Motocross Madness Review

A great cheap ride.

→ April 18, 2013 Playing Microsoft Game Studio’s Motocross Madness transported me to a happy place. It wasn’t just the nostalgia factor (1998’s original Motocross Madness on PC was one of the first open-sandbox racing games); it was the heady blend of two-wheeled racing action and entertaining arcade mayhem. Available on Xbox Live Arcade for a mere 800 Microsoft points ($10), this is a cheap and engaging two-wheeled experience.

My Live avatar can outrace your Live avatar.

There’s excellent value for the money too. Motocross Madness features nine expansive courses, each of which with multiple paths and shortcuts. Backdropped by three richly detailed versions of Egypt (complete with pyramids, Sphinxes, and archaeological digs), Australia, and Iceland, there's a visual banquet of attractive scenery. I only wish there were more variety than just those three environments.
Cartoonish bikes and riders initially take some getting used to, but one of the best gimmicks is the direct importation of your Xbox Live avatar as your rider. Like many

More hell on two wheels:

of you, I spent a chunk of time fine-tuning that on-screen incarnation, and it was a pleasant surprise to see him sitting astride a trail bike when I first launched Motocross Madness. So much so that I’ll likely never outfit my guy in one of the unlockable helmets or leathers (I spent too much time and effort perfecting that unibrow and freelance writer’s wardrobe to cover them up). The core Career mode offers up straightforward racing events on courses littered with power boosts and coins, a Rivals mode (where you compete against developer avatar ghosts), a Trick mode that tests your aerial showboating skills (where advancement earns you new trick combos), and a remarkably deep Exploration mode that lets you survey every corner of your chosen environment’s treasures and collectibles at your own pace. The racing action is loose and easy, and the open-sandbox format, with its multiple paths and shortcuts, delivers a unique experience every time out.
Admirably, A.I. racer bots up their fight level as you advance without falling victim to obvious rubber-banding issues. I also appreciate that the riding physics, while intentionally arcadish, are believable enough to help sell the experience. If you prefer racing against warm-blooded opposition, there’s a hiccup-free eight-player Xbox Live option and a two-player splitscreen mode. On Xbox Live, you can also where you can invite friends to contest your best lap times and accomplishments in the Bike Club.

Egypt may be politically unstable, but anarchy can't stop sweet tricks.

In fact, there’s so much to do here and so much to uncover that Motocross Madness could very well keep a bike racing fan riding for weeks. That sort of depth and longevity would be impressive in a retail game, but from a $10 XBLA download, it's a welcome surprise. This is a first rate two-wheel racing experience that does its trailblazing ancestor proud.