Well, here we are, and Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 is upon us. Like its predecessor, it borrows heavily from Tony Hawk in the sense that you're let loose upon a variety of different areas to trick off of everything from fences to train cars. Unfortunately, although Dave Mirra 2 does have a good blueprint to follow, some things were evidently lost along the way.

Visually, Dave Mirra 2 is no slouch. The environments are large, the colors are vibrant, and the overall look of the game is very clean. The game may not be a starting point to show off the Xbox's graphical muscle, but it is indicative of the console's capabilities. Some caveats tend to show up every now and then, however. The riders' animations for instance are mostly passable, but when a crash occurs, you'll see the character's limbs contort and twist every which way. Sure it's humorous, but it subtracts from the supposed realism that Dave Mirra 2 was made to recreate, and it's a rather foreboding indicator of what other faults are ahead.

If you like your levels big with lots of obstacles and plenty of potential for insane aerials, then Dave Mirra 2 has your number. The game comes with a sizeable variety of areas that are both expansive and dynamic. There are more than enough grindable surfaces, half-pipes, ramps, and other environmental features for you to exploit. Possibilities for improvisation seem endless, which is why the proverbial brick wall planted in front of you is all the more disheartening.

It's not that the play model is ill-conceived or even that the control scheme is awkward. What Dave Mirra 2 lacks is that last bit of polish that would have made all the difference in the world. When playing Dave Mirra 2, there is something about the way jumps are executed, the way tricks are performed, the way you finish a maneuver that just doesn't feel right. It would have made perfect sense for jumps to be pulled off immediately after pushing the button, but the slight delay that occurs in between the button press and the jump can make even the simplest of actions very frustrating. Compounding this is the fact that there is little to no air control, so turning in mid-air will prove to be very difficult, and the sub-par collision detection doesn't help matters either. Also working against the game's chances is its propensity to create confusing situations for the player. There are more than a few places where you can fall out of the level into a big black void, and camera issues sneak their way into the gameplay more often than one would deem acceptable.

It gets worse. There are many tricks in the game that land in reverse, and when they do, the game takes a similar route, inverting the controls suddenly and without warning. Not only is this disorienting, it more often than not forces you stop and pause briefly before turning in the opposite direction, which takes precious time off of the clock. Moreover, it's not uncommon that a trick appears to land perfectly, but you end up wiping out anyway and losing a bundle of points in the process.

Topping it all off is the brief but nonetheless annoying freeze in the gameplay that shows up whenever the soundtrack switches from one song to another, disrupting the flow just enough to cause some major screw-ups.

These problems are what make the potential of Dave Mirra 2 just out of reach. The creative, mission-based ProQuest mode, huge levels, custom soundtrack feature, and remarkably deep level editor all seem superfluous once the game's flaws get in the way. Had Z-Axis allocated enough time into alleviating the problems herein, Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2 could have been a serious contender for the extreme sports crown. Until that time comes, Tony Hawk will still be sitting pretty.

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