Reviewed: July 25, 2002
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Publisher
Midway

Developer
Deibus

Released: June 24, 2002
Genre: Racing
Players: 9
ESRB: Teen

8
8
8
8
8.2

Supported Features:

  • Analog Control
  • Vibration
  • Memory Card (130kb)


  • If there is one thing you can say about Midway it’s that they sure come up with some cool concepts for games. These guys are more like geneticists than game designers. They analyze, tweak and combine the “digital DNA” of all your favorite games and genres and the results are often something very special and very original - Dr. Muto anyone?

    Freestyle Metal X holds some very special E3 memories for me, mainly because it was the last game (of only six) that I played at the show and the one I played the most (nearly 30 minutes). Much to its credit of “pick-up-and-play” design, I was catching mad air and ripping tricks and combos with no tutorial and only a few hints from the resident Midway PR rep looking over my shoulder. When my time was up with this title the PR guy asked what I thought of the game and I said something along the lines of, “It’s Tony Hawk on a dirt bike”, and he replied, “Exactly!”

    So there you have it. If you liked Tony Hawk or AKA Aggressive Inline or even Gravity Games Bike: Street. Vert. Dirt. - Midway’s BMX non-motorized version of Metal X, then you are going to love this game. There is so much that is familiar to the extreme sports genre and then there are all the new innovations that Midway is famous for dreaming up and including in each new release.


    There is so much to do in Freestyle Metal X I don’t even know where to start. I guess the tutorial is a good place since the unique and challenging nature of the gameplay and trick system will send ALL players to Cindy’s Motocross School. Suck up that ego and do the training. You’ll earn some cash and might just learn something.

    FMX has a unique control scheme that gives you unprecedented control over your bike and allows you to pull off amazing moves. You have the basics like gas and brake assigned to X and square and the advanced controls like clutch and preload assigned to R1 and L1. Stunts are performed using the circle button and directional input and further modified by using the triangle and additional directional input. It’s a fairly complicated system but the tutorial does a fantastic job of teaching you the basics.

    All of these controls are nothing new, having been used in racing and extreme sports games since the genre was born, but this is the first time they have all come together in such a tightly integrated and comprehensive package - I’m talking almost 100 tricks listed on six pages in the manual.

    Those who have played other MX racing games might be familiar with the clutch which is typically used for quick spurts coming out of a tight turn, hill climbing, or getting a quick boost when you land a jump. The purpose remains the same in FMX only the effect is much more exaggerated giving you an almost nitro-like boost with flames coming off your tire. This is the first half of the secret to getting massive airtime.

    Preloading is the “art” (or science) of shifting your weight on the bike to compress the rear springs then just as you leave the edge of the ramp, or whatever it is you are jumping off of, you lift your butt off the seat and release the tension causing the bike to launch even higher into the air. Some games assign this to the analog stick allowing you to easily shift your weight around, but FMX puts this function on the L1. It’s a time-based command so the longer you hold the button the more tension you build, but if you hold it for too long you lose it all and have to start over.

    Proper clutching and preloading are the ultimate secrets to playing Freestyle Metal X. Both functions are clearly indicated with visuals like a boost meter for the clutch and a compressing spring for the preload, but it won’t take long before you simply get the rhythm down for these moves and you won’t even need to use these meters.

    Balance is a consideration when rail grinding or riding wheelies or stoppies for their maximum possible distance. Whenever you get into a balancing situation a meter will appear, either vertical or horizontal and you must finesse the analog stick to maintain your balance. Your ability to maintain these stunts for extended periods is based more on your rider’s balance attribute than your own skills.

    Riders have four primary attributes; Strength, Style, Balance, and Airtime. These attributes can be augmented throughout the game by collecting attribute power-ups (dumbbell icons) allowing you some minor control over customizing your character. Also, in a brilliant design move, you are rewarded for safe riding by not having to pay expensive hospital bills. Each time you wreck your rider will take a bit of damage. This adds up and you will have to pay the sum of the medial bills at the end of each event, but if you take too much damage the level ends and you go directly to the hospital and pay $1,000.

