I'm not really into games or gaming culture. In fact, the only game I ever really spent any significant amount of time playing was "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2." With that said, I just got my hands on a new BMX game for iOS devices that I spent all night and morning playing.
Mad Skills BMX, is the follow-up game to Turborilla's Mad Skills Motocross, widely considered the best side-scrolling racing game ever made, carrying a 4.36 user rating (out of 5) on the App Store after more than 8,000 ratings. Released today, it's already getting great reviews in the App Store.
Mad Skills BMX is presented with the support of five major action sports sponsors: Fly Racing, Kicker, GoPro, Supercross BMX and Red Bull. It's also supported by USA BMX, the largest sanctioning body of BMX racing in the United States.
The game, which we received an early promotional copy of prior to today's release date, is absolutely addicting. There are already over forty tracks to beat, and the developers will be adding more. Couple that with having to race in four different classes --Novice, Intermediate, Expert, and Pro -- and you'll be playing the game for a while. The game also offers you the chance to compete against your friends by connecting with Facebook. For your riders, there are a bunch to choose from, including what looks like every local hooligan, a rider aptly named "Bruiser" (they also have a rider named "Surfman" but you have to pay for him.) You can even get your Todd Lyons on and flip through the race. Instead of it slowing you down though, you can use it to your advantage and gain some more speed.
But the best part of the game is that it feels surprisingly accurate to what riding a track or trails feels like -- if you don't get the right pump on a landing or nose case a jump, you can forget winning. You also need to learn to speed jump, a skill once possessed by all in the BMX scene, sadly fallen by the wayside. Because of this, it takes a little bit of time to get used to. But once you get the hang of it, you'll be hooked. Just don't get so hooked you forget about the real BMX bike you have. Mad Skills BMX is available for purchase in the iTunes App Store with versions for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.
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