Jeremy McGrath Supercross 2000 Review

Jeremy McGrath Supercross 2000

So, yep, by an uncanny turn of events, Jeremy McGrath Supercross is indeed one of the most mindnubingly dull games we've ever played. We suspected as much -- that fact that all 16 tracks played and looked the same was a dead giveway, as was the fact that the PlayStation version was terrible -- but we just needed to look and make sure. The game, developed by Acclaim, has hardly changed since its initial launch and certainly can't match the hype of Nintendo's upcoming ExciteBike 64.

Okay, so it was never going to be the world's most entertaining game (the motorbikes have got all the pace, appeal and power of a landmower, and the tracks are almost universally oval) but we at least expected a half attempt at beating EA's Supercross 2000 which, while eventually boring, did have a decent learning curve and some excitement. McGrath offers up the standard selection of bikes, riders, tracks, stunts and customizable options that dirt-bike fans would hope for. The problem is that all of it is exactly that-- standard. And this can be said of the entire game with a few notable exceptions that are downright poor.

But, no. Jeremy McGrath is as stolid a game as you could ever hope to play, principally because it offers no type of challenge, but also because it seems to have had all of two minutes development time lavished on it. The only saving grace is that it's passable to control, meaning that you won't have nasty turning problems or unnecessarily temper-fraying moments of scenery-stickage. Or, at least, not many, though the bikers, when turning, do tend to jerk from point-to-point, rather than move smoothly, leading you to conclude that developers Acclaim must have recorded just the four 'turning' animations: left, right, extreme left and extreme right.

Our biggest complaint with EA's Supercross 2000 was that, in spite of all its pretty graphics, solid options and realistic physics, it was extremely difficult to properly maneuver riders around corners. It felt decidedly loose. Acclaim's McGrath takes an alternative approach and throws physics out the window entirely. While the title has a fast sense about it, dirt-bikers have no worries about the silly laws of gravity, easily defying inertia to turn on a dime without the loss of speed or sensation.

The analog stick is used to manipulate bikers, who sway back and forth with the slightest pressure and, when we factor in the sometimes-choppy framerate, can be rather difficult to control in certain arenas and areas with wide-open, curving track. Crashing into invisible walls and track-side objects is common and can often bring bikes to a dead-stop. Luckily, because the physics of the game are not based in reality, it's easy to kick-start right back into full speed a moment later.

In beginner mode, it's entirely possible to simply press the acceleration button, steer the bike away from walls now and again, and come in first place. Pro Mode is slightly more difficult as Acclaim has employed a cheap trick to make the competition race much faster, but even that can easily be overcome for the win. We had no trouble taking the top spot time and again on the game's most difficult setting the first time we played it. Not exactly thrilling stuff here.

The 16 courses are split into two categories, with super offering not-so-super stadium racing, and moto offering some slightly-more-interesting outside courses. Both still offer less-than-enthralling gaming, but motocross does have a few unexpected twists and turns and a wealth of high jumps, meaning you can also take advantage of the game's other claim to fame: stunts. By holding down R when you're airborne and wiggling the analogue, you can pull off such tricks as swinging your legs around in a circle, lifting your arms above your head, and thrsuting your groin forward like you mean business. Successfully pull off those stunts and you get extra seconds minused from your overall lap time -- which would be perfect if it wasn't incredibly easy to clock up unbeatable lap times.

The game feels thrown together with unrealistic control, no notable physics to be found, an unplayable championship mode and a graphic look that's simply outdated. The game's multiplayer isn't much to write home about, though bizarrely everything seems to run quicker in two-player, while the four-player mode is commendable but instantly forgetabble, as no amount of friends can skip the fact that Jeremy McGrath Supercross 2000 is as uninteresting as Gay Byrne.

Noel Brady