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Bike or Die 2 - Physics Bike Simulator

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Bike or Die 2 - Physics Bike Simulator

Bike or Die. It sounds like the kind of command a megalomaniac mechanic might give to his people after conquering the world. Either that or it's a very naff sounding heavy metal album.

In fact, it's actually a fairly pedestrian game - in terms of pure speed, anyway, though that doesn't mean that the death threat alluded to in the game's title doesn't come with some weight. Bike Carefully or Die might be more apt.

Doesn't quite have the same ring to it, does it? There's no shame in being a little cautious, and in Bike or Die 2 the prudent win. Speed has its part to play, but taking charge of the two-wheeled monster means reining in speed and using it only when needed to overcome obstacles along the way.

Tasked with taking control of a crash test dummy driving a bike, you have to guide him through side-scrolling courses, accelerating up hills, jumping across rifts and avoiding hazards as you make your way from A to B.

The courses are deliberately designed to be as taxing as possible. Getting from start to finish isn't enough - you also need to pick up flags designating a specific route. Of course, they're placed in such a way that requires biking nothing short of perfection. Should your rider fall off his ride, it's game over.

The dummy nature of said rider means that he's particularly susceptible to any jerky movement. Even the slightest of nudges against a wall can send him tumbling, his body limping off the bike and tumbling to the ground. (It's a sight that never fails to raise a smile.) Even some of the training levels will have you resetting and resetting again as your best-made plans go belly up.

Luckily, such resets are just a button press away. Control on the whole is incredibly simple. Most of the time you'll be switching your fingers between the green 'go' button and the big red stop sign that slams the breaks.

There's also the option to lift up the front or back wheels, mainly used for mounting higher platforms. The game focuses on balancing the speed needed to climb any ascents in your way with a guarded approach required when coming back down again.

If any of this sounds like a chore, that couldn't be farther from the truth. While it's possible to lose an afternoon attempting the same track over and over again in a desire to get the perfect run, just seeing your crash test dummy and his equally fragile bike react to the lumps and bumps that surround him is entertainment enough. When you finally master a course, the feeling that hits you is worth all the failures that precede it.

In this way, Bike or Die 2 has a lot in common with other physics-based games. The advantage here lies in the game's more realistic physics. Our driver and his wheels are so, so flexible that literally the slightest increase or decrease in speed, or the smallest change in angles, can completely change the end result.

The fun comes from finding this out, from trying out strategy after strategy and seeing nine out of ten of them fall to pieces. With 25 standard levels available and more than 150 also making the line-up via pre-installed packs, there are plenty of opportunities to make a fool of yourself.

Recorded runs allow you to relive your victories or download others from the web to witness their triumphs. Either way, Bike or Die 2 is a rare prospect: the kind of game that losers will celebrate just as much as winners.

Bike or Die 2 - Physics Bike Simulator

Set to be loved by those who fail just as much as those who succeed, Bike or Die 2 comes with stacks and stacks of levels that will push your grasp on physics to its limits
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Keith Andrew
Keith Andrew
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font. He's also Pocket Gamer's resident football gaming expert and, thanks to his work on PG.biz, monitors the market share of all mobile OSes on a daily basis.