PlayStation 2

MX Superfly Featuring Ricky Carmichael

MX Superfly is a great dirt-bike racer. It's packed full of features and options, including 22 tracks of varying locales (both indoor and out) and 14 pro riders for starters. If you're one of those types who lives for big air videogames, then this game is virtual gold for you. You can soar in Superfly -- really soar. Huge air potential, massive tricks and stunts -- you can clear chasms while performing one-handed 360-degree spins if you like, and it's just as entertaining and satisfying as it sounds.

This year's Ricky Carmichael title from THQ, MX Superfly, continues on in the tradition of last years MX 2002. There are a lot of new features and advancements but the game also suffers from many of the same gameplay pitfalls. At its heart, MX Superfly is both a good motocross racing title and a good freestyle stunt riding game. The only drawback is that the two parts never meld into one gameplay mode. This year's new mini-games do add a little more replay depth to MX Superfly, but some of the basic issues still need to be addressed for next year's game.

MX Superfly is pleasingly deep, with mini games galore, two fairly deep single-player modes, and a diverse trick system. Some may prefer Freekstyle's more outlandish, unrealistic approach to the sport of motocross, but most people will find that Superfly is greatly inspired and really brings you a sense that you're a real dirt bike racer. MX Superfly is a great play, whether you're a fan of the actual sport or not.

My biggest problem with MX Superfly was there was nothing that really knocked my socks off. Everything was above average, but nothing went over the hump to get to excellent. If you haven't picked up MX 2002 yet, then I would highly recommend picking up Superfly. For you MX 2002 owners there aren’t enough upgrades to the overall game to really want to go out and buy this one.

Overall, MX Superfly is the best motocross game available for the PS2. The tracks represent the real life sport extremely well while the freestyle mode takes just enough liberties with the laws of physics to be fun but not too goofy. While it doesn’t have a first person camera angle, which was one of my favorite parts of MX Rider, the two camera options available get the job done. The game looks good and sounds absolutely fantastic. If you are a fan of the sport in real life, or you just like a good racing video game, then MX Superfly is a solid purchase.

MX Superfly is a cleaned-up and slightly larger version of MX 2002. If you missed out on MX 2002, Superfly is a perfect place to start. If you're a casual MX 2002 player, though, you might not notice or appreciate the game's changes and updates as much as a MX 2002 fanatic would.

With a diverse amount of gameplay options, solid graphics, and decent sound, MX Superfly offers up a pleasurable gaming experience. The Race Career alone kept me coming back for more. Unfortunately, a mediocre trick system proved to be more of an annoyance than an innovation. Nevertheless, in the end, MX fans will likely find this title worthwhile.

Grab your helmet and hop on, MX Superfly is extreme motocross action fans of the genre will enjoy. Although not completely perfect, it does manage to provide a few thrills until the next Ricky Carmichael inspired MX title.