Full Review: This is why I haven't slept in two days.
It is two-o'clock in the morning right now. You might be asking yourself why on earth I am writing a video game review at this ungodly hour. The answer to that one is simple: I've spent every other waking hour actually playing Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 on my Gamecube. Honestly, Mirra 2 has kept me up late every night since it came into my possession in one of those obsessive "I'll just play one more run, then I'll go to bed." Inevitably hours pass and I'm still playing and still dreading that I'll be tired at work tomorrow but Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 is just that much fun.
The general gameplay theory of Dave Mirra 2 is nothing new. You take your rider from locale to locale while performing tricks, meeting the local skill challenges, and having some of the most spectacular wipeouts this side of a Warren Miller ski video. Those of you that follow pro BMX riding will recognize several of the riders including Dave, Ryan Nyquist, and Mike Laird. Also, Real World sponsors such as Fox and Slim Jim pop up throughout the game and if you perform well you can earn their support. What really gives Mirra 2 its longevity and replayability is the sheer quantity of stuff that is packed into the game. There are more than 1500 trick combinations, ten skate parks, and a create-a-park feature that are just begging to suck you away from daily life.
In order to find anything wrong with this game I have to pull out my magnifying glass and fine-toothed comb. There a couple of small technical problems with the game including the rare occurrence of minor slowdown and the fact that I fell through the ground twice. I should probably explain that last one; I had a little accident on a ramp and somehow managed to get my bike and rider below the ground textures. Following that I fell into nothingness for about five or seven seconds and magically wound up back on the surface of the world. In all honesty the technical problems are insignificant and easily ignored. The fact that the only thing I can fault the gameplay for is that some of the bigger trick combinations seem to require an extra thumb to execute is a testament to how well Dave Mirra 2 is crafted.
