E3 2002: Toxic Grind preshow report

New screenshots from and information on THQ's futuristic BMX game Toxic Grind have been released. Taking place in 2097, when BMX riding has been outlawed, Toxic Grind follows a game show where participants in the sport are executed for entertainment. When all the BMX riders have been eliminated, the show's host goes back in time to pluck riders from the past to keep the show alive. Eventually, he stumbles across Jason Hayes and forces him to appear on the show. Hayes is injected with a toxin, and you must guide him though the show's gauntlet and provide the best show available.

Toxic Grind will include 14 mission-based levels based on world-famous locations and time periods. You'll ride through Robin Hood's Sherwood Forest, grind in the ancient Roman Colosseum, and explore an underwater cave. In order to survive, you must complete the game's objectives, avoid the deadly obstacles, evade the show's henchmen, and pull off tricks. The game is being promoted by THQ as the first-ever BMX game with a plot, but it also includes a variety of mission objectives that will alter the physical construction of the levels. You'll be asked to deactivate bombs, sink battleships, destroy a helicopter, and much more. The course hazards also come in a wide variety. Lightning bolts will come down from the sky, cannons will take shots at you, and "orbs of death" attempt to stop your progress.

There will be four gameplay modes in the final game. The primary single-player mode is called underground, and in it, you appear on the television show and attempt to outwit and outride the obstacles and enemies being thrown at you. The circuit mode asks you to compete against all the other riders in the game in search of the highest score. The arcade mode simply lets you practice on any of the levels that have been unlocked in the underground mode. The multiplayer mode for up to two players features seven different minigames, including HORSE, turf wars, and king of the hill.

Toxic Grind is currently scheduled for release on the GameCube and Xbox this June. We'll have more on the game from the E3 show floor.