As a fan of all things
"extreme", I was really looking forward to Mat Hoffmans Pro BMX. I love
the Tony Hawks Pro Skater series to death and expected the same high level of
quality from MHPB since it was built on the same engine. Sadly, these expectations were
not met, and I came away from Mat Hoffmans Pro BMX very disappointed. I think the
best way to describe the experience of playing Mat Hoffmans Pro BMX is to say that I
dearly hope you have a large vocabulary because you will run out of four letter words to
scream at your computer rather quickly. If the landing isnt absolutely perfect, you
will find yourself face down on the pavement with your bike bouncing away from you--as if
it is embarrassed that youve crashed. The unforgiving nature of landing leads to
much frustration and use of the aforementioned four letter words. The hit detection on
landing is a bit inconsistent as well. Once in a while you will get away with landing a
bit screwy, but on the very next ramp you will wipe out on what you think is a perfect
landing.
The
controls in MHPB take some getting used to. They are basically the same as Tony
Hawks Pro Skater: a bunny hop button, one for grinds, one for big tricks, and one
for smaller tricks. This control setup has been gold in the Tony Hawk games, but there is
a weird delay between pressing the buttons and actually seeing the move being performed in
MHPB. This delay will cause many double back flip attempts to end up as back flip
faceplants because the game simply doesnt react to the commands fast enough. Once
you get used to this, however, it isnt so bad, but it makes transitions from grinds
to manuals, manuals to grinds, and grinds to other tricks an adventure. I played MHPB
using both the keyboard and my trusty Logitech Wingman Rumblepad, and I would definitely
recommend using a game pad for this game rather than using the keyboard. It is very
difficult to use the keyboard in MHPB because it simply doesnt offer the precision
control necessary to do such things as tricks and landing, which both seem to be big parts
in this type of game. It is possible to use the keyboard, but why torture yourself?
Just
like the original Tony Hawks Pro Skater, there are five goals for each level. Only
in MHPB they are represented by magazine covers rather than videotapes. In addition to the
two score goals, you must find the letters to spell "trick", complete one level
specific goal--such as knocking over porta-potties or hot dog stands, and you must find a
hidden cover. The levels consist of locations such as a construction yard, the Hoffman
Bike Factory, La Habra, New York, plus two competition levels. The levels are all fairly
well designed and finding some of the hidden covers proved to be quite a challenge.
Nothing on par with the hidden tape on the Downhill Jam level of Tony Hawks Pro
Skater, but there are some difficult covers to collect in MHPB. Some of the high score
goals are nearly impossible, but are easy to accomplish by settling down into a
grind-manual-grind-manual-grind-manual routine rather than going for the glory with big
tricks. Overall the level goals are not too hard to complete, and the hidden covers are
easily attained by just looking around and seeing what you can grind on in order to reach
them. It would be a much more enjoyable experience if the control was a bit better,
however.
The
graphics in Mat Hoffmans Pro BMX are acceptable at best. There arent as many
instances of clipping as there were on the PSX version, and draw-in isnt a problem.
The only real problem with the graphics, other than the fact they are just kind of ugly,
is that the levels are incredibly dark. I know that there arent always bright,
happy, sunshine-filled days in the world of BMX, but come on! How am I supposed to win the
competition if I cant even see the ramps? The first competition level and the New
York level are especially guilty of this flaw. Most of the levels arent too bad, and
turning up the brightness on your monitor helps quite a bit. The riders, on the other
hand, are very well done. For the most part, the animation is spot on and looks fairly
realistic. The bikes look good, and you can actually see them bounce around and roll when
you crash--rather than just disappearing like the skateboards did in THPS. Not in any way
important, but just something I noticed. The graphics are not spectacular, and the dark
levels detract from the gameplay a bit, but they arent too bad. They dont look
as good as the PC version of Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2, but the graphics in MHPB get
the job done.
One
thing that is almost a guarantee in an "extreme" sports game is a killer
soundtrack, and MHPB has a song for everyone. Bands such as Pennywise, Outkast, the
B-52s, Bad Brains, and even Static-X fill the bill with excellent songs that
actually add to the experience. The clang of grinding a rail and the grunt of taking a
hard fall are reproduced faithfully and are quite good. Where the control and graphics may
fail, the sound thrives, especially the music.
Overall,
Mat Hoffmans Pro BMX is an average game. It is clear that it benefits from using the
Tony Hawk engine when you compare it to other BMX games, but it is obvious that it
doesnt take full advantage of it. The level designs are fairly solid, and the level
goals are neither too easy nor too difficult. If the controls were a bit tighter and the
hit detection a little better, the game would be much more enjoyable. But as it is, the
game is more frustrating than fun; missing the same jump twenty times in a row or screwing
up the same trick line a few times will wear on you and sour you on the game fairly
quickly. Mat Hoffmans Pro BMX isnt great, but its not horrible. If you
are a fan of BMX, check it out.