While primarily a BMX-based action sports title, the game places a distinct emphasis on off-color and sexual humor, and allows the player to create female characters that are fully topless.

Although the control scheme and voice acting were complimented, opinions on the soundtrack were mixed, and reviewers faulted the camera, level design, mission objectives, visuals, and humor.

[7] In 2001, Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX developer Z-Axis began production on the third installment of the series, aiming to expand the technology and include such features as a story, voice-acting, and mission-based gameplay.

Lead artist Mark Girouard described the game's original narrative as centering on a BMX team on tour throughout the United States.

[8] While this initially elicited laughter, the group began seriously considering the idea, with Acclaim hoping that appealing to an older audience would increase sales.

[8] Director Glen Egan acknowledged the increasing success of M-rated games, and was encouraged to pursue the rating by his irritation at having to excise drug references and profanity from the soundtracks of the previous two Dave Mirra titles.

[10] Acclaim director of public relations Alan Lewis commented that the aging gamer demographic made adult humor essential in appealing to audiences that began their hobby in earlier generations.

Lead designer Tin Guerrero postulated that this decision was influenced by the popularity of Howard Stern at the time, with Scores apparently being his favorite stripclub.

The team was unable to object due to the company management's support of the direction and their multi-game contractual obligation to Acclaim concerning the Dave Mirra series.

[11] On August 19, 2002, Acclaim announced that Dave Mirra's name had been removed from the title, and that he and the other professional riders, as well as licensed equipment, would not be featured in the game.

Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot speculated that the move was made by Acclaim to preserve creative control over the game's content while preventing damage to the images of the previously involved riders and equipment manufacturers.

[18] On November 4, Acclaim representatives Alan Lewis and Tara Blanco confirmed the rumor, stating that the PS2 version would be edited to eliminate the topless nudity.

[22] On November 7, Acclaim launched a "Ms. BMX XXX" competition, in which female contestants submitted a digital photo of themselves or a friend, which was subject to a public vote.

[56] The control scheme was mostly found to be comfortable and intuitive,[c] though Bryn Williams of GameSpy and Justin Nation of Planet GameCube considered the stunt system to be simplified compared to other extreme sports titles such as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4.

[46][52] Although Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot was impressed by the variety of tricks, he felt that none of them seemed special or important, and pointed out that the game engine's unrealistic quirks reduced the sense of challenge.

[45] Scott Alan Marriott of AllGame, Dan Leahy of Electronic Gaming Monthly, and AM Urbanek of TechTV observed a lack of inertia in the player's bike, which contributed to a sense of inconsistency in the controls.

[36][37][57] Although Steve Steinberg commended the camera as solid and logically placed,[4] others criticized it as jumpy and jerky, with Marriott and IGN's Matt Casamassina citing a tendency to bounce off walls and barriers, and Zuniga expressing frustration at having to stop the bike to look around.

[e] Reviewers complained of the vague challenge objectives, which were exacerbated by the lack of any source of direction or orientation; Steve Steinberg and Gerstmann cited a specific instance of an early mission that tasked the player with running down a "fruitbooter" while giving no indication that the term is derogatory slang for an inline skater.

[46][48][54] Some pointed out that the rough character models worked against the game's attempt at sex appeal, with Tom Bramwell of Eurogamer remarking that "not since Orchid in the original Killer Instinct have I seen such angular assets".

[38][40] Valentino found the background music's downplayed prominence odd,[47] and Gerstmann was perplexed by the soundtrack's editing of racial slurs and drug references considering the marketing campaign's emphasis on obscenity.

[45] Boulding was annoyed by an audio flaw that caused custom playlists to start again from the first track any time the music was paused for a gameplay reason, such as initiating a challenge.

[52] Marriott deemed the concept of a Mature-rated sports title nonsensical, and found the game's presentation of a seedy urban tone unpleasant, proclaiming that "being bombarded with obnoxious vendors and annoying pedestrians everywhere you turn should be considered a form of mental anguish".

The suits claimed that titles such as BMX XXX "materially impeded the company's ability to access broad-based retail channels" and damaged revenue projections.

[8] The financial failure and lack of mass market appeal of BMX XXX among other titles was cited as a factor in Acclaim's 2004 bankruptcy and liquidation.

[63] Mike Williams of USgamer, within his list of "10 Games That Killed a Franchise", deemed BMX XXX and Turok: Evolution to be the "two nails in Acclaim's coffin".

[65] Todd Ciolek of IGN, in a retrospective feature covering major game publisher blunders, described BMX XXX as Acclaim's "last cry for attention" in a series of desperate publicity stunts by the financially ailing company.