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Supercross 2000
Score: 70%
ESRB: Everyone
Publisher: EA Sports
Developer: MBL Research
Media: CD/1
Players: 1 - 2
Genre: Sports (Racing)/ Sports (Extreme)

Graphics & Sound:
Well, I have to start this review by stating that I’ve never before played a biking game of any kind... unless you count Road Rash. But nonetheless, I gave Supercross 2000 my best. The graphics were typical EA Sports quality, which of course is very good. And as usual, they included all the necessary sounds of a sporting event, which just makes the game that much more interesting. However, I do recommend turning down the sound of the engines, because after a few races, it does tend to get a little annoying. But the commentators were really good. They call all the plays, mostly the ones behind you, which is good so you sort of know what’s going on in the race. Plus, they add in little tidbits of information about Motocross racing.

Gameplay:
Gameplay is pretty basic racing play. You can either start off in Practice Mode where you can race any track you desire, or just jump right into a Season. But like any other racing game, the object is to get from the start to the finish in your appointed amount of laps and win, win, win! You can also choose from numerous “famous” players, none of which I knew. That’ll teach me for not following the sport! Also, you can customize your bike by changing the size of the engine or changing your traction; you can mess with the gears for better acceleration or speed, and you can set the shocks for hard or soft. All of these play a key role in achieving the first place position. As for types of play in Supercross 2000, you have your choice of Single Race, which is exactly like it sounds, FreeStyle, which gives you an opportunity to show off your freestyle skills and allows you to beat the other players in the way of trick points -- the better you do, the better the points. There’s also Practice, which is just a practice session -- no points, no winning; it just allows you to brush up on your skills. And of course Season, which consists of 16 races.

Difficulty:
There are three levels of difficulty to Supercross 2000: Beginner, Rookie, and Pro. You also have options like invisible walls, which allow you to not jump outside the track (it’s good for beginners). Lean assist reduces the impact of the rider when he leans to the sides or back. Also, you can set the speed maximum and collision sensitivity. All of these provide for either an easy race or a much more difficult one. To be honest, the hardest thing I found about the game was turning the darn bike! It’s very sensitive, and once you start to loss control, it’s almost impossible to get the first place position back, which is very frustrating. The other thing is if you happen to get stuck on a bail of hay or a wall, it can take forever to get the bike out.

Game Mechanics:
Basic game mechanics here: X go, Square stop. But the Circle button allows for stunts to be performed and the triangle allows you to reset yourself on the track, which was good for when I got stuck! Not exactly rocket science, but with a little or a lot of practice (depending on if you’ve only played car racing games before) will make you a Supercross Star in no time.

-Paradox, GameVortex Communications
AKA Ryan Whitten

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