Developer: Z-Axis
Publisher: Acclaim
Genre: Extreme Sports
Release Date: November 12th, 2002
Also On: Playstation 2, GCN
ESRB Rating: Mature
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Introduction
About four years ago, an unknown company named Neversoft released a revolutionary little gem called Tony Hawks Pro Skater. The game revitalized the ’xtreme sports’ genre and spawned 3 sequels, so far. It also, spawned more clones and copy cats than any game ever made.
Dave Mirra BMX was one of those copy cat games. Featuring the same control scheme, objective based level design and exaggerated physics, DM was able to steal some of Tony Hawks thunder. The series hasn’t been a complete ripoff though. Dave Mirra has more innovative flatland tricks, much larger stages and a trick edit button that added more depth and replay value than any of the competition offered at the time, including Mr Hawk himself.
After so many titles with such little variety, the genre has grown stale and jaded. In an attempt to freshen up their series, Acclaim and developer Z-Axis have turned the typical xtreme atmosphere into a smut-fest, with nudity and sexual references around every corner. They do a fine job of it too, the only problem is, they forgot to put the same effort into the gameplay.
Presentation
As I said above, Z-Axis was aiming for crude comedy and adult humor and they pretty much hit the mark here. Pimps, hoes, fireman, hot dog vendors and many others are sprinkled throughout each stage, each adding their own colorful humor to the mix.
The game also boasts the official Scores license, which makes for some awesome videos of beautiful women... dancing around topless for money. Z-Axis could have done a better job overall on the presentation though, because aside from an entertaining environment and great stripper videos, the game is average when it comes to menus and layouts. Even the in level movies for run throughs or hints aren’t very good.
Graphics
This is an XBox title? Surely you jest. I could have mistaken it for Dave Mirra: Maximum Remix on the PSone. Blocky textures, slowdown, bad special effects and mediocre lighting, BMX XXX might just be the ugliest XBox game ever made.
The animations are good though, something Z-Axis has always come through on. Definatly not up to par with Tony Hawk anymore, but good nonetheless. The stages are also up to Z-Axis standards and don’t take too long to load. In the end, Z-Axis has never really been known for awesome graphics, but this is still an insult to anyone expecting a game even remotely utilizing the XBox hardware.
Sound
Here’s another area where Z-Axis seemed to focus more on the XXX side of the game than the BMX. The sound effects are incredibly average, nothing here you haven’t heard a million times before. The voice acting is great though, with one liners and conversations galore that are good for a chuckle. Ride by the hotdog vendor to hear him ask if anyone wants his wiener, or his nuts. The game could have used more jokes, but the ones it gives you aren’t bad.
The music is.... typical. You’ve got nu-metal, some rap, some hip hop and some alternative. The soundtrack doesn’t stray from anything else in the genre. That’s a good thing if you like the music, a bad thing if you don’t. You can also use a custom soundtrack, which makes a big difference even with the flaws in the soundtrack design.
Gameplay
If you have played Dave Mirra or Tony Hawk, you know what to expect here. Huge, sprawling levels laced with objectives. As usual the game is very linear, only allowing new stages once you unlock them. You bike around each stage, talking to people to get objectives. There’s no time meter for the level, just a health meter for your player which lowers each time you bail. The only way to raise it is by completing an objective.
The objectives themselves vary enough to keep you interested, for a while anyways. One can be to knock over hot dog vendor stands, another can be to activate switches, while another has you delivering prostitutes back to their pimp. But... much like the voice samples, there simply aren’t enough of these stranger objectives to keep the game from becoming repetitive and falling into mediocrity. The main problem is that the same basic objectives just reappear from level to level. While in one level you are collecting 5 prostitutes, another has you collecting construction workers with bad gas. Another will have you collecting 5 clowns. Once you get past the first couple stages, everything feels familiar already and the interest in the game goes down.
Then you unlock the girly videos. Nice, long videos of a woman stripping. Interest rises, but not much. The videos are not worth the effort, by a longshot. It seems Z-Axis was banking on the videos and they just don’t do anything for me. I’d much rather get new riders or stages than a video with bare chests.
The gameplay itself it flawed as well. Controls are absolutly horrid, even more sluggish than Matt Hoffmans BMX. Another thing is the stages. Where Dave Mirra was known for huge, combo ready stages that took a LONG time to fully master, BMX XXX’s stages are big, but feel empty. You’ll be skating across the stage to complete an objective and aside from maybe a ramp or two and a couple rails, there’s nothing inbetween. Makes for a very boring time.
Lastly, this game has so many glitches it isn’t funny. Everyone knows Dave Mirra 1 and 2 had glitches galore, but none of them seriously affected gameplay. BMX XXX is full of clipping, control and animation glitches that make the game a true chore to play through. Jumping off of a ramp only to go into the ground upon landing is not cool, and neither is grinding a rail beside a building and magically warping into the building and falling in space for an eternity. And the game crashes, alot. This game is just a big pile of crap disguised as a BMX game with an adult twist.
Conclusion
Want a good BMX game? Get Dave Mirra BMX2 and save yourself alot of money and alot of trouble. If you MUST experience the crude comedy and nude videos, anything more than a rental is just wrong. A game like this is definatly not a bad idea, Z-Axis just dropped the ball here. Next time they should try to work on the graphics and gameplay half as much as they did with the humor and environments. Tony Hawk 4 is a much better choice.
The Good
+ Great voice acting
+ The jokes ARE funny for awhile
+ Good multiplayer mode
+ Quick load times
The Bad
- Horrid, horrid control
- Sluggish gameplay
- More glitches than any game I’ve ever seen
- Worst graphics ever seen in an XBox game
- The game is too linear
- The sound is poor in every way except voices
