Gaming Target - GameCube: Jeremy McGrath Supercross World

Written by Kyle Williams on June 06, 2002

Full Review: These guys have to be nuts.

These days, a lot of people seem to have a screw loose. However, supercross riders seem to have no concept of sanity. Have you ever watched these guys? The tricks that they (try to) perform are simply an accident waiting to happen. It is because of this insanity that they are the perfect subject of video games. There is a great mix of racing and flamboyance that just appeals to the show-off in all of us. Jeremy McGrath Supercross World is the latest of supercross titles to hit consoles nationwide and definitely has the right idea of how to get this job done.

Acclaim has already shown us that they know how to put together a trick based game with their Dave Mirra series of BMX titles and Jeremy McGrath is a great extension of what they have already produced. Jeremy McGrath Supercross World does have a few tricks up its sleeve that help to set it apart (and rise it above) the competition. Of note is the way that tricks are actually integrated into the racing structure. Competitors, like the Ricky Carmichael titles from THQ, have both stunts and racing, but they discourage you from performing stunts during races as crashing slows you down and completing them gets you nothing. Supercross World actually prompts you to get up there and bust a move by allowing you to earn boosts with your stunt points. In the more difficult races, these stunt boosts can actually be the deciding factor between success and failure. To help balance this out, the tricks are a little bit more difficult to perform than in your typical extreme sports game. The tradeoff is that there are fewer available than in your Tony Hawk games, but the final result is just about perfect.

Another feature that helps to set Jeremy McGrath Supercross World apart from the crowd is the unique Baja race mode. This mode gives you free range to get from point "A" to point "B" to point "C." Imagine crossing the free-roaming of Smuggler's Run with your standard racing title. The end result is a great load of fun. Combine that with the Freestyle, Outdoor, and Indoor events and there is a race that is tailored to everyone's needs.

To help round out the entire gaming experience is a great audio and video package. The colors and textures are vibrant and help lend a sense of reality to this racing experience while the audio jukebox is full of high energy tunes from hard-rockin' bands. True, you may not have the big name bands that some of the other racing titles are sporting, but these are some of the bands that everyone should be giving a try. Personally, I was thrilled to see that Mudhoney performed one of the tracks. They are an underrated band that got lost amongst the shuffle of the early nineties. Not only do the riders look nice, but the landscape is simply stunning. I really like what Acclaim has done with the Gamecube hardware.