Vital MX Poll: What is the Best Motocross Video Game of All Time?

Motocross Maniacs for original Gameboy is my write in vote.

Supercross circuit hands down winner. Best whips and best custom track editor.

Reflex is my favorite so far.
MX 2002 Featuring Ricky Carmichael was awesome for the time. The bikes handled well.
Championship Motocross featuring Ricky Carmichael for PS1 was a great game for the PS1 era.

I haven't tried the MXGP games so I have no idea how they compare to Reflex.

alive would have been great!!!..... if it was finished...I have been playing mx games since that evel knievel black and white tv hook up game....

I think Supercross 2000 is one of the most underrated motocross games. Gaming consoles weren't up to snuff to deliver the advances in physics that Rainbow Studios was doing with the Motocross Madness series on PC but EA Sports was able to deliver just about every other aspect of what a Supercross racing game should be with Supercross 2000. They had authentic racers, teams, tracks, broadcast commentary, etc. The only thing it lacked was some of the bike tuning and aftermarket customizations that other games had along with a track creator.


I remember when the PS2 came out and one of the showcase games was ATV Offroad Fury. Even though that game only had quads, it was simply amazing to see Motocross Madness 2 level graphics and physics on a console. When Rainbow Studios released MX Unleashed I remember being so, so happy. I'd fake being sick to stay home from school to play that game. MX vs ATV Unleashed was like a bonus version of that game on console but it sparked a whole new gaming community when they released the PC version with the dev kit. Even though that community never reached the level of Motocross Madness 2, it was really fun to be involved with.

I got out of the moto pc gaming community around the time MX Simulator was created. I vaguely remember trying the beta of that game and it being terrible. There was also a new physics engine that was created for MVA around that time, wasn't there? Didn't the guy who created MX Simulator "borrow" a lot from MVA? Was there bad blood between Rainbow and that guy?

No, I've played it since. I've bought the game twice actually. I'm not judging MX Simulator at all but I don't think it has had the influence or mainstream success other titles have had to be considered in the discussion for Best Motocross Video Game of All Time. Same goes for MXGP.

No, it definitely doesn't in my opinion. Accessibility has to be factored into the equation though so a console game is going to have more influence because more people can play it. I wouldn't say MCM2 is the best mx game ever on it's own it was also just a PC game but given the context of the game and history I'd argue that it was the most influential mx game and, in my eyes, the best ever.

MX vs. ATV Untamed. If anyone has it for wii let me know, its boring playing against the CPUs

Rainbow Studios had a good thing with Reflex and I also think Alive had an even better, more realistic scale but didn't feel as good as Reflex. But they have gone backwards with Supercross. Encore was an improvement but mildly. They REALLY need to address these issues for their next full game as a follow up to Encore. For the record, the developers have said that when THQ shut down the studios and when Nordic bought the IP via auction that a lot of code was lost, including the core code of Reflex. So don't expect a Reflex 2. That code appears to be lost. Or at least that is what they tell us.That's a shame really as it had a lot good, despite some still serious flaws.

If anyone from Rainbow is still around here I ask that these steps be addressed for the next game. Fairly simple steps actually.

1- slow the freakin' game down. it is way, way too fast. Period. If the developers insist on thinking this is the actual speed of a real Supercross/Motocross race then fine...you are wrong but think what you will....at least give us a speed slider or option because this is ridiculously fast.

2-remove the push up pre-load and go back to the Reflex seat bounce

3-severely tone down the turbo clutch. it again is ridiculous. This would also help with the overall ridiculous speed of the game.

4-get someone who knows how to program AI riders. The AI is senseless in every sense of the word.

5- work on the reflex stick action. Too often when weighting the outside peg you just slide around or do something crazy. This felt best in Alive. And Reflex felt good rider wise although a touch slippery. Encore really needs to be addressed in this regard. Too unpredictable.

There is lots more that needs to be done...replica tracks, full license, realistic tracks, making it where you can't jump 5-6 obstacles like their FB page loves showing off and tons more...but these are a few simple fixes that could make the game much better. Simple except the AI programming. That needs serious work.

Agree! Remember the *eMc* league? Some good racing back in the days

Mxgp2 hands down. Gp2 with more in air bag me control and it'd be tits

1. Reflex on PC since it is moddable
2. MX Sim
3. MXGP2 on PC, also moddable.

MX Simulator has definitely the most realistic feel, by far. Realistic jumping, realistic speed, realistic cornering. In every other MX game all you have to do is pin the throttle and turn. In MX simulator you actually have to slow down to make the turn or not overjump a jump by 500 feet. Plus there is kinda an endless progressing.

