this review is really bad but i felt like i had to write something since nobody else will, it definitely deserves at least some recognition for being the only mtb game for like a decade (and the only true realistic experience point blank) until descenders came out
and for the most part it pulls that realism off pretty well with exceptional environment design (although its visuals were way past dated by 2007) and an incredible sense of speed when it all comes together. unfortunately, the game itself seems hellbent on limiting your access to the good parts of it. There are like 25ish time trials in the game (at about 30 seconds-1 minute a piece) and they're all really fun courses but the difficulty is consistently awful along all of them. i don't even get how something like this happens, i finished all but a couple exactly 16.xx seconds over gold.
then there's challenge mode, which is comprised of about 10 more time trials, and then 20 random chores ranging from "wheelie back and forth for 30 seconds" to "do these tricks over these jumps" to "we hate you, jump through these rings placed in awkward positions"
i guess there are tricks in this game but they don't matter outside of arcade mode which is entirely tricking. i skipped this entirely after the first area because this game probably has the worst trick system in any extreme sports game. 4 tricks, 1 per face button, and you can spin in the air. you can wheelie too but they barely give points so there's no reason to do them without a combo system. just flail around for 2 minutes apiece, get some powerups, maybe you have to do point to point runs at the end sometimes, it's sleep-inducing and unfortunately most likely the most substantial mode in the game. It also has a freeride mode but you need to basically beat the whole game to play it, so all your practice is going to come from bashing your head against things
but the real issue with everything outside time trials is how easily you fall over or lose all momentum on landings. if you have any speed and you need to carry it, you have about a 60% chance of getting where you need to be, reduced to 25% if you're landing on a flat surface. and your greatest rival won't be huge 30yd. jumps or tight cornering, it's trying to get onto small lips on the wooden scaffolding plastered all over the maps.
this review feels way too negative for what the game actually gave me though. there's a lot of fun gameplay here hidden behind bad objectives and a very obviously rushed development cycle... you just have to love the art of the budget game
i think the game itself gives me the best way to sum it up: the 2nd to last challenge in the game has a loop to ride, but as soon as you get a quarter of the way up you immediately get a fatality (half the falls end in fatalities with no real reason) and have to restart. the way to win is to stop completely and manoeuvre your way across a gap, which makes you beat the gold time by like 20 seconds
and for the most part it pulls that realism off pretty well with exceptional environment design (although its visuals were way past dated by 2007) and an incredible sense of speed when it all comes together. unfortunately, the game itself seems hellbent on limiting your access to the good parts of it. There are like 25ish time trials in the game (at about 30 seconds-1 minute a piece) and they're all really fun courses but the difficulty is consistently awful along all of them. i don't even get how something like this happens, i finished all but a couple exactly 16.xx seconds over gold.
then there's challenge mode, which is comprised of about 10 more time trials, and then 20 random chores ranging from "wheelie back and forth for 30 seconds" to "do these tricks over these jumps" to "we hate you, jump through these rings placed in awkward positions"
i guess there are tricks in this game but they don't matter outside of arcade mode which is entirely tricking. i skipped this entirely after the first area because this game probably has the worst trick system in any extreme sports game. 4 tricks, 1 per face button, and you can spin in the air. you can wheelie too but they barely give points so there's no reason to do them without a combo system. just flail around for 2 minutes apiece, get some powerups, maybe you have to do point to point runs at the end sometimes, it's sleep-inducing and unfortunately most likely the most substantial mode in the game. It also has a freeride mode but you need to basically beat the whole game to play it, so all your practice is going to come from bashing your head against things
but the real issue with everything outside time trials is how easily you fall over or lose all momentum on landings. if you have any speed and you need to carry it, you have about a 60% chance of getting where you need to be, reduced to 25% if you're landing on a flat surface. and your greatest rival won't be huge 30yd. jumps or tight cornering, it's trying to get onto small lips on the wooden scaffolding plastered all over the maps.
this review feels way too negative for what the game actually gave me though. there's a lot of fun gameplay here hidden behind bad objectives and a very obviously rushed development cycle... you just have to love the art of the budget game
i think the game itself gives me the best way to sum it up: the 2nd to last challenge in the game has a loop to ride, but as soon as you get a quarter of the way up you immediately get a fatality (half the falls end in fatalities with no real reason) and have to restart. the way to win is to stop completely and manoeuvre your way across a gap, which makes you beat the gold time by like 20 seconds