Digital distribution has made it a lot easier to release games from genres that aren’t quite as popular as they used to be. The arcade-style racer, as embodied by the Cruis’n series, Outrun, and so on, is one of the more noteworthy examples. Mad Riders has a lot in common with those games despite its ATV theme and use of rank-based unlockables that are awarded as you play, and is enjoyable if you’re willing to put up with some infrequent problems.

Played as either a single-player game or multiplayer via Xbox Live (or system link), Mad Riders has you hurry to the finish line with very fast and loose physics that keep things wild. It doesn’t have much use for realism, and will simply deposit you back on the track a few seconds after even the most insane crashes. You’re encouraged to not only learn the track’s layout, but find spots that are good for stunts. Successful stunts, such as double backflips, award boost meter that you can spend to go even faster for a short time.

Each race is pretty short, taking only a few minutes apiece. True to its sub-genre, you will making near-constant turns and jumps broken up by occasional straight areas to make better use of boost. This might make for a pretty simple game on its own, though a series of rank-based unlocks (similar to what you find in some first person shooters) could help hold your interest. You not only gain cosmetic things such as new riders, but whole new bikes as well. The first several unlocks come quickly, though the pace does understandably slow down after a while.