There is one reason i didn't put it as number 1.


The community is dead and ruined by idiots that got the "brilliant" idea of selling content. I actually almost can't remember the last time i downloaded a good bike skin.

I actually was in contact with the head of Nordic right when they acquired the MVA IP via auction and, upon his request, I sent him several contacts of the 3 guys who used to be at Rainbow Studios. This was way before they got the team back together, obviously. So I would like to say I helped in a way and he and I also emailed back and forth for months during the time before the release of Supercross. I, though, wasn't pleased with what all they did with Supercross/Encore. More of a regression, in my opinion. Who knows if it will do any good but I sent him this post that I also put on the MVA forum. Warning. It's pretty lengthy so you've been advised.

Rainbow Studios had a great thing with Reflex and I also think Alive had an even better, more realistic scale but didn't feel as good as Reflex, overall. But they have gone backwards with Supercross, in my opinion, other than really doing a great job on DLC and lots of track quantity. Now I understand it was trying to get something out quick and test the waters for the new owners of the franchise and to generate interest to move forward with the franchise. I also understand this is a very small team. So they worked hard. But I think they re-did lots of things that were better in the original Alive code they started off with when acquiring the IP.

I remember the first video footage announcing the new game from the studio. The initial Alive DLC SX stuff was called MVA Alive Tournament which was to be released via DLC for Alive before the team got suddenly shut down. The video was from Motosport,(with Brett Cue and Cooper Webb). It looked real good, despite the player in the video struggling somewhat but looked pretty good. The tracks did look a bit short like the 2 Alive ones released. Still, I think the direction was better with better scale and a much more realistic speed of the game. Supercross is supposed to be tight and we are also dealing with 10 less riders on the gate than in a real race. Couple that with the larger scale and you lose the tight feel that is integral to Supercross.

In retrospect I wish they would have just kept the engine the same as Alive and finished and released the promised SX tracks from Alive. Instead, there was a lot of re-tooling and changing scale and adding too many influences from Unleashed which at this point is super dated feeling, gameplay wise.

Here is that initial MVA Alive Tournament video when Nordic first put the team back together.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yepfT41PWw

That gameplay in that video, even in it's infancy, honestly, looks much more like the real sport then what we have now which is just overkill on the speed and lengths of jumps.

Encore was an improvement over Supercross but mildly as it was basically just lots more content but same engine, gameplay, basically. It is of my opinion that they REALLY need to address these 5 issues, first and foremost, for their next full game as a follow up to Encore. For the record, again, as I understand it (please correct me if I'm wrong, team) that the developers have said that when THQ shut down the studios and when Nordic bought the IP via auction that a lot of code was lost, including the core code of Reflex. If they could just take the exact code of Reflex and just build more tracks they would please nearly everyone, despite a scale that is larger than Supercross. The Reflex engine works fine on more realistic scaled tracks as well. The AMA replica tracks for Reflex on PC by Jamie T are darn near video game perfection. Fun, yet realistic and challenging.

I think Reflex had issues as well but it is far superior to what we have now and pretty much everyone agrees, consumer wise. That code appears to be lost. Or at least that is what has been hinted at.That's a shame really as it had a lot good, the best in this series, by far, despite some flaws. Alive had a great feel as well but just never saw fruition with Supercross tracks and some pretty poor Nationals designs.

I ask the team that these steps be looked seriously into and addressed for the next game. Fairly simple steps actually, for the most part. And yes, I do know all that is involved and how one change in physics changes another. Still, most of these shouldn't be that difficult to alter as a lot of it is going backwards to what you previously have done. But not back to Unleashed, please. Reflex and Alive, particularly Reflex, are your standards that you should at least be able to get back to then move forward.

The 5 major things that need to be addressed.

1- slow the game down. it is way, way too fast. Period. I realize speed is subjective. That's why all sports games have speed sliders or options. If the developers insist on thinking this is the actual speed of a real Supercross/Motocross race (which it definetly isn't) then fine...at least give us a speed slider or option because this is ridiculously fast and really detracts from the actual racing.

2-remove the push up pre-load and go back to the Reflex seat bounce.

