n the past few years, motocross has experienced a huge rise in popularity thanks to its exciting competition and fearless competitors. After all, what’s not to love; huge jumps, crazy tricks, heated racing, and the occasional wipeout. Today I got a chance to sit down with a preview build of Activision’s upcoming MTX Mototrax. While I’m no expert on the world of motocross and probably couldn’t even learn how to even drive a motorcycle to save my life, I was happy to find a game that was both easy to pick up and play as well as detailed enough to appeal to hardcore motocross fans out there.

Developed by Left Field Productions, the folks behind the N64 version of Excitebike, gamers should rest assured that MTX Mototrax knows motocross and pulls off the characteristic action of the sport quite well. While the game does contain four different gameplay modes, you’ll start off with the task of navigating your way through a sort of tutorial level that teaches you the basics of racing as well as lets you hone your skills in the different styles of play. Thanks to real-life motocross star Travis Pastrana, you’ll get a nice nudge towards racing professionalism through some easy races and a number of different ramps that are scattered throughout said superstar’s expansive compound. After leaving Pastrana in the dust you’ll also have the ability to take on various scenarios and objectives that random characters in the level will pose to you. Some include trying to pop wheelies around a bus for as many laps as you can while others are more extravagant, like trying to bust out a high-score trick run through a closed circle course. The tutorial level really helps you get a feel for what you’ll be doing for most of the game, and gets you ready for the many other levels of the same vein that have you cycling around and trying to complete objectives. While a bit Tony Hawk in nature, the levels are a nice way to whet your whistle granted that you get tired of simply racing all the time. The only problem I had with them is the fact that while you pass someone who has a new objective for you, a small dialog box appears that prompts you to push the Y button to accept the challenge. Considering the fact that you’re usually speeding around like a lunatic for most of a level, just seeing the dialog box can be a problem and many times you’ll pass someone and their challenge without even realizing it.

Outside of the goal-based levels, there are a number of different racing modes that should keep fans of getting dirty with their bikes extremely happy. All are available through the expansive Career Mode, which has your created biker vying for a spot in the top races and whittling his way through the varying levels of the profession. You’ll start off on 125 cc bikes and eventually work your way up to the big guns, the 450’s. Along the way you’ll also pick up cash and new bikes, as well as new sponsors who will reward your success with even more money, granted you can keep yourself at the top of the pack long enough. The Motocross events have you racing in some pretty large outdoor motocross tracks. The ones that I raced were pretty varied and along with the many other racers that were out competing with me, helped to create a pretty hectic racing environment. The Supercross events, while similar to the Motocross ones, upped the ante with the races taking place in large and expansive indoor super-tracks.  Lastly, Freestyle Mode has you tackling attempting to bust out the sickest tricks possible without ending up with a mouthful of dirt. To satisfy those gamers just looking for a quick race every now and then, the game also features an Exhibition Mode that lets you tackle single courses that you’ve unlocked via Career Mode wins, as well as the ability to just practice your skills. In all, the different game modes were varied enough to keep me interested and never got boring. To add even more depth, the game features a fairly in-depth track creating feature that allows you to create the most twisted and demanding tracks that your sick mind can concoct. My little track was called Hell’s Gate and featured a dizzying array of sharp turns and tremendous jumps. Needless to say, my ambitions got ahead of me and my track ended up being pretty much unplayable. But, the track creator is a great way to really customize your racing experience, as well as give your friends a serious challenge.

As I mentioned before, the game is also pretty easy to pick up and play and the controls are quite user friendly. The game features a neat “preloading” feature that allows you to compress your shocks prior to a large jump in order to maximize the air that you get once you launch off of it. Managing the preloading is essential during races that are filled with many jumps, since it’s not too helpful when you come crashing down on the top of another jump, sending the bike into your mid-section and other nether regions. Outside of the preloading feature, the game features some nice tricks and a fairly intuitive system to pull them off. Much like the Tony Hawk series, tricks are mapped to the buttons of the controller and by combining them with directional presses on the analog stick you can pull of a wide array of tricks. The only problem that I had with the trick system is that sometimes it seemed to be a bit unresponsive, but then again, I did sit down with a preview build of the game so hopefully that’ll be fixed by the time the game hits store shelves. To show off, you can even pull wheelies. But be careful. Showboating can get you in trouble if you’re not careful and pulling a wheelie too close to some obstacles will net you a face-first dive into the ground.

Graphically, MTX Mototrax seems to be a bit lacking in detail, which was a bit disappointing. While the game does feature a wide array of different tracks and courses to race around in as well as features a nice framerate of 60 frames per second, none of the tracks really seemed to have that graphical spark that made them stand out. Environments, however, seemed to suffer some lack in detail as trees, rocks, and even objects like buses and houses came across as very static and blocky. Also, the various riders and other characters you’ll come across in the game seemed blocky and under-detailed, particularly in their faces. My rider, however, did seem to get quite a bit of attention, particularly in animations when I was on my bike. My rider leaned back and forth realistically and would place a leg on the dirt when driving through particularly sharp corners. Driving over stiff ridges in the course also caused him to bounce around like a rag doll, which was a nice touch. Lastly, the game features an interesting first-person viewpoint that you can use while racing. While neat in theory, I found the viewpoint to somewhat difficult to get a hang of as you end up pretty limited in what you can actually see around you when your on your bike. Keep in mind that I did sit down with a preview build, so hopefully the graphical issues I had with the game will be addressed in time by the time the game is released.

Befitting any game that’s allied itself with an “extreme sport,” the music in the game was fierce and well…extreme. With a heavy focus on punk music, tunes blared constantly while I was playing the game, but not to the degree where they become overly annoying or overwhelming. Also, the motorcycle sounds themselves were realistic and each bike that I came across sounded like the real thing. Even dirt sprayed up by my speeding tires sounded realistic. The only drawback I found to the sound was a way too “surfer dude” type of announcer before each race, but he was easily ignored.

For gamers out there who get sick of beating the computer controlled competition, the PS2 and Xbox versions of the game will feature online playability. The PS2 version will allow for four players to race it out simultaneously while the Xbox version will allow for 8 racers.

Overall, my time with my preview build of MTX Mototrax was enjoyable and really got my interested in the whole world of motocross. While I may not be sprinting out of my office to go buy a bike and pull a wheelie, I did have a fun time with the game. Hopefully some of the issues I did have with the game will be addressed by the time the game hits store shelves, but given that the game still has a bit of time to get tuned up before its early March release date, I’m not worried. Just remember not to get too fancy or you’ll end up with a seat in the ground. Ouch!