digital reproduction of real-world dirt-bike racing tracks. Though the game was swiftly outdone by Excitebike 64, which was released only a few months later, it's safe to say that it has a better chance of faring well on Sony's platform, due to the obvious absence of Nintendo's classic.

As with the N64 version, the PlayStation's incarnation of JMS2000 will feature the riders and tracks that granted the title legitimacy. Aside from McGrath himself, notables like Kevin Windham, Jimmy Button, and Larry Ward, to name a few, are contributing their countenances to the project, and such renowned tracks as Red Bud, Bud's Creek, and Steel City are being reproduced for your racing pleasure. Eight indoor-arena tracks are also included in the mix, as is McGrath's highly lauded track editor, which allows for a decent amount of control when designing your dream course. JMS2000 will also allow for a fair amount of bike customization, letting you tweak the various systems within the vehicle and save the results.

Aside from the standard single-race, multiplayer, and championship modes, JMS2000 will also feature a stunt mode that lets you pull daredevil moves on a motorbike version of a half-pipe. If the N64 version's stunt mode is any indication, then you should prepare yourself for an empty, yet amusing, experience characterized by the repeated performance of stunts executed by simple control pad/button combinations.

The time we've spent with a build of the PlayStation port has revealed that not much has changed on the gameplay side. Much of the light, arcade action remains, with the attendant graphical compromises (the most notable of which are the lower resolutions and the slight drop in frame rate). The game's dynamic is done justice by the analog controller, which is, at first glance, a bit more responsive than the N64's 3D stick. The game's arcade-ish, no-frills, slow-through-curves approach to dirt-bike racing thankfully seems to still be intact, so the game should remain accessible to anyone with the slightest bit of curiosity about the sport.

For a quick burst of info regarding the game, check out our review of the N64 version. Jeremy McGrath Supercross 2000 is slated for a July release for both the PlayStation and Dreamcast consoles, so keep your eyes here for full reviews as their release dates draw near.