MX Unleashed

{{distinguish|MX vs. ATV Unleashed}} {{Short description|2004 video game}} {{Infobox video game | title = MX Unleashed | image = MX Unleashed.jpg | developer = Rainbow Studios Humagade (mobile) | publisher = THQ | programmer = Glenn O'Bannon | series = ''MX'' | platforms = PlayStation 2 Xbox mobile phone | released = {{vgrelease|NA|February 17, 2004|NA|August 19, 2004 (mobile)|EU|March 26, 2004|AUS|2004 (PS2)}} | genre = Racing | modes = Single-player, multiplayer }}

'''''MX Unleashed''''' (known in Australia as '''''Chad Reed MX Unleashed''''') is a 2004 racing video game developed by Rainbow Studios and published by THQ for PlayStation 2, Xbox and mobile phones. The game is also backwards compatible for the Xbox One as of April 2018. It was also made free for Xbox Live Gold members in August 2020.

As a sequel to Locomotive Games' ''MX 2002 featuring Ricky Carmichael'' and ''MX Superfly'', ''Unleashed'' is the third and final game in THQ's ''MX'' trilogy before Rainbow Studios began the ''MX vs. ATV'' series one year later with ''MX vs. ATV Unleashed'', which is a crossover with Sony's ''ATV Offroad Fury'' series.

==Gameplay== The sharp controls allow for the players to weave around obstructions in the course as well as other opponents controlled by artificial intelligence. The turns are very tight and the responsiveness of the controls allow the player to do as many tricks as possible before landing after a jump. To gain more height on the jumps to do more tricks, the player can make the bike rider push back on the shocks at the bottom of a hill and release them at the top to create a springboard-like effect, and go to heights unattainable without doing so. The player's speed, bike angle, and rider posture all affect how the bike responds to the ground it is driving over. In the career mode, the player must place in the top three to unlock another race, with unlimited tries allowed to make the podium finish. The freestyle mode is much different. There are a variety of challenges one has to complete in order to unlock more challenges and move on to another freestyle map. The challenges include a series of targets that the player's bike must land on after every jump, a timed freestyle measured by the number of points scored in the time frame, a race against a different vehicle across the 5 different freestyle maps such as a monster truck, a biplane, a dune buggy, a trophy truck, or a helicopter, and a contest in which the player must hit ten targets after jumps before the other seven racers. Successfully completing a challenge will unlock a more difficult version of it, as well as more challenges.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/02/13/mx-unleashed-5?page=4|title=MX Unleashed|date=2004-02-13|website=IGN|language=en-US|access-date=2018-05-08}}</ref>

==Development== As Rainbow Studios was completing the first two installments of the ''ATV Offroad Fury'' series, which released to critical acclaim, THQ took notice of the games' high quality and wanted its next ''MX'' game to run on their engine,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bartels |first1=Billy |title=ATV Offroad Fury 3 - ATV Video Game Showdown! |url=https://www.atvrider.com/atv-offroad-fury-3-atv-video-game-showdown |website=ATV Rider |access-date=14 February 2021 |date=24 February 2009}}</ref> one factor that resulted in its decision to acquire that developer. Following this acquisition,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/01/03/thq-completes-rainbow-studios-acquisition |title=THQ Completes Rainbow Studios Acquisition |author=IGN Staff |date=January 3, 2002 |website=IGN |access-date=July 23, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612144048/http://www.ign.com/articles/2002/01/03/thq-completes-rainbow-studios-acquisition |archive-date=June 12, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> Rainbow Studios relinquished control of the ''ATV Offroad Fury'' series to Climax Studios and drew upon prior experience in developing high-quality motocross racing games after the success of Microsoft's PC-exclusive ''Motocross Madness'' duology to make a ''MX'' game with the high level of quality THQ expected. This involved utilizing various graphical enhancements and effects from its prior off-road racing titles such as cleanly dynamic fog effects, a high draw distance and large, detailed race environments with many small objects that could be interacted with, as well as realistic physics.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/02/13/mx-unleashed-5|title=MX Unleashed|last=Roper|first=Chris|date=2004-02-13|website=IGN|language=en-US|access-date=2018-05-08}}</ref> The Australian release was endorsed by Australian pro motocross racer Chad Reed. Everywhere else, the game received no endorsement from any pro MX racer and had its full title simply shortened to ''MX Unleashed''.

