Game Zone reviews

PlayStation 2

An hour is a fair amount of time to be able to get to grips with a driving game. Any more and it starts to feel like a driving test (I should know, I've just failed four). Until now, most of the F1 games with any style require a two-week crash course with Schumacher before you can complete a lap.
That's all wrong. If you want to learn to drive, do it for real. EA's F1 2001 is not a driving simulator. It mixes the experience of Formula 1 racing with arcade-style playability. Which means you smack your thumb on the 'X' button and away you go. The better you get, the more driver assists you can turn off, but it means that everyone can have some enjoyment right from the start. It looks gorgeous, too, from the menus to the cars themselves, but especially the accurate depictions of all the famous race circuits from around the globe.
Driving sim purists will hate this game. Perhaps they should try BSM. Come and have a go if you think you're Coulthard enough. (NP)

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Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 2

PlayStation 2

As you've probably guessed from the title, there's a predecessor to this baby, but as of today it's dead and buried. Number two is bigger, better and far, far fatter. As in the original, its focus is on performing tricks, showing off around 1,500 of them, but this time round the tricks will leave you pinching yourself in disbelief.
The aim is to work your way up and pull off tricks that will impress and earn the respect of fellow riders, thus allowing you to move on to other levels. The game features authentic BMX champions including Mirra and Zach Shaw, but you can also create your own radical character. It's a truly great-looking game, which without strict supervision can become very addictive.
If I was going to pick any holes in it, it would have to be the music. It's a nightmare - Rage Against The Machine, Ozzy Osbourne and Sublime. Ow, my ears. (HM)

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