BMX XXX screenshots (Actual in-game screenshot) (Manhattan's Scores very own exotic dancer Dawn) (Actual in-game screenshot)   The Final Say! Gameplay 8.5 Graphics 7.5 Sound 8.0 Value 8.5 BMX XXX -  reviewed by Andrew B  Review Date: 15 January 2003 Review Score 8.5/10 Distributed By: Acclaim Developed By: Z-Axis

"One of the most controversial games of 2002 has finally landed in Australia... BMX XXX!" The Soapbox The developers of BMX XXX didn't have children in mind when they created this adult oriented game and unfortunately for us, Australia is one of those countries that suffers from bureaucratic red tape and refuses to introduce a much needed "R" rating in this land of the free. BMX XXX in Australia is rated MA 15+ and the biggest difference with this version and the international versions is that the PlayStation 2 version has censored all the nudity in the game. For some strange reason, the government in this country thinks that it is okay for a fifteen year old to use a sniper rifle and blow someone's head off but if they glance at a naked breast, the walls of society will collapse. What is even more confusing is that a MA 15+ rating at the cinemas will allow children to see both violence and nudity. Obviously the government's brain trust thinks differently than the rest of society, what a shame. The Review BMX XXX could almost be considered to be the latest instalment of the Matt Hoffman BMX series but instead of being a serious BMX game, the BMX professionals have been replaced with other types of professionals such as exotic dancers, bums and prostitutes. As with most extreme sports games, once you have successfully completed a level, you are awarded some full motion video (FMV) of a famous biker or skater but this is where BMX XXX takes a leap from that idea.  The gamer is now awarded will a flawless fmv of a gorgeous stripper from Manhattan's gentlemen club called Scores that is now the treat for completing a level. Most of the videos in the game have the girls provocatively dancing around the stage in some sexual way but whenever they go to remove their tops, the BMX XXX logo covers their breasts.  The main gameplay mode in BMX XXX is the Hardcore Tour career mode that lets you create your own rider to interact with the gaming environment. There are basically over eight different levels in the game (such as the Bronx NYC, Dam, Las Vegas, Launch Pad, Sheep Hills & Syracuse) that offers the gamer a variety of different challenges that they must complete.  In order to keep the game interesting, there are also various levels in the game such as the Rampage Skate park that lets you display your prowess of over the BMX. Like the Tony Hawk series, the gamer must interact with characters from the game such as Hookers, Vendors and even Jehovah Witnesses to give them a challenge to complete.

For instance, one challenge involves the gamer collecting 5 prostitutes in the game and returning them safely to their pimp in under 2 minutes. Another challenge for the gamer is to grind on a giant inflatable balloon of a girl so that it pops in order to complete the Jehovah Witness challenge. It should be noted that some of these challenges are extremely hard to achieve because of the limited time but once you have mastered the level, you should have no problem in completing these challenges.

Fortunately there is no universal timer in the game but the only obstacles in the game is that most of the challenges require a small amount of time to complete but if you fail, you are allowed to retry the challenge. A new addition to the extreme sports games is that now your rider has a health bar and the more you get injured, the lower your health will become until death occurs and you must restart the level. The game also contains a great multiplayer mode that includes various different games that can be played with another player that include Strip For Score, Skillz and a Paintball mode. Strip for Score basically removes an article of clothing from your opponent if you have successfully pulled off the best combo and have beaten a record. Skillz is basically a timed combo mode that lets you compete against the other player to see who can achieve the highest score possible. Whereas the Paintball mode has one player trying to collect as many boom boxes as possible before you get slugged by a paintball. It should also be noted that the censored version of this game will not display any nudity on your riders. 

The control system of BMX XXX isn't the most intuitive control system but if you know how to handle yourself in the various extreme sports games that litter the PlayStation 2, you will have no trouble in picking up the controls for this game. The basic moves in the game such as grinding or wall rides are easy to perform but if you wish to perform the more difficult manoeuvres, it may take some time for the novice to master. 

Graphically, BMX XXX is a mixed bag that contains quite a bit of good and just the smallest amount of bad. The gaming environments are extremely well designed and creative and feature plenty of areas that contain ramps, stairs and tubes to perform a plethora of tricks. On most levels, the background graphics are extremely sharp and detailed and they contain various moving objects in the game such as cars, bikes and pedestrians and the gaming engine successfully manages to maintain a constant and smooth 60 frames per second. The only problem with the graphics are the simplified characters in the game that unfortunately lack detail. Fortunately for the gamer, they are rewarded with crystal clear FMV's of various exotic dancers from Manhattan's Scores Gentlemen Club. A small price to pay!☺Just remember that this is a game and not a DVD, so don't expect hours of beautiful exotic dancers either.

Musically, BMX XXX features a bevy of bands from around the world that include Motley Crue, De La Soul and Green Day that help set the atmosphere of the game. It should be noted that a few songs from the soundtrack of this game, contain the dreaded "F" word. 

There are a variety of sound effects in the game such as the peddling of the bike, the sounds of crashes, pedestrians, cars and various "comments" from the characters in the game to keep the gameplay interesting. It should also be mentioned that these "comments" from the various characters in the game contain quite a bit of profanity but it's all what BMX XXX is about, a humorous look at the world of BMX with a tad of the seedy and sexy underworld thrown in. 

BMX XXX is a game aimed at adults and before the parents of children complain about discovering that their children play these sort of games, they should be monitoring both their console games and internet use and bad parenting cannot be forgiven. Would BMX XXX have been better if it was uncensored? Sure it would but in essence this is the same game as the international version but any nudity is covered with BMX XXX logo. Maybe one day, Australia will finally get their "R" rating when people finally realize that games are not just for kids. I would recommend BMX XXX to any gamer that enjoyed the Tony Hawk, Dave Mirra or the Matt Hoffman series of extreme sports games as it features enough adult content and humour to make this game unique and fun. Check it out!

- Andrew B