    You can also upgrade your bike, or choose new ones as they become available. You’ll earn money during the game by completing challenges and finding wads of cash floating high above the levels. You can then use this money to enhance your Engine, Brakes, Tires, and Suspension. Much like your rider, your bike also has a damage system. Tires wear out, the frame will take stress damage, all of which is shown on the color-coded bike damage indicator down by your health meter.

    The trick system is unlike what we’ve all come to expect from stunt games. Instead of catching some air then inputting a direction and a button followed by a grab modifier, etc., in FMX you tap out sophisticated Tekken-like combos, some of which are nearly as complicated, and instead of a single button modifier you must use the triangle combined with even more movement input. So to do a simple Bar Hop you tap out Up, Up + Circle. When that trick is finished you can combine other stunts like a Nac Nac (Right + Circle), or you could modify the base stunt by switching to the Triangle button and inputting Down, Down + Triangle for a Double Seatgrab. After some practice you will be ripping out moves like the Reverse Kiss of Death (Down, Circle + Right, Right, Triangle + Right, Right, Triangle + Down, Up, Triangle).

    My one and only complaint about the trick system is that it’s not a real-time trick system. You input the trick sequence, which triggers an elaborate animation that often takes longer to play out than the inputs. It becomes all too easy to get carried away and fill up some sort of “trick buffer”. What this means is that long after you have stopped pressing buttons your rider is still doing tricks based on your complicated inputs. If you aren’t careful and have your ass firmly planted on the seat when you touch down it’s “crash city” and no points for you. For you daring tricksters, you are rewarded for ending the trick as close to landing as possible.

    Just in case things aren’t complicated enough we have the Radometer, a nifty little bar graph that slowly fills as you do tricks and combos and slowly depletes when you aren’t. Once the meter is full you are then able to perform one of many special stunts for big points. The entire concept is quite similar to the stunt meter and uber tricks in SSX Tricky.

    For the first time ever MX stunt racing gets dangerously close to invading the turf of inline skating, skateboarding, and BMX, with the inclusion of wheelies and stoppies into the trick system. Much like the “manual” system in those other games, you are now able to chain tricks across flat surfaces by getting up on one wheel and riding it to your next vert. As long as some kind of trick is going on the combo is never broken. This is made even easier by the skateboard park-like design found in the game’s massive levels.

    One of the coolest features of Freestyle Metal X is that the levels aren’t your traditional fabricated park designs but rather real-world environments, eight of them that are all interconnected via bridges and tunnels, and as they become unlocked you can travel to any of them at any time. The data for these levels is streaming, so as you travel to each new area it simply appears with no visible load times or transition screens.

    Each themed “section” of the world map is massive in size and amazingly complex. If you thought the levels in AKA Aggressive Inline were big prepare to be blown away. It can literally take you several minutes to drive from one end of a section to the other and when you finally open up the Cross Country stage where all the zones are available it can take you 10-15 minutes to cross the map.

    Take the Rodeo Rise level for instance. When you start off you are in a nice little farmhouse setting with plenty of ramps to jump and barns to crash through. There are some large pipes you can loop in and a cattle pen where you can rustle a steer, but if you pick a direction (any direction) and start driving you are going to uncover all sorts of new and exciting locations, each rich with their own stunt possibilities. To one side are some rolling hills that follow the power lines and electrical towers. Following this trail takes you to a large dirt bowl where you can do all sorts of stunts off the steep verts and concrete structures. Cross the covered bridge and take the dirt road along the river through the canyon and you will come to a secluded area of the map that looks like a ski run without the snow. This steep hill is rife with stunt opportunities, some obvious, others not so obvious. You can easily ride 2-3 minutes in any direction before you get a warning that you are “leaving the area”.

