Home Page / psx / N / No Fear Downhill Mountain Bike Racing / Review Listing / Review

The genre of “extreme” sports gained plenty of attention from developers and respect from traditional “stick and ball” gamers after the success of the incredibly fun Sled Storm from Electronic Arts and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater by Activision in 1999. So the recent release of No Fear Downhill Mountain Bike Racing from Codemasters, a respected British developer of such strong racing games as the TOCA series and Colin McRae Rally, warranted a close look. No company had produced a game of downhill mountain biking, but Codemasters’ past history indicated this title had plenty of promise.

Codemasters has a reputation of developing and publishing excellent car-racing sims with realistic physics and excellent driving models. Creating a realistic simulation of downhill mountain biking is a challenge, as a two-wheeled, 30-pound bike handles much differently than a four-wheeled, 2,500-pound car. But Codemasters pulled it off in regards to physics and close competition, to some extent.

But No Fear Downhill Mountain Bike Racing still fails to compel because of a number of flaws in every area, particularly longevity. This game is a blast when first played, but it becomes repetitive and tiresome after a while, especially in the Championship mode. Read on to find out why. Gameplay:

As an avid mountain biker, I really wondered if Codemasters could re-create the physics of a mountain bike in a video game. They pulled it off, for the most part.

The bikes handle with decent realism, as you can really feel the sensation of carving into turns and catching air over jumps. Proper weight transfer, achieved by pressing the left analog stick forward or pulling it backward, also is crucial and well modeled. Proper use of the rear brake also will allow the bike to slide sideways around tight and hairpin turns, another nice touch of realism.

The bikes also slow realistically when leaving the main trail, and the bikes seem to handle differently on the varying track surfaces, which range from dirt, mud, sand, asphalt and snow. That’s realistic and cool.

But Codemasters botched the physics regarding lean angles when carrying too much speed into a turn, on all surfaces. In short, these bikes never slide out from under the rider, which is very unrealistic. If a rider carries too much speed into a turn and doesn’t crank the handlebars, they will simply plow off the course. That’s accurate. But if a rider tries to careen through a turn at high speed while carrying too much speed, that rider will simply turn almost perpendicular to the trail instead of sliding out. That’s very unrealistic and can lead to some moments of frustration while your front tire is pointing uphill.

Computer-controlled riders have realistic racing characteristics. They will make contact with human riders, and they also will make mistakes. That’s very refreshing, keeping races close and always giving human riders a chance to win.

The most unique and best design characteristic of No Fear is the energy management system. Players lose energy every time they press the pedal button or use the right analog stick for pedaling. A vertical meter shows the energy level remaining, with green indicating decent power and red indicating oxygen debt. There’s not anywhere near enough energy to just hammer through a course, so players must decide when to coast and when to pedal. That creates many fascinating strategy scenarios. Riders must decide whether to start fast and try to hang on or to start slow and charge near the finish. And sometimes those strategy decisions change during various sections of the course, on the fly. There seems to be a bit of catch-up logic programmed into the game for trailing human players, so I had more success with the patient, then fly-at-the-end strategy. Either way, Codemasters must be praised for this unique approach to the limits of human performance. The rider is the engine in this racing game, and these engines have stamina limits. Codemasters did an excellent job simulating this.

There is a nice mix of courses among the 25 provided in the game, with rural, forest, jungle and urban tracks around the world. There’s even a track on a volcano lava field in Japan that riders can unlock by winning the Amateur championship in the Championship mode. But some of the tracks are too flat in spots, removing the word “downhill” from this title. Still, it’s not a big deal, as the energy needed to pedal on the flatter areas increases the challenge of energy management over the entire course.

The only major flaw in the tracks is inconsistency in the effects of running off the track. On forest tracks, I rode right through brush and small saplings without penalty. But I sailed into the river the moment my wheel touched the edge of the water on the fun Rapids track. More consistency is needed in this area. Plus it would have been cool to have the option to turn off the invisible walls that seem to line most courses. That would have increased the challenge and longevity of this game, too.

I am one of the biggest opponents of cheat codes in the universe. I hate them, and I think they detract from the sense of accomplishment and reward from learning and mastering a game. OK, that said, my sheer frustration with the championship mode of No Fear Downhill Mountain Bike Racing nearly caused me to log on to the Web and find codes for this game. In short, the design of the Championship mode of this game is flawed and really destroys the game’s longevity. It singlehandedly downgrades this game from a purchase to a fun weekend rental.

In all modes, human players select one of six characters: Marlon, Jennifer, Daniel, Donna, Scott and Mary. Each rider has varying levels of balance, power, recovery and stamina. To Codemasters’ credit, each rider does perform differently, creating freshness in this aspect of the game. But a create-a-rider function is sorely lacking here. It would have been cool to build a dumpy-looking dude who looked like me. Plus I was surprised that a game with the commercial endorsement of No Fear would have no real riders from which to choose. Giant is the only bike manufacturer represented in the game, and there is no aftermarket equipment from any real manufacturers. That was one of the strengths of 989 Sports’ Supercross Circuit, and it really added to the realism of the game.