==Reception== {{Video game reviews | PS2 = true | XBOX = true | na = true | EGM_PS2 = 8/10<ref name=EGM>{{cite magazine |author=EGM staff |title=MX Unleashed |magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly |issue=177 |date=April 2004 |page=118}}</ref> | EGM_XBOX = 8/10<ref name=EGM/> | GI_PS2 = 8/10<ref name=GI>{{cite magazine |last=Kato |first=Matthew |url=http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/2D04BB06-71A0-45DB-86B5-DDA34ECFE530.htm |title=MX Unleashed |magazine=Game Informer |issue=131 |date=March 2004 |page=94 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051031105605/http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/exeres/2D04BB06-71A0-45DB-86B5-DDA34ECFE530.htm |archive-date=October 31, 2005 |url-status=dead |access-date=March 21, 2015}}</ref> | GI_XBOX = 8/10<ref name=GI/> | GSpot_PS2 = 7.9/10<ref name=GSpot>{{cite web |last=Gerstmann |first=Jeff |date=February 23, 2004 |url=http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mx-unleashed-review/1900-6089877/ |title=MX Unleashed Review |website=GameSpot |accessdate=March 21, 2015}}</ref> | GSpot_XBOX = 7.9/10<ref name=GSpot/> | GSpy_PS2 = 4/5<ref name=GSpy>{{cite web |last=Leeper |first=Justin |date=February 29, 2004 |url=http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/mx-unleashed/499128p1.html |title=GameSpy: MX Unleashed |publisher=GameSpy |accessdate=March 21, 2015}}</ref> | GSpy_XBOX = 4/5<ref name=GSpy/> | GameZone_XBOX = 7.7/10<ref>{{cite web |last=Bedigian |first=Louis |date=March 5, 2004 |url=http://www.gamezone.com/reviews/mx_unleashed_xb_review |title=MX Unleashed - XB - Review |publisher=GameZone |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006061325/http://xbox.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r22259.htm |archivedate=October 6, 2008 |url-status=live |accessdate=March 21, 2015}}</ref> | IGN_PS2 = 8.8/10<ref>{{cite web |last=Roper |first=Chris |date=February 13, 2004 |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/02/13/mx-unleashed-5 |title=MX Unleashed (PS2) |website=IGN |accessdate=March 21, 2015}}</ref> | IGN_XBOX = 8.8/10<ref>{{cite web |last=Roper |first=Chris |date=February 19, 2004 |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2004/02/19/mx-unleashed-4 |title=MX Unleashed (Xbox) |website=IGN |accessdate=March 21, 2015}}</ref> | OPM_PS2 = 4/5<ref>{{cite magazine |title=MX Unleashed |magazine=Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine |date=April 2004 |page=99}}</ref> | OXM_XBOX = 8.1/10<ref>{{cite magazine |title=MX Unleashed |magazine=Official Xbox Magazine |date=May 2004 |page=76}}</ref> | TX_XBOX = 8.6/10<ref>{{cite web |last=Nardozzi |first=Dale |date=April 9, 2004 |url=http://reviews.teamxbox.com/xbox/736/MX-Unleashed/p1/ |title=MX Unleashed Review (Xbox) |publisher=TeamXbox |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116153449/http://reviews.teamxbox.com/xbox/736/MX-Unleashed/p1/ |archivedate=January 16, 2009 |url-status=dead |accessdate=March 21, 2015}}</ref> | XPlay_XBOX = 4/5<ref>{{cite web|last=D'Aprile |first=Jason |date=March 17, 2004 |url=http://www.techtv.com/xplay/reviews/story/0,24330,3638775,00.html |title='MX Unleashed' (Xbox) Review |publisher=X-Play |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20040318041757/http://www.techtv.com/xplay/reviews/story/0%2C24330%2C3638775%2C00.html |archivedate=March 18, 2004 |url-status=dead |accessdate=March 21, 2015}}</ref> | rev1 = ''The Village Voice'' | rev1_XBOX = 8/10<ref>{{cite news |last=Catucci |first=Nick |date=March 2, 2004 |url=http://www.villagevoice.com/news/they-know-not-what-they-do-the-passion-of-the-mx-racers-6408129 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304084445/http://www.villagevoice.com/news/they-know-not-what-they-do-the-passion-of-the-mx-racers-6408129 |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |title=They know not what they do: The passion of the MX racers |newspaper=The Village Voice |accessdate=March 21, 2015}}</ref> | MC_PS2 = 80/100<ref name=MCPS2>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/mx-unleashed/critic-reviews/?platform=playstation-2 |title=MX Unleashed for PlayStation 2 Reviews |website=Metacritic |accessdate=March 21, 2015}}</ref> | MC_XBOX = 81/100<ref name=MCXB>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/game/mx-unleashed/critic-reviews/?platform=xbox |title=MX Unleashed for Xbox Reviews |website=Metacritic |accessdate=March 21, 2015}}</ref> }}

''MX Unleashed'' received "generally positive" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.<ref name=MCPS2/><ref name=MCXB/>

By July 2006, the PlayStation 2 version of ''MX Unleashed'' had sold 740,000 copies and earned $22 million in the United States. ''Next Generation'' ranked it as the 88th highest-selling game launched for sixth-generation consoles between January 2000 and July 2006 in that country. Combined sales of the ''MX'' trilogy reached 1.5 million units in the United States by July 2006.<ref name=nextgensales>{{cite web | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071028115051/http://www.next-gen.biz/index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3537&Itemid=2&pop=1&page=1 | url=http://www.next-gen.biz/index2.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3537&Itemid=2&pop=1&page=1 | title=The Top 100 Games of the 21st Century | author1=Campbell, Colin | author2=Keiser, Joe | date=July 29, 2006 | work=Next Generation | archivedate=October 28, 2007 | url-status=dead}}</ref>

==References== {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{moby game|id=/mx-unleashed}}

Category:2004 video games Category:Humagade games Category:Monster truck video games Category:Multiplayer and single-player video games Category:MX vs. ATV Category:PlayStation 2 games Category:Racing video games Category:Rainbow Studios games Category:THQ games Category:Video games developed in the United States Category:Xbox games