Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX (PC)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 7.8 (3.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Stephen Poole
• Reviewed on: 10/29/2001
• Released on: 09/30/2001
• Originally published on GameSpot: Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX (PC) Review

It was only a little over two years ago that "extreme sports" was synonymous with "budget-priced garbage" in computer gaming. The reason was simple: None of the major publishers considered it a viable market. Hits like California Games, Skate or Die, and Ski or Die were distant memories, and the few new extreme sports games that were being released had subpar graphics, lame music, and forgettable gameplay. Of course, that all changed with Activision's release of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater in 1999, a game that simultaneously fed off the increasing popularity of extreme sports while introducing many video game fans to the frenetic world of skateboarding.

In a somewhat surprising move, Activision took Tony Hawk's Pro Skater to every platform but the PC. It wasn't until the sequel that Tony Hawk made it to the PC, and then with little fanfare. Activision hasn't made the same mistake with Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX, the newest addition to the company's extreme sports lineup, as it's been a mere five months since the game debuted on the PlayStation and Dreamcast. That's good news for PC gamers who like arcade-style action--while Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX is definitely worth waiting for, it's better that we don't have to.

It's been said that if it ain't broke, don't fix it, and Activision and developer Gray Matter took the adage to heart when creating Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX. The gameplay modes here are pretty much identical to what's found in the Tony Hawk games. Three single-player games are available--career, single session, and free ride--but everything pretty much hinges on the career mode, because success there determines which courses you can choose from in the other two modes.

Regardless of which of the eight pro BMX riders you choose to play as, you're limited to a single bike and a single course at the start of your career. You can juice the default bike up a bit by tweaking the forks, sprocket, tires, and so forth, but don't expect any big improvements in performance until you unlock new bikes. To unlock new bikes, as well as the game's nine courses (including a cool hidden one from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater), you must collect magazine covers. Five are available on each level, and you earn them by hitting objects, grabbing floating letters, posting high scores, and locating a "secret" cover. You can also unlock a couple of hidden riders, one by doing well (Tony Hawk) and another by repeated failure ("Granny," who carries a purse and whose bike features a basket on the handlebars!).

Though the graphics for the riders and terrain are a bit blocky when compared with the smooth textures of Dave Mirra's Freestyle BMX, the level of detail is impressive, and there's practically no pop-up on even the larger courses. Only nine courses are featured, but the variety of the venues is excellent, ranging from the insane drops of the construction yard to the tight confines of the Hoffman Bike Factory and a London subway station. There's a strange "shimmer" effect noticeable on courses where the action takes place at night or where there are plenty of chain-link fences, which can lead to a slight drop in the frame rate, but it would only have a serious effect on the low-end systems.

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