The Championship mode is an exercise in either patience or frustration. I think most gamers will gravitate toward the latter. Hell, I’m an avid mountain biker who loves a challenge, and the Championship mode nearly had me throwing my controller through the television screen. Human riders in the Championship mode are placed into an eight-rider tournament at the start. That tournament starts on the same course, every time, and riders must start at the amateur level and win it before advancing to the pro and elite skill levels.

And it might take a pretty long time to advance. Riders must win three consecutive races, moving through the tournament brackets, on each track to capture the title for that track. Then they advance to the next track on the circuit. Only six of the 25 tracks in the game are available in the amateur circuit, producing 18 races within that circuit. Riders receive various parts upgrades such as alloy frames, rear suspension and slick tires for winning overall track titles on certain courses. Sounds fun, right? Well, here’s the catch: Any time a rider loses a single race, they must start from scratch on that respective track. You can ride superbly in the first two races of a track’s series and make one small mistake in the final, losing by less than a second, and have to start all over again. Riders can’t save their progress after each race, and they can’t advance to the next track. This flawed design could keep some people on the first track of the amateur level – Haworth Hill in England -- for quite a while until they get the hang of the game. And for most gamers, the time just won’t be worth it, as most of the races have a very repetitive feel.

Codemasters should have instituted a points-based or overall-time system for the tournament mode. This would have provided plenty of challenge while giving gamers some reason to continue playing. In reality, NORBA or World Cup downhillers aren’t eliminated from contention for the season if they finish second or worse in an event. They collect points and move to the next event. But Codemasters forces gamers sometimes to play double-digit races on the same track, over and over, just to win a track title. It gets very frustrating and boring, even with the exciting gameplay, very quickly.

This is a design flaw by Codemasters that hurts the TOCA series, too. In that driving game, players must have an average finish of a certain level in the first three races to advance to the next few rounds. But Codemasters takes that theory to the most severe degree with the single-elimination format of No Fear. At least drivers could race three tracks in TOCA before being eliminated. Impatient players in the Championship mode might never get off the first track in No Fear.

The reward system in No Fear is flawed, too. Riders automatically are rewarded with certain parts upgrades for winning track titles at certain tracks. Codemasters should have followed the lead of 989 Sports with its fun Supercross Circuit. In that game, riders earn money for victories and can choose from various upgrades. That system provides much more flexibility and longevity than the “take it, you’ll like it” system used by Codemasters in this game.

Other than the Championship mode, No Fear has Single Race, Time Trial, Duel and Tournament modes available at the start. A Tricks Track mode also can be unlocked. Duel and Tournament modes allow three to four players to participate, which I imagine would be great fun.

Codemasters is guilty of one of the bigger sins in current PlayStation game design: Lack of mappable controls. Strong default configurations sometimes can overcome this oversight, but that’s not the case here. The default control schemes are dodgy at best.

There are seven control configurations, varying from all digital to semi-analog setups. That’s right, semi-analog. None of the setups gives players full analog control of steering and acceleration-braking. That’s inexcusable in a game that requires this much precision. Only one configuration comes close to full analog. It provides complete analog steering with the left stick of a Sony Dual Shock controller and analog pedaling by pressing the right stick forward. But players still must press either the L1 or R1 digital buttons to use either the front or rear brake.

Codemasters attempted to increase the sophistication of this game by introducing separate buttons for the front and rear brake, but it doesn’t work, for many reasons. First, the brake buttons are not intuitively placed on the controller. The rear brake in some configurations is the L1, or left, shoulder button. The front brake is the R1, or right, shoulder button. That’s the exact opposite of how brakes are set up on a mountain bike, which has the front brake lever on the left and the rear lever on the right. Some riders do use motocross setups with rear-left and front-right, but it’s pretty rare. This is a mistake by Codemasters.

Players also can ignore the shoulder buttons and use the front digital buttons, with the X button for pedaling, the square button for rear brake, the triangle button for front brake and the circle button for tricks. This is a more intuitive and comfortable setup, but it’s still flawed. Real riders use precise braking modulation to control speeds while flying down the sides of mountains, but digital control doesn’t provide that. The brakes are either on 100 percent or off in digital mode. This game just begs for analog braking, but it’s not here. I would have preferred the addition of analog braking by pulling back on the right stick – common and intuitive from car racing games – and sacrificed the ability to use either the front or rear brake.

There are a few nice touches to the control setup. Vibration for the Dual Shock controller is well supported, with subtle vibrations depending on the severity of impact from collisions and landings after jumps. Probably the coolest feature of this game’s control is the orange arrow that appears on the screen when you’re leading the race. This arrow indicates the position of the computer-controlled rider behind you, and the color of the arrow intensifies and fades depending on how close your foe approaches. This is reminiscent of the colored chevrons used to determine the location of opponents in Electronic Arts’ disappointing Sports Car GT. No Fear requires way too much concentration for a look-back button to be effective, so Codemasters must be applauded for the subtle and effective colore arrow system.

