On the surface, this is basically just another extreme sports game, with little to differentiate it from Tony Hawks, which it has widely been accused of copying. However, it does have the advantage of being bike-based, which looks better and allows interesting tricks. In these respect, Dave Mirra does nicely but not exceptionally. It is a good looking game for its time, particularly the PC version on a high resolution, easily achievable with anything reasonably modern.
The camera view occasionally confuses the action, particularly when grabbing big air, but it is nothing too serious.
The bike looks ok, and the player actually looks pretty neat, particularly when pulling certain tricks, such as Superman’s or Indian Airs. Acclaim made much of the "motion capture physics" involved in the making of the game, but this really doesn't show- it is just decently executed player modeling.
The tricks are decent, there is a variety but they never feel unmanageable though the execution of tricks leaves a great deal to be desired. Press the right button at the right time, and Dave defies physics to plant his foot against the wall a goodly distance sideways from where you jumped. Catch air in just the wrong way and find yourself flying 70 ft into a wall. The scoring system though,
in common with most games of this genre, is absurd. Normal trick scores you rubbish. Do a bit of button bashing, and suddenly you are the best BMXer around.
Also, the dynamics of airtime can be a little odd. If you fly 50ft up and brush a wall, I'd expect to fall off, but you just kind of scrape down it with no ill effect. Even tricking for your own satisfaction can be flawed- pulling a 900 back flip should look sweet, but you can only pull a 360 flip and then do some spinning. I cannot in all honestly penalize Dave Mirra for this- it is absolutely standard for extreme sports games- but it could be better.
It does deserve penalizing for certain other problems though, the main one being that it is too easy. Manualling scores stupid points and is stupid easy, but even without that, the challenges set are pretty straightforward. This wouldn't be so bad if it came with multiplayer, but without that option, you are doomed to the mercy of the game.
Overall, it isn't too bad, it is a real laugh, but you might be better served by other extreme sports offerings unless you are a particular devotee of Dave Mirra.
