Review: Aggressive Inline (PS2)
Aggressive Inline is the latest extreme sports game from the Z-axis crew, who surely must refer to themselves as a 'crew'. Following on from the success of the Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX series, Inline is like Dave Mirra save for one subtle difference: you're a sk8r.
The structure is like all other extreme sports titles. Choose your skater from an array of silly monikered Americans and use him (and on occasions, her) to perform stunts and tricks to complete a series of objectives. Completion of these objectives will unlock more levels. It's simplicity itself.
The sideways scrolling platformer used to be the core of the games industry, but with the power of today's hardware you're more likely to see The Hoobs fast planting and grinding instead of leaping from platform to platform. Extreme sports titles pioneered by Tony Hawks are true 3D titles, where it’s an advantage to explore this virtual territory, to be rewarded by new places to get high scores. There is an element of the platform genre in these games, as you have to reach certain points and collect objects, but its much faster and more fun.
Aggressive Inline has huge levels that are rammed to the hilt with places to jump n grind. The choice of arenas displays some kind of imagination: they include a Hollywood studio, a snow swept city centre, a car factory, a fish cannery, an airfield and a museum. Diverse settings that contain different areas which are best for flips and grabs and lots to grind, from pavement edges to tram lines to benches.
Thought has also gone into the structure of the game to differentiate itself from Mirra. There is no timed restrictions on the levels, instead in the top right of the screen is a bar named the juiceometer which gets filled up by performing tricks, and when it reaches the top you gain a short speed boost. The system is advantageous in several ways. You can play a level fluidly and not have to stop completing objectives halfway through and you play until you are done. When an objective is completed you gain attribute points that help to take your character from a big wuss to a legend.
The objectives themselves are more diverse, ranging from targets to grind on, jumps and transitions to make from specific ramps to a timed points goal. Because of the juiceometer there are other challenges like cumulative scores that go into seven figures.
Objectives like that last two are made easier by the ease at which combos can be performed through grinding. Move triangle and a direction to change the type of grind. At the right speed and in the right place you can rack up a hefty bonus. However, although the interlinking manual function is easier to perform, it doesn't aid in linking tricks as easily as it should, leaving the combos grind based. The flips aren’t as visually satisfying with skates than with a board or bike. The circle button is wasted, set for vaulting and only works when it wants to. There are some graphical glitches with the player disappearing into statues etc, but the 3D camera behaves itself, though it’s a bit awkward to look around.
The game is also very exact in the accomplishment of the challenges. Mirra-style highlighting of targets is avoided in place of a description or a short video clip of where the target is. When you start a level you're unsure of what do to, and have to navigate your way before attempting anything. Some of the challenges are hidden; either by having to talk to people first or by completing one previously, like the score accumulation. Some objectives are more covert like the pipe transfers in level 2, when you've done all of them in the clip and aren't credited with having done so it's frustrating, and you wish for more overt pointers.
The multiplayer player mode is good, a simultaneous versus with score attack, biggest trick and time-based collect the objects games, though a variation on pontoon is interesting. The graphics are good with a decent draw distance and the animation is well done. When you fall to the ground there's a splash of blood all around you.
Aggressive Inline is a well-made intelligently constructed stunt game that shows imagination and craft. Brownie points are received for the inclusion of a park editor and some decent ska tracks (newsflash: extreme sports game in no Sum 41 song shocker) that will entertain all but the most rampant stunt h8r with solid sk8ing action.
Rating: 8 / 10
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