Have you heard of some crazy guys by the name of Seth Enslow, Carey Hart, Sean Peer, 'Mad' Mike Jones or Bubba?... no? Then there's probably no point in reading the rest of this review. If you answered 'Yes!' then no doubt you've also seen one or two of the Fleshwound Films, Crusty Demons of Dirt series and then this game is going to agree with you like Nannas roast on a Sunday afternoon!

Motocross games have been few and far between on the Xbox and the offerings have been ok but nothing mind blowing. Freestyle Metal X (from now on FMX) isn't your run of the mill motocross title and fans of the older PC titles, Motocross Madness 1 and 2 will really appreciate the levels and style of this game. If you're looking for straight out circuit racing then you will be let down as FMX is all about extreme air, pulling off insane stunts while airborne and can best be described as a motocross blend of previous extreme sports titles such as Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer, Tony Hawk and the already mentioned Motocross Madness.

Containing 8 pretty decently sized levels ranging from a farm and its surroundings to a pretty cool city level complete with sports stadium filled with a motocross track, FMX is filled with heaps of great detail and imaginative features. As each level is unlocked you can freely travel between them without having to exit and restart the game as they become linked in real-time. A great feature! Each level contains a variety of modes such as Free ride, Race, Freestyle, Big Air and Challenges. If that wasn't enough there are also hill climb events which are a real challenge and can be competed in multiplayer mode as well.

The Challenge mode is the main part of the game where you unlock all the extra levels and game modes and progress through the game. The challenges are varied and might consist of knocking over a water tower to put out a barn fire, running down a number of wild wolves, jumping through a helicopter, stopping shoplifters, smashing all the windows in the sports stadium and amongst others, scaring birds away. Some are simple but some present a real challenge and will keep you coming back over and over until you can beat the clock or complete whatever the objective is. It's great to see some good old fashioned 'jump the buses' Evel Knievel style action as well, now where is that shark tank?

Naturally the game just isn't about completing objectives and it has a very in depth trick mode in it as well. Once airborne combinations of the dpad or stick with the 'B' button will pull off the superman, the barney, the can can, the coffin and loads more and they can also be tweaked with the 'Y' button to execute modifiers that create new tricks out of the existing ones. For example, hit down and 'B' to do a superman, then quickly hit down and 'Y' to modify it into a no footer! It can get pretty involved and if you want to rack up the high scores you will really need to practice and run through the tutorial a few times.

The graphics in the game are clean, sharp and the quality of the texture art is really something special. The levels all look top-notch and contain some terrific areas for some big air and tricks. In a classy design touch, the amount of dead ends or walls is minimal as the majority of them contain a curve so they can all be used as ramps. The bikes are highly detailed right down to the nobbies on the tyres. The riders look pretty cool too and while riding are animated pretty well and when not on the bikes during spills are handled thanks to some pretty good 'rag doll' physics. Take a big spill and your rider slides and tumbles in a very painful and realistic looking manner, the blood streak along the ground also helps you to share in his pain! There's no major issues or flaws with the graphics at all and the guys at Deibus really have some good artists working for them.

The in game music is all provided thanks to some metal bands such as Motley Crue, Motorhead, Megadeth, Twisted Sister, and Shortie. They all pump and if they don't get you in the mood for this game then nothing will! I can't say that I'm a metal head but I don't mind rocking along to 'Ace of Spades' or 'Kick start my heart' while playing this game.

There is absolutely heaps to do in this game, especially once you start unlocking the extra game modes like Big Air etc but if that doesn't sound like enough to keep you interested FMX also has a level editor. The levels are confined to an arena but contain plenty of objects to create some fun levels in. I whipped up a couple of quick ones and filled them with buses, big jumps, ramps, pipes and a loop or two. You can also test them from within the level editor as well which saves heaps of time and helps you tweak them until they are just right.

Your bikes (once you unlock more than one) are all editable. You can alter their appearance, upgrade their engines and tune them so if you like to tinker you'll be pretty happy. Your stats are also collected as well. Records such as longest wheelie, biggest air, longest jump and heaps of other stats are all recorded for bragging rights.