Introduction

BMX XXX by Z-Axis is a highly publicized and controversial title that is decidedly targeted to an adult audience. The official website even requires an age verification to enter!

I freely admit that the controversy surrounding this title caused me to investigate it. I really didn’t expect to find much of a game under all of the hype, but I was in for a pleasant surprise.

At startup, you are given the option of selecting an existing BMXer or making your own. The create a rider feature is nicely done, and gives you some very interesting combinations. I immediately made the most scantily clad female rider of my choice and went after the Hardcore Tour mode.

Once your rider is selected you can pick your ride. I was never able to find any real advantage of one bike over another, so to me the choice was purely cosmetic. As you progress through the game, you can collect bike parts, and if you collect all of the parts on a level you receive an upgrade to your bike. Even with upgraded parts, I couldn’t see any difference in performance.

In addition to the single player mode, there is an option for some split screen multi-player action, but, to be honest, I never did try them out, nor do I care to, as BMX is definitely a single player experience.

Controls

BMX XXX controls "feels" very similar to the myriad of skating/bike games out there. Separate buttons control jump, spin, tricks and trick modifiers. The layout is easy to use, and it didn't take me long to start doing some big air tail whip to one handed tabletop to one footed double peg stalls. (I had no idea what that was either before I played this)

Once figured out, the controls can be quite forgiving. If you are headed for a landing at an odd angle, you can always hit the grind button and save yourself if you are close to a ledge, even if you are coming in upside down. While not exactly realistic, this kind of forgiveness was a saving grace to a BMX neophyte like me.

One feature that I found to be fun was the balance meter. When you enter a grind or stall, this meter pops up to allow you to maintain your balance for a longer trick. With practice, you can use this feature to rack up some outrageous trick scores.

Gameplay

BMX XXX offers you 8 maps, all quite large and dynamic, to explore. Accomplishing certain missions opens new areas to bike in, so the map that you originally see can be drastically altered by your actions.

The locations are varied; three of them are apparently well known competition arenas. The other five are an interesting mix. You will start out the game in the Bronx, NY and move on to a dam site under construction. The other maps include Area 51, Las Vegas and a shopping center complex.

Being a guy, the first thing I did was look for the boobies! I was in for a disappointment though, because before you can see any of the included videos, you have to complete missions.

In the skateboarding games I have played in the past, I have worked over a level until I accomplished enough to unlock the next level, and move on. I quickly learned that in this game, you didn't earn videos that way.

So, I settled in for the sometimes frustrating experience of hammering away at a level to try to completely clear it. For the record this involves a LOT! The first level has 20 missions to complete. Several of these missions are extremely grueling. For example, one of the missions is to find and make all 20 of the gap transfers in the level. Since the gaps aren't marked anywhere... well, you get the idea.

As I worked through the missions, I was pleasantly surprised with the cut scenes that started appearing. Eventually, these cut scenes became my prime motivation to continue playing (even more than the boobies!)

There are several characters that you do missions for, and they are varied and funny. A prime example is the odyssey of Homeless Jones. This guy talks to you in some kind of mumbling street rap. Without the accompanying subtitles I would have had no clue what the hell he was saying, but just listening to him is entertaining. The first thing you have to do is find him 5 aluminum cans so that he can buy a hot dog. Once you do this for him, you are treated to a cut-scene of him catching a building on fire. This unlocks another mission, which is to help out the firefighter that arrives on the scene.

There is more to this story, but I don't want to ruin the novelty for you. Suffice to say, Homeless Jones' grand finale is hilarious.

There are several other characters you will deal with, including a jive talking pimp dressed just like a pimp should dress, a city gardener who is plagued with dog crap (you read that right, dog crap), and various other bikers.

Graphics

Graphically, the game is competent, but is certainly nothing ground breaking. I can at least say that I never found myself staring at the screen trying to figure out what something was supposed to be. Crashes were a big disappointment though, since you just kind of bounce around like you are made of rubber.

I did have one major gripe about the game, and that was a far too frequent collision error. There were times where I was suspended in mid-air, unable to do anything except finally bail and crash. Once I even fell INTO the sidewalk, and was stuck there until I could crash. For a game that seems pretty well polished, I found this to be inexcusable.

The physics seem to be a bit odd, since it is not very hard to do some outrageous leaps or grind for an eternity. I will say though, that it was entertaining, and I wasn’t very put off by this.

Finally we come to the bonus videos. They are short video clips of some VERY attractive strippers doing a bit of their show. There are no boobies except for (I think) three of the videos. In order to earn those, you have to be some kind of BMX god, or get the codes from here.

Sound

The sounds are one of the game's shining stars. You are constantly being talked to as you bike around a level, and are critiqued by nearby people on your stunts (or crashes).

Crash near a prostitute and you hear "You suck harder than I do." One of the funniest moments in the game for me was crashing onto a sidewalk near a pedestrian and hearing, in a stellar Bronx accent, "Now that was fuckin' funny". I repeated that crash several times just to hear that line!

Cops talk to you in Irish brogues, an inline skater snipes at you (you get your revenge in one of the missions!), etc. Some of them can get tiresome if you are working in the same area trying to accomplish something, though.

I found the music soundtrack entertaining at first, but like any music, after several hours it just wears on you. Some of the artists: Sublime, Hoobastank, Reel Big Fish, De La Soul, Motley Crue and The Neptunes.

Conclusion

The adult content rating really stems from the very adult language (and a couple of boob shots).

R rating sure, but hardly XXX.

If you are into hard-core extreme sports action, this game may be too much of a lightweight for you, and the XXX part may not be enough to redeem the game. For a casual extreme sport gamer like me, this was a lot of fun!