No Fear Downhill Mountain Biking - PlayStation

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Viewed: 3D Third-person, over the shoulder Genre:
Sport: Cycling
Arcade origin:No
Developer: UDS Soft. Co.: UDS
Publishers: Codemasters (GB)
Released: Oct 1999 (GB)
Ratings: 3+
Accessories: Analogue JoyPad, Memory Card
Features: Vibration Compatible

Summary

Bicycles on the PSX? This could have been one big mud-slingingly awful mistake, but no fear, ahem, No Fear MTB is a moderately successful conversion, looks-wise. It's a racer, of course, and it's certainly a novel change from the generic racing games usually found on this platform.

Conserve your energy though, because, unlike pootling about in a rally car or on a motorcycle, pedalling furiously using your fingers and thumbs will sap your rider's energy supplies very quickly. So learn when to freewheel for a while. It is a downhill race, remember?

There are single race or tournament options, and some interesting choices of location to race, including our very own Haworth, North Yorkshire. Disappointingly, there's only ever one opponent racing at the same time as you. Things would be infinitely more interesting if there were more riders in the field. Stunts can be pulled with inventive use of your digits (blister warning!), but won't add to your final score - it's just a distraction from what can become repetitive gameplay.

Considering how popular mountain biking is these days, it's not surprising to see it added to the ever-increasing list of genres. If you must bash the buttons instead of getting out there and doing it for real, there's no finer - let alone no other - place to start.