Pros: The crashes, the trick modifier system
Cons: Too much finding stuff, no character editor
The bottom line: An excellent alternative "alternative sports" game.
When I first played a copied version of Dave Mirra's Freestyle BMX, I was amazed. So, naturally enough, once I had bought a ps2, I got myself Dave's second offering.

Of course, comparisons with THPS3 are unavoidable, but they are unfair. Granted, both games are "extreme sports" games, but they play quite differently; THPS3 is a lot more fast-paced and is about stringing together ridiculously long combos, DMBMX2 is slower, and more about trick variety.

The trick modifier system is such that the game offers around 1400 tricks, apparently. It works like this; You do a trick like a can-can or a tailwhip (by pressing "square" and a direction) then you modify it into, say, x-up can-can, or no-hander tailwhip (by pressing "circle" and a direction). This novel approach to tricks is a lot more rewarding than thps3's simple button combos.

The objectives in Dave's game are structured around a rookie challenge which is just amassing a certain amount of points to "please the locals" then come the amateur challenges, of which there are four. These are followed by the pro challenges (4), the hardcore challenges (4) and the insane challenge. As you progress, the challenges become more and more...challenging. This more structured approach to objectives is a double-edged sword; it gives you more stuff to unlock (ie: the next set of challenges), but if you get stuck on an objective, it is intensely frustrating.

One thing about this game which iritates me is the amount of objectives that revolve around finding things scattered around the level, the ps2's technological power allows for huge levels, which makes finding 5 beach balls, if not chalenging, time-consuming. There's no real feeling of "ooh nearly there, i'll get it next time", because once you know where all five are it's simple.

The competitions take place on the same levels as the competitions, so you don't have to spend as much time learning the layout of the course before you start getting good runs. However, you only get two runs, the average of which is used to determine who wins. This means that if you do one amazing run, then another mediocre run you don't win, whereas in THPS and its sucessors you have three attempts, the worst of which is ignored, so if you mess up you're still in with a chance. Dave Mirra's system is much more challenging, and much, much more frustrating.

The most beautiful part of this game is the crashing. Once rider and bike have been separated, the rider's limbs begin to wobble around as if bones were for wusses. Upon impact, Dave, or whichever on of his friends you chose to hurt, bounces slightly, like a rag-doll. The sadistc pleasure is enhanced by being able to make your poor rider hold on to things as he falls (polls, walls, girders etc.) If you just can't crash enough, you can bail! You just let go of your bike in mid-flight and flail around until hitting the ground with a satisfying "thud".

If you like the original, this is a "must-have" if you liked THPS3 or its predecessors, but want something a little different, this is definitely worth a look. If you are bmx-mad, or a sadist, you should already have this game.