[review] BMX XXX

Background and Premise
Just when we thought it couldn’t get any wilder on the video games scene, Acclaim development studios managed to shock gamers worldwide with the announcement of their brash, cocky Dave Mirra’s BMX “XXX” just under a year ago. Taking their critically acclaimed Dave Mirra BMX extreme cycling series and adding some purely suggestive themes, the general consensus of the gaming world is that Acclaim has taken a giant risk in “innovating” within their franchise. Many were weary that the game’s racy themes would destroy the great gameplay of the series, while many were concerned that the idea was just plain stupid and nothing more than an attention-grabber. How well do extreme sports spread into the “mature” category? Read on to find out!


Gameplay
The new twist on the Dave Mirra series is that Dave Mirra isn’t in it at all. Originally planned to feature the pro biker, Acclaim ripped Mirra’s name out of the title in the development cycle because he felt that the game had become just a bit to crazy for him to still be its poster boy. After hearing this, one has to wonder just what was going on inside Acclaim’s studios, and what they had done to justify the XXX in the title.

First and foremost, the game is not a pornographic flick. I know somewhere, somehow a rambunctious group of twelve-year-olds is now severely disappointed, but upon playing BMX XXX one can easily see that the only real “XXX” content is the severe language used in the game. While performing well in levels (like completing the various goals that are presented in a Tony Hawk fashion) unlocks videos of strippers and dancers from the strip club Scores, the actual content of the game is rather mild at best. Phew! Now that we have discussed the fact that this is not a Playboy magazine in a DVD case, discussing the gameplay mechanics is very easy.

The game is not like the newer THPS games in that BMX XXX is very linear. You don’t have the option to “come back” to a certain challenge later on, so that adds a bit of unnecessary difficultly to the game. Also, levels are unlocked as you complete goals in levels you already have access to. Unfortunately, the difficulty of the title might cause many gamers to get stuck and/or frustrated. Extreme frustration in a game where fun seems to take predominance seems just a bit out of place.

Similar to Tony Hawk 4, characters pick a biker and ride around the various levels until they find a non-player character who will assign the player with a mission. This is probably the most obvious showcase of the…”unique” style of BMX XXX. Speaking with these characters results in the player having to complete these outrageously bizarre and humorous tasks that are presented in the funniest of ways. NPCs curse wildly and make lewd references to sexual innuendos and other adult matter. It is, to say the least, funny. Gamers spoiled by the absence of a time-clock in other extreme sports games will be rudely awakened in BMX XXX, as a short, two-minute (for the majority of the time) time clock hectically ticks away as players struggle to complete the level’s goals. BMX XXX also does a poor job of explaining each mission, as the goal definitions are so vague, despite the NPCs attempts to convey the mission parameters. If Acclaim had only realized it was so difficult to pick out a mission directive in between cusses I doubt the NPCs would have stayed in the game.

Levels are adequately sized but feel empty. In the event a gamer fails a goal, they have to pedal back to the NPC to pick that goal up again. While playing and paying closer attention to level structure during this time, I realized that the levels are very, very empty. While Dave Mirra 2 seemed to fill up a lot of the “dead space” (space without ramps, sidewalks, jumps), BMX XXX seems to take a step backwards in this regard. Level layouts also seem counterintuitive at times, making level goals difficult to complete at times. Collection goals, in which the character must collect items to complete the goal, are extremely tedious and are made near impossible due to many of the level layouts.


The big question everyone has in their mind right now is probably “How are the stripper videos?” Realistically, they are easily R-rated, but they aren’t really that bad. They are dancers, not porn actresses, and it shows. Most videos are only thirty seconds or so anyway. Adding to the statement “short but sweet”, Acclaim makes these videos incredibly difficult to unlock. While getting the first is fairly simple and lures you in to want more, getting the rest is a challenge for the ages. Frankly, the videos just aren’t worth it.

The game also includes two player modes like HORSE and other biking games. Multiplayer is fun, but the lewdness of the story is lost, causing this game to feel just like any other.

And Now for a Rant
Acclaim was forced to censor the game on one of three platforms: the Playstation 2. While the GameCube and Xbox are in all their grotesque glory, somehow the console that has games like Grand Theft Auto on it suddenly feels it needs to readjust its morals. This has been taken in various ways amongst the gaming community, but perhaps most infuriatingly by the PS2 groupies. Even the official Playstation magazine (don’t get me started) dismisses the issue by justifying the censorship because the game “sucks”, according to them. How you can allow a game where beating up police officers and doing drugs to exist while a game with 25-second videos of dancers has to be censored is beyond me.

Graphics
BMX XXX finds itself with a flat tire in the visuals department. Characters look awkwardly blocky and with a serious case of rigor mortis. Textures are very blurry and washed out, and jaggies are everywhere. Since the game features well-endowed females, why do they look blocky? Yes, the game DOES have polygonal breasts (is that noise a stampede of adolescents running out to pick this up?), but they look so blocky and unnatural that any attempt at crude humor is lost. Environments look like they have been coated in a layer of Vaseline.

Animation is fairly smooth, especially with tricks. Each trick has a distinct look to it, and that is something very cool. A problem that has persisted since the first DM BMX game returns in full force, something commonly known as the “suck effect” grind. Pressing the grind button anywhere CLOSE to a rail or curb automatically sucks the character towards the grinding surface. It looks really, really disconnected and choppy, although it does make the game very easy. Sad to say, but the best-looking part of the game are the stripper videos.

Sound
The voice acting in BMX XXX is fairly good, especially that of the NPCs. The voices and accents are very humorous and convey the light tone of the game perfectly. While the soundtrack is the typical run of the mill “punk, rock, ska” combo, gamers are able to add their own custom soundtracks if that makes them happy. Sound effects are plainly average, as the only real effect you ever hear are the grunts of the bikers as they go flying from their seats.

Overall
BMX XXX is a sad example of a game that got caught up in its own hype. While Acclaim took quite the risky step on improving matters with their Dave Mirra series, but in the end they ended up losing the brand name and just going wild. Lacking refinement and that finesse games like THPS just scream, BMX XXX is just a cheap thrill for a Saturday afternoon when you are really, really bored. BMX XXX is more of an attention grabber than a game seller. Rent this one first, folks.