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 (PS2) 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 thatReception
''BMX XXX'' received "mixed or average" reviews on all platforms according to video game review aggregatorLegacy
In February 2003, Mirra filed a $20 million lawsuit against Acclaim claiming that ''BMX XXX'' damaged his image. He explained that Acclaim allegedly used his name and likeness to promote ''BMX XXX'' after both parties agreed to disassociate his name from the product. The suit comprised a total of 11 claims, including unfair competition and injury to business reputation and dilution. Acclaim's public relations director Alan Lewis denounced the lawsuit as baseless and declared that Acclaim would fight vigorously against it. In the following month, two additional lawsuits were filed by Acclaim's shareholders alleging that the company's management misled it and the public on five accounts of misinformation relevant to the company's operations, including inadequate disclosure of the company's plans to publish mature-themed games. The suits claimed that titles such as ''BMX XXX'' "materially impeded the company's ability to access broad-based retail channels" and damaged revenue projections. On October 27, 2003, Acclaim announced that Mirra's suit had been settled with no monetary or other damages being paid by either side, and that Mirra's licensing agreement would continue until 2011. Additionally, Acclaim confirmed the development of a new ''Dave Mirra BMX'' game for next-generation systems. The game's limited distribution and loss of celebrity endorsement resulted in ''BMX XXX'' becoming Acclaim's lowest-selling BMX title to date. According to Egan, the game sold a little over 160,000 copies by December 2005, making slightly under $5 million in its lifetime. The financial failure and lack of mass market appeal of ''BMX XXX'' among other titles was cited as a factor in Acclaim's 2004 bankruptcy and liquidation. Rosen left Acclaim soon after the game's release and eventually abandoned the video game industry, having established a koi pond business by 2017. ''GameSpy'' included the game's conception and Acclaim's violation of its agreement not to use Mirra's name and likeness to promote the game in its list of "25 Dumbest Moments in Gaming". Mike Williams of '' USgamer'', within his list of "10 Games That Killed a Franchise", deemed ''BMX XXX'' and '' Turok: Evolution'' to be the "two nails in Acclaim's coffin". In 2015, the game was among several titles banned from streaming by Twitch. Todd Ciolek of ''IGN'', in a retrospective feature covering major game publisher blunders, described ''BMX XXX'' as Acclaim's "last cry for attention" in a series of desperate publicity stunts by the financially ailing company.Notes
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