MTV Sports: T.J. Lavin's Ultimate BMX

      Once again, MTV Sports puts their name on another extreme sports title from THQ (read the reviews of other MTV liscence games in our last issue of BANDWIDTH). Once again, there is a star name to accompany it. This time, T.J. Lavin lends his name to the latest extreme sports craze, BMX bike riding.

      Badseed has got a little bit of a problem with this game. I think it is hard to get a handle on. I know it is hard to do these stunts in real life, but to make a gamer feel the same difficulty is pointless and often times detrimental to any franchise. I could barely maneuver my biker around to get him up a ramp, let alone have him pull off a move. Over time, I started to figure it out, but it was a long time and that is never good, for I am a reviewer, it is my job, but to some kid who gets bored easily, this difficulty could result in a tossing aside of the Game Boy cartridge. Thankfully, MTV Sports and THQ have me on their side, letting them know that after figuring out how to maneuver around, this game is a blast and a whole lot of fun to play.

      This game becomes addictive after awhile, as you finally figure out how to perform some crazy stunts and must now attempt at achieving a certain score to move on to the next level. You just miss, and you know you could do it with one more time, so you end up playing again and again until you move on where the cycle begins again.

      You have six selectable pros to choose from in your attempt at BMX glory. Once you choose your biker, you take to one of over 10 levels that contain street, vert or dirt environments, making for some realistic, and somewhat difficult environments. Once on the course, you can do a plethora of moves, including grinds, tailwhips and seatgrabs, which are mad cool to pull off. I know I could do this in real life, but for the sake of this review and my life, I will stick to the simulated version.

      This game also contains real BMX sponsors. Okay, I really don't care about that, but it is always a nice touch to throw in some realism and also earn money for the game as well. What is really cool is that as you move on from level to level, you can upgrade your bikes with money won from competitions. So, your tire is lacking in its' abilities? Well get a new one. YEAH!!!! Now you will be able to kick some extreme ass.

      Badseed's Bottomline: 2.5 out of 5. This is an average game that needs some tweaking to make it a really good game. Yes, I had fun with it, but if I was a casual gamer, I wouldn't pick this up knowing how difficult it was to get used to. Still, if you are a BMX or extreme sports nut, you will want to get your hands on this as well as the next game up for review, Pure Ride.

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MTV Sports: Pure Ride

      This game is a pure rush. Just like the Playstation version, I really enjoy this game a lot. It is a lot of fun to play and for a Game Boy game; it really captures the essence of snow boarding. There is no need for any star's name to accompany this title as the game play alone is good enough to make this one a must buy.

      Take one of four riders, and use one of four boards as you take to the slopes of seven locations, which includes Africa of all places! Still, these locations are a lot of fun to try your hand at, as you try to become the ultimate snowboarder on the slopes. You have 12 distinct tricks up your sleeve that will earn you points and move you up in the ranks.

      The cool aspect of this game is that it is virtually easy to get the hang of. I had loads of fun timing my jump off the ramp and then pulling off a phat move without falling on my face. Yeah, I am the man. Now if I can only pull off three or four more cool moves before the time runs out on my candy ass. I better move fast if I want to move on to the next level. France, here I come.

      Badseed's Bottomline: 5 out of 5. This game is a pure adrenaline rush and very addictive to play. I totally enjoyed the slalom aspect of the game as I swooshed in and around flags in the area to qualify for my competitive tour in Norway or whatever country it was. It really doesn't matter. No matter what locale you must do your stuff in, you are sure to have a good time doing it. Pure Ride for the Game Boy Color is pure perfection for your video game collection.

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