Dave Mirra BMX Challenge

"Ride with the legend. Fear nothing."

That's the slogan of Dave Mirra BMX Challenge, a game that appears to be just another clone of the Tony Hawk empire. Many of you should remember the Dave Mirra series for its smashing debut, as well as its eventual PS2 and GameCube sequels. The series was born because of Mr. Hawk's video-game success, but it had just the right amount of unique features, more speed than the current Tony Hawks, and original levels that made it stand out from the crowd.

The Dave Mirra series has had some success, but it's always been one step behind Tony Hawk. All extreme sports games have been. It's almost ironic that, the first time Dave Mirra attempts to do something completely different, they're faced with a Tony Hawk sequel that is doing the exact same thing: racing.

Trick or Tre...Finish Line

BMX Challenge does not look like a different kind of game. Screenshots reveal the many ramps, pipes, and other trick-boosting pieces. They do not, however, show how far these worlds have been stretched. You don't merely ride around in the same area, working hard to score the most points. The real goal is to find your way through each stage while scoring as many points as possible. Points are not necessary to your success in a race. There is a point-specific mode, but that doesn't have any effect on whether or not you're the fastest cyclist.

It does, however, give you the chance to find shortcuts that will improve your chances of winning. In one of the race courses – which are so deep you could call them stages – you'll ride through an interactive museum. Grind dinosaur bones to reach higher areas or to gain some air. Grind the rails of the planetarium to reach the exit a little faster. Hop off ramps and turn sharp corners to find the quickest route to the finish line. While you're doing this, an awesome display of museum architecture is brought into view. This isn't the most visually spectacular PSP game, but it does have several creative high points.

The trick mode is a more traditional feature set in the Dave Mirra world. Cruise the city streets, explore rooftops and underground tunnels, and locate as many rails and half-pipes as possible. Use them to launch yourself into the air and to pull off a few quick consecutive moves. If done properly, and if landed successfully, the tricks will be linked for a combo, which multiplies the score by the number of total moves. Because of this, Dave Mirra fans know how to exploit the system: find a series of rails and grind them with a series of jumps. Each jump that leads into another grind adds to your multiplier.

Controller Challenge

The controls are workable, but not wholeheartedly functional. It almost feels like I'm using a D-pad rather than the PSP's version of an analog stick. I push to the left ever so slightly, hoping to weave in and out of a cluster of pillars. But "slight" is not interpreted as such. "Slight" is followed by a turn that is slightly more pronounced than was intended. My rider goes too far to the left, and I wind up having to wait while the game re-sets his position.

This can happen near rails, walls, and various objects. Let's suppose I wish to grind one rail but leave the next alone while riding very close to it. Big mistake. The jerky controls push me into the next rail. BMX Challenge's collision detection isn't very good either. If I do manage to nail the controls and place my rider exactly where I want, there's a chance the game will still believe I'm too close to the rail. I'll crash, and lose at least a portion of my lead in the race.

In most circumstances, losing a place or two doesn’t matter. The courses are long, and enemy AI isn't very challenging, even on the "Pro" setting. (BMX Challenge's default setting is Novice, which must be completed before the next difficulty tier can be accessed.) Therefore when I crash, I can generally expect to get up, crash a few more times, and then win the race.

That last one shouldn't be possible. But if it weren't, the controls would be twice as damaging. The game would seem cheap because of its technical shortcomings.

These flaws do prevent BMX Challenge from being on par with its predecessors. In particular, the PS2 and GameCube sequels from Acclaim had steering and trick mechanics that were without any significant, play-damaging quirks.

I enjoyed the game in spite of these issues, and I know that most Tony Hawk and Dave Mirra fans will as well. It's flawed but cheap, short but sweet, and comes with a solid amount of replay value.

Gameplay: 7.3
Dave Mirra BMX Challenge is a cool, entertaining, and original racing game. The controls can’t compare to the previous games in the series. Slight turns are met with jerky movements that could (and often do) cause an unnecessary crash. The game is also pretty short. But the gameplay is very thrilling – you won’t find anything else like it on the PSP.

Graphics: 7.9
Not the prettiest game the PSP has ever seen, but its creative course designs are not to be missed.

Sound: 5.9
Instrumental punk rock knock-offs.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
As the first racer in the series, it was wise for the developers not to make the game too difficult. All players will need to learn the new play style (which doesn’t take that long) before they can fully enjoy what the game has to offer. On the down side, it means you can finish the introductory races in under an hour. The second “Pro” batch doesn’t take much longer.

Concept: 8.0
It’d be unfair to say that Dave Mirra BMX Challenge is a rip-off of Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam. Both share the concept of extreme sports transformed into extreme racing. Like most of you, I heard about Downhill Jam first. But both titles were released within a couple weeks of each other. Therefore this concept is still fresh, exciting, and makes for a wonderful gameplay experience.

Multiplayer: 7.0
Ad hoc racing and trick challenges for four.

Overall: 7.3
Featuring lengthy city courses, Dave Mirra BMX Challenge has a few firsts for the series. (1) This is the franchise’s first offshoot, (2) it’s a racing game, and (3) you’re constantly moving forward (and sometimes in circles but with a forward-looking goal in mind). The game isn’t very long, and it doesn’t have the great, highly responsive controls of the original Dave Mirra. But if you want low-cost excitement with a lot of replay value, and if you want something to play after finishing Tony Hawk’s Downhill Jam, BMX Challenge is worth a look.