BMX XXX
BMX XXX is a 2002 sports video game developed by Z-Axis and published by Acclaim Entertainment under their AKA Acclaim label for the Xbox, PlayStation 2 and GameCube. While primarily a BMX-based action sports title, the game places a distinct emphasis on off-color and sexual humor, and allows the player to create female characters that are fully topless. The game also features unlockable live-action footage of real-life strippers, courtesy of Scores, a New York-based stripclub.
BMX XXX began development in 2001 as a traditional entry in the Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX series, and was announced as Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 3. The executives of Z-Axis and Acclaim — influenced by a crowded action sports game market, a dire financial situation, and the commercial success of the Grand Theft Auto series — decided to insert nudity and mature humor into the game to increase publicity and sales. Although Dave Mirra initially supported the pitched concept, his name was eventually removed from the title following the game's unveiling at E3. The development team members were displeased with the change in direction, with some attempting to distance themselves from the production. Despite an aggressive marketing campaign, the game's distribution was impeded by various circumstances: major retailers refused to stock the title, Sony Computer Entertainment refused to publish the PlayStation 2 version unless the topless female nudity was censored, and the game was initially banned in Australia.
Upon release, BMX XXX received mixed reviews from critics, who felt that the game lacked innovation despite its content. Although the control scheme and voice acting were complimented, opinions on the soundtrack were mixed, and reviewers faulted the camera, level design, mission objectives, visuals, and humor. As a result of its limited distribution and loss of celebrity endorsement, BMX XXX was a commercial failure. It subsequently became a factor in a series of lawsuits against Acclaim by Mirra and the company's shareholders, and was cited as one of a number of failures that contributed to Acclaim's 2004 bankruptcy and liquidation.
Gameplay
BMX XXX is a freestyle BMX sports game with an emphasis on off-color and sexual humor. The player character can be customized by name, gender, and physical attributes, or selected from a number of pre-made characters; the ability to create topless female riders is enabled when the single-player campaign is fully completed. The player's rider can perform a variety of tricks in midair with the combined input of a direction on the D-pad or left thumbstick and a button. The player can also grind on rails, ledges, or other likely surfaces, and can exit a grind by jumping into the air or falling out of balance. The player is awarded points by performing complete tricks and landing while the bike is properly oriented. The player character will be ejected from their bike if they are not oriented for a successful landing or if they crash into something with a part of the body or bike other than their feet, wheels, or grind pegs during a trick. The player character will also be ejected if they are riding off-balance and hit an obstacle too fast or at a harsh angle. In the event of a crash, the player's score is reset.The single-player campaign is divided into eight levels, six of which are based on a series of challenges that the player must complete to advance to the next level. Challenges are often initiated by interacting with a character within the level, who will give the player an objective to fulfill. Completing ten challenges within a level will grant access to the next level. Scattered within each level are four collectible bike parts; accumulating complete sets of six parts within the campaign unlocks upgraded bikes that enhance the player's performance. Each level also features a series of 45 collectibles such as coins, as well as 20 gaps in the terrain to discover. Completing certain challenges unlocks full-motion video sequences of strippers, with videos unlocked in later levels displaying an increasing amount of nudity. Two of the levels are competitions that require the player to perform a variety of tricks and earn a medal.
The game includes three multiplayer modes in which two human players compete against each other. In "Strip Challenge", players aim to achieve the highest-scoring trick combination. When a player breaks the record, the opponent's character loses a piece of clothing, and the game ends when one player renders their opponent naked. In "Skillz", players compete to achieve the highest score over a two-minute run, and in "Paintball", one player must collect all the boomboxes within a level while their opponent attempts to snipe them.
Development
In 2001, Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX developer Z-Axis began production on the third installment of the series, aiming to expand the technology and include such features as a story, voice-acting, and mission-based gameplay. Lead artist Mark Girouard described the game's original narrative as centering on a BMX team on tour throughout the United States. In January 2002, series publisher Acclaim Entertainment announced Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 3, which would have showcased freestyle BMX rider Dave Mirra alongside sixteen other professionals.Around this time, the action sports genre had become crowded, prompting executives of Z-Axis and Acclaim to ponder new angles for increasing publicity. During a meeting between the parties, someone suggested adding strippers to the game in jest. While this initially elicited laughter, the group began seriously considering the idea, with Acclaim hoping that appealing to an older audience would increase sales. Acclaim marketing coordinator Zach Smith noted that the company's decision to insert nudity in the game was influenced by their dire financial situation at the time, and Acclaim executive producer Shawn Rosen additionally cited the commercial success of the Grand Theft Auto series as the catalyst for backing an adult-oriented title. Director Glen Egan acknowledged the increasing success of M-rated games, and was encouraged to pursue the rating by his irritation at having to excise drug references and profanity from the soundtracks of the previous two Dave Mirra titles. Acclaim director of public relations Alan Lewis commented that the aging gamer demographic made adult humor essential in appealing to audiences that began their hobby in earlier generations.
