Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX Hands-On

Tony Hawk probably can't deal with bikes, but that doesn't mean his game engine can't. Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX--finally nearing its release--is shaping up quite nicely, and most of our previous misgivings about it have been more or less laid to rest. Specifically, the game's physics have been touched up quite a bit, resulting in more-realistically behaving bikes, and there has been a decent amount of visual preening--the bike's wheels are actually round, at this point.

Those familiar with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater will find Hoffman to be familiar ground. The game's modes include the standard roundup of career, single-session, and free-ride modes, as well as a multiplayer horse mode. A fairly complex level editor is also included in the package for aspiring park designers to grind their teeth on. In any case, anyone who's played THPS will know the drill--you pick a rider, assemble a bike from a handful of component parts, and take to the courses to fulfill objectives so you can move on. Every level will have five objectives for you to fulfill, each with varying difficulty. Every time you fulfill an objective, you win a magazine cover with you on it--Mat Hoffman's version of the tapes in the original Tony Hawk. To unlock courses to ride and tournaments to compete in, you'll have to earn a set number of covers. In this way, the game's economy deviates from the more open-ended model established by THPS 2--rather than having you earn cash that you can use however you like, you arbitrarily earn stat bonuses from objectives you've fulfilled. The system is fairly simple, however, and some may take to its straightforward setup.

Gameplay, though, is where Hoffman really shows its stuff. As the game is based on Neversoft's engine, it has a feel that is very similar to that of the THPS games. From a physical standpoint, however, the game is very different. Going into the game with skateboards on your mind is a good way to paint yourself on the pavement. Freestyle bikes are relatively cumbersome objects when compared with skateboards, and this fact is established very effectively by Hoffman's physics model. For starters, hang times are significantly shorter, resulting in shorter trick chains. Landing is a bit more complex, too--unlike in Acclaim's Dave Mirra game, you'll actually have to adjust your pitch while in the air to walk away from most landings. All the physics tweaks that Runecraft has added work very well, though, toward making the whole experience much more bike-like. Once you're in the BMX mind-set, all the intricacies involved in controlling the bikes become second nature. The game's trick system has been filled out a great deal, too, resulting in an altogether deeper experience. Furthermore, the bikes will handle a bit differently depending on what type of terrain they're being ridden on, which adds a decent layer of strategy when it comes to assembling them.

When compared with the graphical sheen in THPS 2, though, Hoffman looks a bit rough. The game's textures are significantly less detailed than those in Hawk, resulting in a markedly less convincing world. The riders are modeled very well, though, and they animate superbly, especially when considering just how complex certain BMX tricks can be. The skins on the riders look very good, too--their faces are detailed, and the textures of their outfits are generally several cuts above the ones used for the environments.

The game's soundtrack just keeps getting better, too. One highlight includes "Everything Turns Grey," by Southern California's surf-punk band Agent Orange. Other groups that contribute to the game's decent variety of punk rock, hip-hop, and techno tracks include Jurassic 5, Deltron 3030, Paris, Face to Face, and Outkast.

So if you're a fan of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater engine and can get into BMX bikes, you'll definitely want to check out Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX. By all accounts, it seems technically competent, and--as far as BMX culture goes--decently legit. Look for it in mid-May.