    To compliment these massive worlds is a comprehensive challenge system that is presented in the now-traditional checklist format. Unlike the other games in the genre that give you x-many minutes to do as much as you can, you have all the time you want or need to do anything and everything in this game, although some individual challenges will have their own short timer. You start off by riding around the world looking for yellow arrows that point to “InfoChicks” (I’m not making that up) who will present your challenge in their squeaky voice. You usually get a cinematic showing you what must be done then you get to do it. Often you will complete a challenge even before you know what it is, and thankfully you are given credit for it and the girl/arrow is removed.

    Challenges range in difficulty from terribly easy to insanely hard, but they almost always involve a stunt or two and some interaction with the environment. One level has you jumping and arcing into a water tower to knock it over and put out a barn fire while another has you racing through the aisles of a supermarket chasing down shoplifters. They are all fairly creative and a lot of diverse fun.

    Once you complete the Challenge mode you will unlock the Big Air, Freestyle, and Race modes. These aren’t nearly as challenging as the…err…challenge mode (duh!). Both Big Air and Freestyle have you making three runs to score as many points as possible with the lowest of the three scores being dropped. Big Air is a single jump event while Freestyle is a two-minute timed event where you can go anywhere and do anything as long as you are scoring big points. Typically, if you just sprint over to the ramp where you did the Big Air trick and rip off as many jumps as you can in the remaining time you will win the Freestyle.

    The final event is the race where you go up against the area champ in a lengthy checkpoint race. This is a timed event and doing stunts will add precious time to your clock. This is a clever mix of doing just enough tricks to keep the clock alive without risking a wreck and falling behind in the race. The races are pretty long and do a good job of highlighting all of the major points of interest in each level, almost like a final exam.

    There is also a Freeride mode that lets you explore these massive levels at your leisure. You’ll see other computer bikers racing around but there isn’t much to do other than practice and learn the lay of the land. There are also a varied assortment of unlockable items; posters, videos, event tickets, attributes, cash, etc. These are tallied up on the stats screen and you can go back and get these at your leisure, or not at all. Some items are hidden quite well and the game can quickly turn into a scavenger hunt. I would have enjoyed being able to collect my missing pick-ups in the Freeride mode, but instead, you have to replay the Challenge mode to find any missing items. At least you don’t have to repeat the challenges.

    Perhaps you caught my mentioning “event tickets” in the previous paragraph. There are all sorts of daredevil events you can participate in such as jumping busses or driving through fiery tunnels or going through consecutive loops. You spend your event tickets to enter these contests then you can continue through increasingly demanding challenges.

    And if you act right now Midway is throwing in an advanced level editor. You won’t be creating anything close to the complexity of the built-in worlds but you can manage to create some impressive park designs and entertain yourself and your friends. The editor is a snap to use - only three steps and a half-page of documentation if that tells you anything.

    But wait…there’s more. How about some 9-player “pass-the-controller” party games where you can compete for high stunt points or best combos or perhaps the most fun of all, Human Darts. Race forward and quickly stop to launch your rider over the handlebars. As you sail through the air you must avoid floating mines and aim toward the target to score the most points possible. Not only is this a great demo for their rag doll physics model, it’s a total blast alone or with a group of demented buddies.


    Freestyle Metal X has a visual style that can best be described as “extreme”. Don’t believe me – just look at the cover. It gets even better when you first start the game and see just one of several possible ways the crash victim flies onto the opening screen and smacks the wall or hits the railing. Once in the game menus you are treated to some of the best visual art and caricature designs since the original Road Rash game on the 3DO.

    The bike and player models are intricately designed and fleshed out with unique textures. If you choose to customize your bike you will be dazed at the vast amount of parts and body panels you can mix and match to create your own unique ride. Costumes are limited to the default outfit and one bonus costume that must be unlocked. You can also choose to ride with or without helmet, which is purely a visual element – I was hoping the rider would take more damage if they chose to ride without protection.

