The reality is that these games, like Tony Hawk and Mat Hoffman, are at the top of the heap when it comes to gameplay. Mat Hoffman 2 on the PS2 is no exception. There are loads of tricks to perform, and the controls to pull them off are as tight as ever. If there are any drawbacks, it would be that there are so many tricks, and trick situations, that learning all the controls can be a bit overwhelming. A large emphasis is placed on freestyle land tricks, which are performed out of manuals. So, in order to rack up a large amount of points, one trick string may go a little something like this: jump (A), trick (left+X), grind (up+Y), jump (A), trick (right+X), manual (down,down,up), freestyle (right,right+B), freestyle (left+X), jump (A), trick (up+X). PHEW! Get my drift? If you are well acquainted with these types of games, then it won’t take you long to pick it all up again.

Like the rest of the extreme games, there are a variety of modes to choose from. You can choose to free ride or session through any levels you’ve opened so far. You can succumb to your competitive nature and face off against a friend in a large variety of multiplayer games. But, most importantly, you can venture off on a nationwide tour achieving goals and earning rewards. This is the area that just wears on your nerves, yet it’s the backbone of the single player game. If you didn’t have all these goals to accomplish in each level, then there really wouldn’t be much to do. It’s kind of a catch 22. Pulling off bigger stunts and combos for huge points is one thing, but why oh why do I have to search through these levels for obscure things like barrels and wedding rings.

The graphics have come up to standards since the first title, which is due in large part to the move to the next gen systems. The player models are a little blocky, but the bikes look perfect. There are highs and lows to be found in the animation department. The freestyle land tricks and the big air vert tricks hit the extreme high points, while transition and collision animations haven’t attained nearly the same level. Speaking of collisions, there are some very suspect areas of collision detection. I’ve had cases of my rider doing a lip trick off a rail on a billboard, and then dropping off through the billboard and landing on the other side. Close quarters can become frustrating due to the size of the bike. You can really feel trapped if you’re in a small area between a wall and a rail. It seems like every move makes you hit and react to one of those objects leaving you rider in a seizure of collision animations.

There’s not a whole lot to the audio of the game. Of course there’s the licensed background music and the sound effects for crashing and grinding and such, but that’s all there is to it. The music is melting pot of genres ranging from ska to rap to rock. Personally I don’t care a lick for a single track in the game, but this is for you to decide (due to the fact that this is not a music review).

Standard differences apply between the XBox and the PS2 versions. The XBox game looks a little better and has the obligatory extra rider and level, but it lacks the use of home made soundtracks, which is a bummer. Rainbow Studios did an admirable job of bring the Mat Hoffman series up to date. If it weren’t for the fact that the tasks involved in each level of these games are getting ridiculously redundant, we’d probably just keep handing out the “A”s for excellence in video gameplay. In a video game vacuum, this is a superb title which one must own, but I must compromise because the video game industry does not, in fact, exist in a vacuum. Only pick this up if your are crazy for the O2 series of video games or are new to the genre.