In March 2002, Mirra and Acclaim began discussions about attaching his name to the title, which Mirra felt would be a more tongue-in-cheek and mature game comparable to the parodic film Airplane!. Rosen claimed that while Mirra found the pitched concept humorous, sponsors warned Mirra that the game would be harmful to his image. Acclaim looked to sex comedies and Jackass as inspiration for the game's sexual humor and raunchy dialogue. Egan also cited Bam Margera's Camp Kill Yourself video series as an influence on the game's bold and irreverent humor and action. For the game, Acclaim formed a partnership with the New York-based stripclub Scores, with footage of its employees being included as unlockable content. Lead designer Tin Guerrero postulated that this decision was influenced by the popularity of Howard Stern at the time, with Scores apparently being his favorite stripclub. The footage was filmed by Acclaim without Z-Axis's involvement.
The game's change in direction required Z-Axis's development team to redesign a significant amount of content they had completed thus far, retooling what would have been Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 3 into Dave Mirra BMX XXX. The team members were dismayed by the decision, with Girouard recalling it as "the biggest creative shock I've ever experienced in games through all these years". Some members tried to distance themselves from the production by leaving their full names out of the credits, opting to either abbreviate their surnames or use the names of historical figures such as Fletcher Christian. The team was unable to object due to the company management's support of the direction and their multi-game contractual obligation to Acclaim concerning the Dave Mirra series. Despite being frustrated by their circumstance, the development team would not work perfunctorily, and remained driven to create a satisfying game. The game runs on the same engine previously used by Z-Axis's Aggressive Inline. The script was written by Happy Tree Friends co-creator Warren Graff, who wrote nearly 500 pages of dialogue for the game's characters.
On August 19, 2002, Acclaim announced that Dave Mirra's name had been removed from the title, and that he and the other professional riders, as well as licensed equipment, would not be featured in the game. Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot speculated that the move was made by Acclaim to preserve creative control over the game's content while preventing damage to the images of the previously involved riders and equipment manufacturers. While Egan was perplexed by Acclaim's decision considering Mirra's supposed importance to the property, Guerrero alleged a souring relationship between Acclaim and Mirra as a factor. Regardless, Acclaim's licensing deal with Mirra stood intact, with a Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 3 title planned for release. The game would be released for the Game Boy Advance on November 25, 2002.
Marketing and release
Dave Mirra BMX XXX was showcased at E3 in May 2002. IGN PS2, in its "Best of E3 2002 Awards", named it runner-up in the "Biggest Surprise" category, describing it as "a surprise in every sense of the word" and proclaiming that "any title that's working hard to perfect 'Boob-Jiggle Technology' deserves a questionable double take".In September 2002, a rumor circulated that Sony Computer Entertainment would not approve the PlayStation 2 version of the game unless certain sexual content was removed. On November 4, Acclaim representatives Alan Lewis and Tara Blanco confirmed the rumor, stating that the PS2 version would be edited to eliminate the topless nudity. An anonymous Sony representative claimed that the topless female imagery posed a detrimental threat to Sony's console brand, and believed that it was not fundamentally crucial to the gameplay experience.
Acclaim launched an aggressive $3-4 million advertising campaign for the game, featuring irreverent jokes and the tagline "This is BMX?". On October 17, 2002, Acclaim unveiled the game's soundtrack, which consists of a mixture of classic and modern rock and hip hop. On November 7, Acclaim launched a "Ms. BMX XXX" competition, in which female contestants submitted a digital photo of themselves or a friend, which was subject to a public vote. The winner was flown to New York City and escorted to Scores by Gary Dell'Abate and K.C. Armstrong of The Howard Stern Show.
On October 14, 2002, Reuters reported that Walmart, Toys "R" Us, and KB Toys had refused to stock the title. Although Guerrero regarded Walmart's motion as a "dagger blow", he found humor in the retailer's contemporary distribution of guns and ammunition. BMX XXX was released in North America for the Xbox on November 15, 2002, for the PlayStation 2 on November 16, and for the GameCube on November 25. In the United Kingdom, it was released for GameCube and Xbox on December 6 and for the PlayStation 2 on February 7, 2003. It would be Z-Axis's last game for Acclaim before their acquisition by Activision, which was announced at the same time as the game's unveiling at E3. Those who pre-ordered the game from EB Games or GameStop received a free t-shirt. The game was initially banned in Australia, but was released in the country after the removal of its sexual content.