As the daredevils of the motorbike world, motocross riders take their two-wheelers off-road and into the sky, pulling off mid-air somersaults ordinary gearheads couldn’t manage on a trampoline. X-Fighters launches you into their world, chaining stunts and conquering short time trials to earn trophies and fans.

The whole business lands well shy of the podium, though. You’ll find only 20 tricks to unlock, and while they’re fun to watch, they’re hell on your hands. Suicidal cannonball flips and superman seat-grabs look sweet, but you’ll wish you were double-jointed whenever you have to hold down two triggers and three buttons because the crowd demanded particular stunts. Even if the controls weren’t the work of a lunatic, chaining maneuvers is unnecessarily frustrating. Fail to leave a pregnant pause between tricks, and X-Fighters ignores your input altogether.

As if that weren’t enough to put you off, you’ll easily unlock every crotch rocket and complete every event in less than two hours — short even for a $10 XBLA game — and there isn’t even local multiplayer to add some value. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

On Xbox Live Arcade

+ Death-defying stunts; attractive ramp-filled courses; acceptable riding physics.

– Pulling off even moderately advanced stunts requires the hands of a contortionist.

– Mid-air chaining is unresponsive; too little content for the money; no multiplayer.

? Why not play Trials HD instead?

4.5