Gravity Games Bike: Street Vert Dirt
Encyclopedia
Gravity Games Bike: Street Vert Dirt is a BMX
video game developed and published by Midway
for the PlayStation 2
and the Xbox
. It was released in North America on June 27, 2002 for the PlayStation 2, and on September 4, 2002 for the Xbox. It was the first game released under the Gravity Games
license by Midway.
The game garnered mostly negative reception from critics. Reviewers criticized the game's broken gameplay, graphical glitches, and collision detection
problems. Some critics, however, praised the game's large level designs. It is notable for its negative reception.
Gravity Games Bike is a BMX
video game, and features gameplay similar to that of the Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX
games. It features 21 characters and 10 levels. The player controls a BMX biker, and is required to complete various goals within levels to unlock later courses. As the player performs tricks, they gain more points and fulfill requirements in the game. The control scheme is similar to that of the Dave Mirra games in that one button on the controller
is used to perform tricks, and another is used to modify the trick once it's performed. Unlike other similar games, Gravity Games Bike rewards the same amount of points for performing the same trick repeatedly. The game has several different multiplayer modes.
license. It began development under the title Gravity Games: Bike and was the first game developed under the license. The name of the game changed to Gravity Games Bike: Street Vert Dirt by August 2001, and IGN
noted the game's fluid trick system in one of its initial builds. IGN's Douglass Perry noted Midway's attention to detailed level design in a preview for the game. IGN's Chris Carle previewed the game at E3 2002 and praised the game's level design but criticized the graphics and the slow-moving pace of the game.
version of the game was canceled due to lower than expected sales for all Midway games, though GameSpot
's Jeff Gerstmann
attributed the cancellation to its negative reception. The game received the "Worst Game of the Year" award from GameSpot for both its Xbox and PlayStation 2 versions.
The PlayStation 2 version of the received a 24% and a 37% from Metacritic
and GameRankings respectively. GameSpy
's Miguel Lopez criticized the unresponsive controls, collision detection
, and sound design, stating "... Dirt has ...a propensity to live up to its name." IGN's Chris Roper compared it unfavorably to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial for the Atari 2600
, which is often considered one of the worst games of all time. Roper noted that the game was full of glitches and had an unresponsive control scheme. GameSpot's Jeff Gerstmann called the gameplay "broken" and the game itself "unfinished". GameZone
's Natalie Romano praised the game's sound selection, level size, and character variety, while calling the control scheme "one of the game's major weaknesses."
The Xbox version of the game received a 22.5% from GameRankings, and the criticisms were mostly the same as those seen for the PlayStation 2 version. Jeff Gerstmann criticized the game for its glitches and control issues, and wrote, "Wasn't it canceled?".
BMX
Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...
video game developed and published by Midway
Midway Games
Midway Games, Inc. is an American company that was formerly a major video game publisher. Following a bankruptcy filing in 2009, it is no longer active and is in the process of liquidating all of its assets. Midway's titles included Mortal Kombat, Ms.Pac-Man, Spy Hunter, Tron, Rampage, the...
for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and the Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
. It was released in North America on June 27, 2002 for the PlayStation 2, and on September 4, 2002 for the Xbox. It was the first game released under the Gravity Games
Gravity Games
The Gravity Games were a multi-sport competition originating from Providence, Rhode Island that is broken down into Winter and Summer adaptations...
license by Midway.
The game garnered mostly negative reception from critics. Reviewers criticized the game's broken gameplay, graphical glitches, and collision detection
Collision detection
Collision detection typically refers to the computational problem of detecting the intersection of two or more objects. While the topic is most often associated with its use in video games and other physical simulations, it also has applications in robotics...
problems. Some critics, however, praised the game's large level designs. It is notable for its negative reception.
Gameplay
BMX
Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...
video game, and features gameplay similar to that of the Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX
Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX
Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX is a video game released in 2000 featuring Dave Mirra and other professional BMX riders. It was developed by Z-Axis Ltd. and published by Acclaim, and was released on the PlayStation, Dreamcast, Game Boy Color and the Windows PC...
games. It features 21 characters and 10 levels. The player controls a BMX biker, and is required to complete various goals within levels to unlock later courses. As the player performs tricks, they gain more points and fulfill requirements in the game. The control scheme is similar to that of the Dave Mirra games in that one button on the controller
Game controller
A game controller is a device used with games or entertainment systems used to control a playable character or object, or otherwise provide input in a computer game. A controller is typically connected to a game console or computer by means of a wire, cord or nowadays, by means of wireless connection...
is used to perform tricks, and another is used to modify the trick once it's performed. Unlike other similar games, Gravity Games Bike rewards the same amount of points for performing the same trick repeatedly. The game has several different multiplayer modes.
Development
Midway announced a partnership with EMAP USA on January 18, 2000, giving them the rights to the Gravity GamesGravity Games
The Gravity Games were a multi-sport competition originating from Providence, Rhode Island that is broken down into Winter and Summer adaptations...
license. It began development under the title Gravity Games: Bike and was the first game developed under the license. The name of the game changed to Gravity Games Bike: Street Vert Dirt by August 2001, and IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
noted the game's fluid trick system in one of its initial builds. IGN's Douglass Perry noted Midway's attention to detailed level design in a preview for the game. IGN's Chris Carle previewed the game at E3 2002 and praised the game's level design but criticized the graphics and the slow-moving pace of the game.
Reception
Both versions of the game were panned by critics, and are notable for their negative reception. The GameCubeNintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
version of the game was canceled due to lower than expected sales for all Midway games, though GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
's Jeff Gerstmann
Jeff Gerstmann
Jeff Gerstmann is an American video game journalist and former editorial director of the gaming website GameSpot and the founder of the gaming website Giant Bomb. He began working at GameSpot in the fall of 1996, around the launch of VideoGameSpot when GameSpot separated PC and console games into...
attributed the cancellation to its negative reception. The game received the "Worst Game of the Year" award from GameSpot for both its Xbox and PlayStation 2 versions.
The PlayStation 2 version of the received a 24% and a 37% from Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
and GameRankings respectively. GameSpy
GameSpy
GameSpy Industries, Inc., known simply as GameSpy, is a division of IGN Entertainment, which operates a network of game websites and provides online video game-related services and software. GameSpy dates back to the 1996 release of an internet Quake server search program named QSpy. The current...
's Miguel Lopez criticized the unresponsive controls, collision detection
Collision detection
Collision detection typically refers to the computational problem of detecting the intersection of two or more objects. While the topic is most often associated with its use in video games and other physical simulations, it also has applications in robotics...
, and sound design, stating "... Dirt has ...a propensity to live up to its name." IGN's Chris Roper compared it unfavorably to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial for the Atari 2600
Atari 2600
The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977 by Atari, Inc. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
, which is often considered one of the worst games of all time. Roper noted that the game was full of glitches and had an unresponsive control scheme. GameSpot's Jeff Gerstmann called the gameplay "broken" and the game itself "unfinished". GameZone
GameZone
GameZone is an American multiplatform video game website. GameZone's daily coverage includes reviews, previews, news, hints & cheats, and editorials. Additionally, GameZone offers downloads, a child-targeted website and in association with GameStop, hosts GZGameShop, an online retailer...
's Natalie Romano praised the game's sound selection, level size, and character variety, while calling the control scheme "one of the game's major weaknesses."
The Xbox version of the game received a 22.5% from GameRankings, and the criticisms were mostly the same as those seen for the PlayStation 2 version. Jeff Gerstmann criticized the game for its glitches and control issues, and wrote, "Wasn't it canceled?".