3-severely tone down the turbo clutch. it again is overkill. This would also help with the overall hyper speed of the game.

4-get someone to completely re-program the AI riders. With all due respect, whoever did the job for Supercross and Encore is way off base. The AI is senseless in every sense of the word. (This is by far the most time consuming on the list, I realize.)

5- work on the reflex stick action. Too often when weighting the outside peg you just slide around or do something crazy. Reflex felt good. Alive, too. Encore really needs to be addressed in this regard. Too unpredictable.

There is lots more that needs to be done...replica tracks, full license, more realistic tracks, making it where you can't jump 5-6 obstacles in 1 exaggerated jump but these are a few simple fixes that could make the game SO, SO much better. Simple except the AI programming. That needs serious work.

Anyway, I thank the developers for taking the time to look at this post and thank them, again, for all their hard work.

I've had the most fun playing reflex thats for sure. The physics are a bit touchy with crashing, but once you start using the riders weight correctly in the corners and get your bike set up right its a blast. Plus there are fast lines on the outdoor track that you need to hit consistently to drop your lap times. I definitely had the best time racing online with this game, a private match with a full gate of friends made for some great racing nights!

Can't believe no one has brought up ATV off-road fury 4. Had tons of bikes,mods,gear, Enduro style tracks,first person view, track designer, as well as sponsorship,etc. Loved MX 2002 but Fury 4 may top it and it didn't even make the list.

I remember 4, What sticks out in my mind is the original for the PS1. You could split screen 4 players and we used to race all night and keep track of our finishes. Award a champion at the end of the night. Man that game was fun fun fun even if it was Quads lol.

How can you vote for anything other than mx sim?!?

Early on, Supercross Circuit had always been a favorite. Track editor that gave you many preselected options. 4 strokes?!?! What! (1999/2000 we talking here) First game I can remember you can actually scrub on if you figured it out. (Hit the whip early) And that was before Bubba showed it off. 16 SX tracks were replicas. Fun game overall that wasn't really matched for a long time.

Currently, my favorite is MXGP2. Truly challenging game and love the detail and realism. No other game compares. Love the different formats from MXoN to the real-life events to change it up. SX can use guidance from the Reflex world. It's the only moto game I play in the first person view which to me says how good this game already is. If MXGP2 can get the creator-track-initis of the MCM2 days or even get the Mad Skills week-to-week or $$$ championships down the road, it'll be tough to top for years to come I believe.

MCM2 FTW!!!

MX SUPERFLY

I cant believe theres not more people saying MCM2 honestly. The downloadable content, online racing, and physics (for the time) were just unbeatable. So many long nights spent playing that game, and it was to blame for not having my homework done in my middle school years. I played all the game in the poll, and liked most of them. But, they just dont come close to MCM2.

I think there are probably a lot of people on here that are just too young to have experienced MCM2.

I voted reflex but I personally enjoy MadSkillsMX 2 the most! Mainly because it's in my pocket lol

After getting F'd by Nordic On Supercross Encore, I will never vote for one of there games again.
I vote MXGP2 and will stick with them going forward. MX Simulator should be be my favorite, as I am a long time Sim Racer and appreciate the Sim factor, but IMHO MX Sim is not Simmy, its just stupid hard which is not inducive to learning or fun. It needs a lot more polish and useable help/aids for people to progress.

MXGP2 is by far the best mx game ever. We all know that the difficulty level of the computer on any MX game is horrible, easy to beat them by half a lap even if you wreck every lap. But thanks to MXGP2, you can play online against people around the world. The online championship series is amazing!

call me old-school but i always liked MCM2, then ATV Offroad Fury 1 and 2 were just fucking awesome (even though quads are the Richard-Simmons of motorsports, they were still sick games)

when MX Unleashed came out i was blown away.

my personal favorite has to be MXvsATV Unleashed on PC. that or Excitebike

MCM2 changed everything for me but I'm hooked on MXvsATV Supercross at the moment.

I wish I could change my vote.

After not playing Reflex for several years, I picked it up again. I have been playing Supercross Encore on Steam with an xbox one controller.

Relfex is leaps and bounds better. Even the default tracks, way better.

Add in the custom tracks that Reflex has through community tracks.

I'm going to buy Supercross Encore on xbox one for the online racing but for PC Reflex wins hands down.

Better handling, better scrubs. Only thing I don't like is the reflex part when the arrows come up.