Way back in 1998 Microsoft Games released Motocross Madness, then a sequel in 2000. Thirteen years later Microsoft Games release Motocross Madness again. This time on XBLA and featuring the implication of avatars and developed by Bongfish Games.
This wonderfully done avatar game features the Avatar Famestar. I have to say when I started this game up I was excited to play, but worried that it may be another disaster avatar game (Fire Pro Wrestling) but as I started playing I realized that Motocross Madness is not an avatar game at all, but a solid racing game that featured avatar functions. The game has multiple ways to be enjoyed. The first that I experienced was the career mode. For a smaller release the career mode is on par with just about anything in the genre, but a smaller version. One thing that’s proven here is small and simplistic can work if done well.
One of the things I noticed almost as soon as I started playing was the crisp graphics. Details on everything from the type of tires on the bikes to changing suspension. No detail goes without attention. Even more enjoyable is the sound. Every bike sounds different and every terrain has a different sound of your tires ripping through the ground. These are just the initial things I noticed when starting the game, I was in for even more of a surprise when I start the single player.
There are four types of events in the career mode Races, Rivals, Exploration and Stunt Sessions. As you progress in these events you level your avatar by earning XP from just about anything you do in the game. As you gain levels you unlock new bikes and upgrade each bike to it’s full potential with the money you earn in events. I was surprised to see the Exploration mode in this type of game. This mode lets you take and area of the game and just free roam it. While you’re free roaming you have certain objectives that you can do such as collect tokens and skulls to earn medals, money and XP in these areas as well. Along the way you unlock special ‘mods’ like being able to punch another avatar as you pass or maybe rocket boost through the air. Then after the career mode has been finished the multiplayer will come
calling.
You can play all the same modes and events in multiplayer. Up to 8 players can take part in the fun. This being said the multiplayer has some things I didn’t really care for. There are no restrictions in finding a race. The problem is that new comes seem to be placed in the same events as bikes that are maxed out in upgrades. This is not a problem in the exploration mode, but it really takes a lot of fun away from the game if the whole race has unbalanced bike. All in all it’s really a fun experience that can really add to the overall value of the game.
In the end I found Motocross Madness to be a very enjoyable game. For the low cost of just 800 MS points this is a solid title for XBLA for any fan of the genre or even if you’re looking for a fun game to pass the time.