The graphics in No Fear are a mixed bag. The riders look good, with bike shorts, kneepads and helmets. Riders show plenty of body English when leaning into turns or sliding back on their seats to create a more slippery aerodynamic profile during long, downhill sections. Riders also have fairly round body features. They don’t look nearly as natural as the boxers in Knockout Kings, but they don’t look like the angular aliens from Supercross 2000, either.

The track surfaces are a bit pixelated, especially on desert tracks, and there’s plenty of polygon clipping when riders veer off the course. But there are small clouds of dust rising from both riders’ rear wheels when racing on dirt tracks, and there is excellent attention to detail with the stone textures on the Sunshine Trail track. The surrounding scenery at each track also is well detailed when the rider is on the course, and accurate signage from such cycling vendors as No Fear and Giant is visible around the courses. Two-dimensional spectators also are sprinkled around each course.

No Fear also has extremely smooth framerate, creating a super sensation of speed. There is very little draw-in or pop-up, a credit to Codemasters. There are four camera angles: Rider Near, Behind Rider Far, Handlebarcam and Wheelcam. The default rider near view is suitable, although sometimes vision while exiting corners is a bit limited. Use the first-person Handlebarcam and Wheelcam at your own risk. They’re very realistic and give players a sense of the speed and jarring that professional mountain bikers experience. But each view also is hell on a full stomach!

This game has good-looking replays, but Codemasters committed the same sin that Sony did with Gran Turismo 2: The game automatically defaults to the replay mode at the end of each race, and a rider must push a button to exit this mode. Replays should be a matter of choice.

Collision detection with objects other than rival riders is the major graphical flaw in this game. The collision detection when a rider hits a small tree or bush is laughable – you ride right through it. A collision with a large tree or bridge post will result in the rider flying off the front of his or her bike. But that’s about the only shred of accuracy in the collision model. That’s inexcusable. Or at least Codemasters should have included an option to enable accurate collision detection.

Just like in its TOCA series titles, Codemasters uses the “less is more” theory with great success in the sound of No Fear. The only place that music is heard in the default settings in this game is during the initial game selection menus, yet No Fear has some of the most unique audio of any racing game I’ve played.

The most unique part of the audio in No Fear is that the human rider’s respiration actually is heard with realistic detail. No or very light breathing will be heard when a rider’s energy meter is full. But when the energy meter starts to fall, heavy breathing will be heard. When the energy meter hits the red zone, panting is heard until the rider coasts to regain stamina. It’s a very cool touch that really adds to the flavor of the game. As an avid mountain biker who knows all about oxygen debt, the panting sounds rekindled some memories from harsh rides in the past.

Human riders also grunt with realistic male or female voices, depending on the character selected, when landing from a large jump, colliding with a tree, post or the computer-controlled rider. It’s a nice touch.

The bikes also sound realistic, for the most part. Rattles, dings and pings are heard when coasting over rough terrain or off the path, and the crunching of foliage is very distinct when veering off trail or through branches. Sorry, all you Sierra Club members. The buzzing sound of knobby tires whirring over asphalt is spot-on, and the sound of tires carving through dirt in turns also is accurate. The only negative in the bike sounds is the spinning of the cranks during hard pedaling. It sounds like a farm animal chewing on oats. It’s way too loud. Professionals ride mountain bikes that are so well lubricated and maintained that the chain often runs silent when turning the crank, at least early in the race. These bikes sound like Mr. Ed in a feeding frenzy from the first turn of the cranks.

There are a variety of excellent ambient sounds, such as church bells ringing and sheep bellowing in the English course and chanting from a nearby mosque in the Moroccan course. Crowds also cheer with a realistic fade effect as riders whiz past. Very nice touch.

The sound heard on the bike setup screen is very peculiar. It sounds a lot like a home construction site, with band saws ripping through wood and hammers pounding nails into fresh 2-by-4’s. Codemasters probably meant for those sounds to resemble the shop of a busy frame builder or bike mechanic, but it really sounds nothing like that. Not a major offense, though.

Music can be selected to play during each race from a pre-race menu. But with rider, bike and ambient sounds this good, it’s silly to ruin it with the monotonous techno and alternative music that pollutes so many “extreme” sports games.

Codemasters has done an admirable job producing a fairly realistic simulation of mountain biking in No Fear Downhill Mountain Bike Racing. The gameplay is solid, the racing is close, and the sound is excellent, creating a fun experience.

But with all apologies to blues legend B.B. King, once players enter the Championship mode, the thrill is gone. The frustrating system of advancement in the Championship mode just destroys any long-term value for this game. And the shoddy control setup also doesn’t help much, either. I’ll admit that my objectivity was compromised when I first played this game. I’m an avid mountain biker, and I really wanted to like this game. But it’s not on my must-have list, so I doubt that non-riders will find it that thrilling, either.

No Fear Downhill Mountain Bike Racing reminds me of a lodge at the base of a ski resort. You probably wouldn’t want to live there year-round, but it makes for excellent rental property. It’s the same with this game. No Fear is a fun weekend rental with a few friends, but it transforms quickly into No Fun in its tiresome, flawed Championship mode.