    The levels are massive, complex, multidimensional theme parks that will occupy and entertain you for hours. You’ll find plenty of environmental objects conveniently located so you can perform endless strings of stunts and combos. Even buildings will often have curved sloping embankments where they meet the street allowing you to vert off of just about anything in the game. You can ramp off of dumpster lids, construction dirt piles, stairs, and countless other natural items then you have the obvious stunt objects like ramps, an actual skate park, or in the case of Villa Brava, a domed arena that is home to an authentic motocross track.

    The best thing about the level design is that the challenges and pick-ups are designed to work within the level and not the other way around. Nothing seems out of place or forced. Sure, it might be hard to find a dozen parked semi trucks to jump in the real world, but finding them parked just outside a huge domed arena makes perfect sense, not that you really need a reason to believe anything in this game.

    Considering the scale and complexity of these massive environments I was impressed at the level of texture detail and the flawless framerate that provided the perfect racing and stunt experience. There is always something going on, either traffic, or people, or animals, and the sprawling views are stunning. The visual themes for each level are wonderful and the environments drive the challenges and stunt situations. There are excellent night and day effects and even some bad weather to challenge your skills.

    The technical quality is excellent for a PS2 game with only a bit of visual fade-in on the furthest parts of the city. It’s all so far away that you won’t even notice unless you are looking for it. The game frequently cuts away to in-game cinematics to indicate mission objectives. These start and end seamlessly with the game so there is hardly a break in the action. If you need to look around you can use the L2/R2 triggers to look to either side or both to look behind you then rotate the camera view around to scan for important items.

    The rider animation is perhaps the best part of the game, demonstrating some of the best crash animations and rag doll physics I’ve ever seen. It’s almost painful to watch when your rider goes flying off his bike and tumbles across the pavement, grass, or dirt flopping around wildly. The blood smear is a bit unrealistic, almost as if it was painted on with a very wide brush, but at least there’s blood.


    The soundtrack certainly steals the show in FMX with some old-school heavy metal and classic rock and roll. As innovative as 3DO was when they got Sound Garden to do the soundtrack to Road Rash, Midway has assembled rock legends like Motley Crue, Megadeath, Motorhead, and yes, Twisted Sister to create perhaps the best soundtrack in racing history – okay, second best. I keep forgetting about Gran Turismo 3.

    In addition to all the great music you get right out of the box you can unlock additional bonus music as you play the game. This has long been a dream of mine and I am finally glad to see developers who are able to reward you with more tangible bonuses than a pair of sunglasses or a new tattoo.

    Sound effects are minimal and include the whining sounds of your dirt bike that changes with the size of the engine. You get that chainsaw-like whine of the smaller 125cc or the staccato roar of the larger bikes. There are plenty of grunts, groans, and oomph’s during the crashes and a few nice synthesized effects when you pass through a power-up or trick multiplier and a sweet little sound effect when you max out the Radometer.

    The InfoChicks have annoying and whiny voices that try too hard to be sexy, but you can easily understand what they are saying, and if you can’t it’s subtitled. There’s not much else to the sound experience but then again, the game doesn’t call for much variety.


    Freestyle Metal X is massive and offers more gameplay for your money than any two of its competitors. With eight huge zones, each with a dozen or so challenges, it will take you 10-12 hours to get through just that aspect of the game. Then you have posters, videos, and other unlockable bonuses that you will want to find and watch. Some of the videos feature real-life MX racers talking about their career and showing off their craziest moves.

    Then you have all of the additional modes, bonus games, Human Darts, level editor, and multiplayer party modes that will easily keep you at this title for 30+ hours. Skip the rental and buy this game today.


    Freestyle Metal X takes all the great concepts from games that have come before it and genetically engineered them into an enhanced super-game. The trick system is overwhelming in scope and the difficulty is challenging yet rewarding once you master its nuances. Combined with creative level design, fun challenges, and a rocking soundtrack you couldn’t ask for a better game.