Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX
A BMX game built on the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater engine.
Shaba Games developed this BMX title, which hit shelves in 2001 as the inaugural release under Activision's O2 label. Its gameplay drew comparisons to the Tony Hawk's series and went head-to-head with Acclaim's Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX. The game launched on PlayStation, Game Boy Color, Dreamcast, Windows, and Game Boy Advance.
Quick Facts
- Platforms
- PlayStation
- Game Boy Color
- Dreamcast
- Windows
- Game Boy Advance
- Genre
- Sports
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX uses a modified version of the game engine from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. The objective is to perform and combine tricks on a BMX bike, with points awarded based on time maintained, degrees rotated, number of tricks in sequence, and how often a trick has been used (repeated use reduces its value). Successful tricks fill a special meter, enabling signature moves worth more points. Grinds, lip tricks, and manuals (wheelies) allow linking tricks into combos. Bails (falling off the bike) yield no points for the attempted trick or combo and reset the special bar to empty. Players choose from eight professional BMX riders, including Mat Hoffman, Rick Thorne, Dennis McCoy, Kevin Robinson, and Mike Escamilla. Tony Hawk appears as a hidden character, along with a fictional elderly character named Granny. Each rider has unique stats, bikes, and trick sets. The game includes ten levels (two remade from Pro Skater), featuring street, vert, and dirt track courses, with secret areas, point bonuses, and breakable objects. In Career Mode, players have five magazine covers (objectives) to obtain in six of the eight levels within two-minute runs; individual objectives are marked off once completed. Two covers require reaching set scores, one involves collecting the letters T-R-I-C-K, one is a hidden cover, and one varies per level (e.g., smash five lights). The other two levels are competitions where players earn medals based on the mean score from three AI judges across three sets. Advancing in Career Mode unlocks new levels, bikes, and secret riders.
Reception
According to Metacritic, the PlayStation and Dreamcast versions received favorable reviews, while the PC and Game Boy Advance versions received average reviews. Jeff Lundrigan of NextGen said of the PlayStation version that even two years later, the Tony Hawk engine outperforms games like Razor Freestyle Scooter, which he noted was the game's only immediate competition on that platform. The Cincinnati Enquirer gave the PlayStation version four stars out of five, highlighting a bundled 3-D course editor with over 100 variations of ramps, rails, and other obstacles. Maxim rated the same version eight out of ten, describing it as down and dirty with solo and multiplayer modes. BBC Sport scored it 79%, praising the rock soundtrack including the Stone Roses. Extended Play gave it three stars out of five, stating the levels are not the greatest and it is not as solid as THPS, but it is better than THQ and Acclaim's freestyle bike games, though similar enough that those bored with Tony Hawk's might try it. Edge gave it six out of ten, noting it offers more realism while Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX delivers a marginally better arcade experience. In Japan, where Success ported and published the PlayStation version on September 5, 2002, Famitsu gave it a score of 26 out of 40.
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