Full Review: Sunday, Sunday, Sunday on your PS2!
For those of you who follow motocross racing, Ricky Carmichael is a name that you know and love. For the rest of us, here is a little background on the fellow. Ricky turned pro in 1996 and immediately began to dominate the motocross circuit and, in 1998, became the first rider in history to win every race in the 125cc Supercross Series. In addition to that milestone feat, Ricky has five National Championships under his belt and this past season earned the 250cc class Outdoor National title and the 2001 Supercross Series Championship. In general, Ricky Carmichael is head and shoulders above his competition, as is the video game that bears his name.
Up until now, the motocross circuit has been greatly neglected in the world of video games. In fact, with the exception of Excitbike 64, the sport has had no real stand out titles to speak of. While it isn't a flawless title, MX 2002 is the first step in the right direction for video motocross.
MX 2002 is a well-balanced mixture of motocross racing and freestyle stunt riding. You have several different play styles to choose from, including a career racing mode, exhibition racing mode, and freestyle play mode. While the first career and exhibition modes are pretty standard, the freestyle option is what sets this title apart from its peers. The freestyle mode can be most easily compared to playing any of the Tony Hawk series of games. Sure, the control scheme isn't quite as refined as in THPS, but the general idea is the same; take a few minutes and do some kick ass tricks. There are more than 30 tricks available to pick from, each of which is cooler than the last. Also, playing through the career mode unlocks additional freestyle arenas to ride in, as well as extra tracks for the exhibition mode.
While the freestyle gameplay is pretty solid, the racing leaves a little bit to be desired. Racing itself is fairly intuitive and the controls are relatively sound, but there is still a little bit of balancing that should have been done. This is perhaps most evident in the collisions you suffer and the recoveries from them. PCP&L does a good job of keeping you in the race if you do happen to fall by starting you just ahead of the location of your incident. This also goes for your opponents. While this does help to ensure an exciting finish, without anyone getting left behind, it is very unforgiving if you happen to fall just near the end of the race. Picture this: You've run a perfect race, not a single fall, while your opponents have been battling each other the entire way, constantly knocking each other over. Then it happens; you fall about 10 seconds from the finish line and, because the racing engine has kept things close, the four guys right behind you (who you have watched fall several times each) pass you and you take fifth. It is something that can be worked around, but it is very frustrating.
Regardless of how the game plays, the game looks pretty sharp. To help add a sense of realism to the visual appearance of the game, THQ and PCP&L signed up with some of the top names in motocross bikes and gear. Everyone from Suzuki, Kawasaki, and Oakley worked with the developer on getting the look of the game right and, while the different products don't perform any differently from each other, they sure do look nice. The tracks and landscape are also attractive, with an incredible view distance and no pop-up or fogging. Even with the amount of landscape detail, the game keeps up a nice frame rate and sense of speed. However, there is no visual interaction between you and the environment. The banners are stiff and lifeless (you should try hitting one with your bike), the bushes are non-moving textures, and the ground doesn't react to your bike traveling over it.
One of the last ingredients that rounds out the gaming experience is a superb soundtrack featuring some of Island Records top recording artists. With a musical roster that includes American Hi-Fi, Sum 41, and Saliva, the soundtrack blends perfectly with the gameplay and helps to pump up the intensity of the races.
