There are some games out there that really have us scratching our heads and wondering why they were released in the first place? Some are curiosity titles that click quite well, like the Dreamcast fish simulator Seaman, but others have us wondering what the marketing team was thinking with their concept.
One of those games is BMX XXX, a game that combines extreme sports-style action with topless women and strippers, resulting in a mature-rated take on Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX. Granted, Mirra wanted nothing to do with this (and for good reason), so the developers at Z-Axis and publishers at Acclaim (where else?) decided to go with their formula anyway. Well, you can probably guess how it went.
Raunch Sells?
During the game’s early production, Acclaim felt that going for a “raunchy sex comedy” approach would work for BMX XXX, kind of in the same vein as the Leisure Suit Larry games. While those titles actually feature storytelling that ties in with the character (well, not all his releases, but most to some extent), BMX XXX is basically built around raunch in general, with no real direction.
This means women that can ride around topless, in skivvies, as they complete goals. Now, there are male riders too, and those that prefer clothed riders can certainly do so with their choice. Obviously, Acclaim made it all about the women when they felt that the Dave Mirra follow-up was “mediocre” over the course of its development. Mirra eventually stepped away and went to court to be removed from the project, in which he was successful.
Acclaim was hoping to make controversy a huge selling point with BMX XXX, as well as “breast physics” that allowed them to freely hop around whenever a rider was performing actions on a stage. On top of that, it also added unlockable videos, featuring topless strippers dancing on a stage and even bringing up a BMX bike, because, well, BMX XXX, we suppose.
There was something interesting with the final release, however. The PlayStation 2 version ended up being censored across the board, with breasts black-barred out. The Xbox version’s boobs could be unlocked, provided you made enough progress in the game. Yet, the GameCube version – yes, Nintendo – was completely unedited right off the bat, so players could ride around however they pleased. An odd choice, indeed.
And How Did That Go?
The game already went through a disastrous affair on its road to development, including Dave Mirra being removed and Acclaim going all-out for raunch instead of something creative. As you might guess, that had an effect on its sales.
At the time of its release, most IEMA retailers, such as Walmart, refused to carry the title and Toys ‘R Us refused to carry it whatsoever. Local game stores had no problem carrying it, though some refused to sell it to minors for obviously good reason.
Reviews for the game were unkind, to say the least, mainly because reviewers could literally see right through what the game had to offer. Play Magazine, at the time, noted, “You could press those boobs against the screen and it still wouldn’t make this game any good.” Game Informer also failed to see any enjoyment, calling the title “Just another mediocre pretender to the crown.” Some reviewers did like the humor, and, of course, Playboy was a big fan of the game. For the most part, reviews were subpar and user reviews followed suit, although some didn’t have a problem posting cheat codes to unlock everything in the game (including nudity).
In the end, the game only sold about 160,000 copies, becoming a huge bomb for Acclaim. In addition, by the time it ended up being sold internationally, all sexual content was removed, leaving, well, just BMX? We’re not even sure what to make of that. However, the true factor that stands out here would be that BMX XXX was the beginning of the end for Acclaim.
The End of a Mediocre Company
Even though Acclaim had released a number of bad games well before BMX XXX’s arrival, it would ultimately be one of the daggers that would seal its fate. Following its release in 2002, Acclaim would bite the dust just two years later, filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and eventually shutting down all of its facilities.
Over the years, a number of Acclaim franchises would be picked up for re-release, including Nightdive Studios’ Turok 1 and 2; and other companies, like Throwback Entertainment and Liquid Media Group, picked up other titles from Acclaim, though no plans have been made for re-release just yet.
With that said, surprise! No one touched BMX XXX. Controversy alone just couldn’t make it a seller and despite whatever the company was focusing on, it just couldn’t live up to whatever limited potential it had. Sure, people like strippers, and people like raunch in some respects, but in an extreme sports game, it just comes across as an unnatural fit. Some, however, may object, like that reviewer for Playboy that absolutely loved it.
However, it has very little traction on social media, mainly because of its subject matter. The game is banned entirely from Twitch streaming, even the censored PS2 version, and videos for YouTube are consistently browsed for raunchy material, though some do manage to get through. That eventually led to some people seeking out the title for curiosity’s sake, namely the unedited GameCube version.
BMX XXX was just proof positive that Acclaim didn’t really know what it was doing when it came to some projects. It drove South Park into the ground with a number of subpar licensed games, it doomed several releases before they could even pick up steam, and it relied too much on licenses without any depth to speak of. BMX XXX, despite being something new on the market, just didn’t have the appeal for most of the gaming world to enjoy.
Still, at least it had De La Soul’s “The Magic Number” in the soundtrack, so…not a complete loss…? No, it is. Just buy the song elsewhere.
