Gaming Target - Game Boy: Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX

Written by Kevin Stapf on July 26, 2001

Review: Can the Condor fly high on the GBC?

After the tremendous success of Activision's Tony Hawk Pro Skater series it was pretty much inevitable that they would soon look to cash in on their winning combination with a slew of similar titles. The newest addition to Activision's new extreme sports series (O2) is Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX. The console version failed to live up to the expectations placed on it by Tony Hawk, but can the Game Boy Color version shine whereas its console brethren couldn't?

While the Game Boy Color version of this game can't hold a candle to its console counterparts graphically, for a handheld game, its quite good. Mat Hoffman's takes the graphics engine from Activision's own Road Champs BMX Stunt Racing and gives it a facelift, providing better detail and smoother animation than before. Each biker is well detailed and that detail surprisingly never wavers, even while performing the most complex tricks. As your biker is flying through the air you will be able to see him throw out his arms and feet while pulling off some wicked no handers and no footers. The amazing amount of detail and incredible animations are sure to please you with each tailwhip and superman your biker is able to pull off.

As soon as you turn on Mat Hoffman your ears are filled with some wildly catchy tunes that help the gameplay flow smoothly. Yet, after playing the game for quite sometime these catchy, but overly repetitive tunes, soon lose their original flavor and become stale. Throw in a few standard GB sound effects and you will likely make the familiar grab for your CD player.

This game may not be as addicting as Tony Hawk, but it's pretty close. Using the same mission basis as Tony Hawk, as well as the same trick system, this game is similar to Tony Hawk using bikes. For the few of you that have never played Tony Hawk before I'll give you a little summary of the gameplay within Mat Hoffman. Each trick is pulled off using a different combination of buttons, by expanding the buttons you hit you will be able to pull off some pretty amazing combos. At each location you compete in, you are giving 5 challenges to complete. These challenges range from scoring a certain amount of points in the allotted time, to collecting letters that make up a word. After completing these tasks you are given a magazine cover and after gathering a certain amount of covers you will be able to move on to the next location.

At first, the controls may seem to be a problem for you, especially when trying to maneuver throughout the level, but once you get the scheme down this game is a joy to play. The controls are very tight after you get them down and you will quickly learn how to pull off the many various tricks in the game. The missions grow as your rider gains better equipment and they present a constant challenge throughout the duration of the game. You will be amazed at how addicting this game quickly becomes and it will be sure to eat up a lot of your time.