|
|
|
|
|
|
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 |
 |
Line Rider 2 Unbound
By Sheep @ 2:25 PM :: 3215 Views ::  :: DS
|
 |
With a name like Line Rider, you might think the game would be about
Studio 54 at its peak or maybe pure Colombian snow, but you would be
far off the mark. While there is actually a lot of snow, this game is
about drawing out a course, hopping on your sled, and hopefully not
dying in the process. Line Rider 2: Unbound for the DS continues the
game play style of the original game, which was released as a free
Flash game back in 2006. In both games, you draw different shaped lines
to create courses for your character to sled using momentum and
physics. After you create the course you simply start the sledder in
the right direction; other than that, it’s all up to how well you
designed the course since you have no real control over him. My early
courses usually involved my racer flying to his death many times over,
but the game had a strange fun factor that was very unique. While the
original was more about creating interesting tracks to show your
friends, the sequel aims to update that formula by adding a story mode
with actual goals to achieve. The story mode consists of over 40
puzzle-tracks created by someone named TechDawg. I’m not sure how you
attain the title of “number one Line Rider player,” but according to
the back of the game, TechDawg is just that. The tracks start off as
simple tutorials but soon you’re cut loose and will be sledding through
giant loops and jumping over huge ramps. But why are you sledding down
all these lines? What exactly is your motivation in the sequel? Well,
the actual plot of the story mode involves the main character, Bosh,
trying to best his rival, Chaz, in a series of races to try and win the
love of some girl. Those players new to Line Rider might think this
would be a setup for some type of competitive racing game, which it’s
not. Instead, each chapter is a pre-made track in which certain squared
off sections have been removed. The player must determine how best to
complete these squares in order to help Bosh reach the finish line.
Along the way, you must guide your sledder to hit targets and collect
tokens, which can be used to unlock items such as extra characters.
Luckily,
there are a number of different line types and tools to help you along
the way. Speed changing lines can either help boost you over a gap or
slow you down so you don’t race off a ledge. Other lines, such as the
trampoline variety, are introduced as you progress to keep the game
fresh. The main problem with trying to solve the story mode’s
puzzle-tracks is in fact, the lack of there being any real puzzles to
solve. The game doesn’t necessarily require puzzle solving, but
instead, patience and time. Early on, I would fail multiple times on a
single stage because my ramp kept shooting Bosh far over the target or
I somehow created lines that he simply fell off of. I spent nearly
forty minutes on an early chapter in the very first act because I
couldn’t figure out how to draw a ramp just perfectly. Don’t get me
wrong; it’s funny seeing that little guy’s lifeless body fall to his
doom, but I reached a point where I wanted to snap my DS in half.
Eventually, I figured out how to draw my line just right to move him
along, but it was due more to me repeatedly trying slightly different
line styles and not so much any type of puzzle I had solved. My last
complaint would be the lack of any type of “left-handed option.”
Scrolling
around the course using the DS control pad is very awkward when you
already use your left hand to hold the stylus. It just would have been
nice to have the option to use the A, B, X, and Y buttons in place of
the control pad. Or maybe they could have allowed you to zoom out
farther to get a “bigger picture” of the track.
I think the game
makers did a great job putting together the feel of the game. They took
the very basic old Line Rider look and gave it a Saturday morning
cartoon makeover, which works well. The animated cut scenes won't win
over jaded gamers, but they should entertain younger players. I also
enjoyed the sometimes bouncy and sometimes serene music quite a bit; at
any time you can go into the menu and select different tracks from the
play list which is a nice touch.
The saving grace of this game
really is freestyle mode; it most resembles the original game and is
where you can really unleash your creativity. The editing tools at your
disposal consist of all the various line types, including the
“decoration line” which you can use to freehand draw anything you want
without it interfering with the actual track. Another interesting type
of line can be used to trigger a camera zoom or special sled trick at
any given point on your track. I enjoyed how far the game goes to let
you design the look and feel of each track along with the actual
functionality. Using the various tools took a little while to get used
to but it’s all very intuitive with plenty of explanation on the top
screen. The fact that the track creator is so deep ensures someone with
enough free time and patience could come up with any number of
completely different courses. Sadly, the tracks I created were put to
shame once I used the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection to download other user
created content. Once connected you choose to download from your
“personal” list, which requires friend codes, or the “featured” list,
which is where your uploaded tracks would probably go if they were any
good. I downloaded a few tracks from the “featured list” and was amazed
at what some people are already doing with the track creator. One track
titled “Pokemon” had me sledding through all sorts of different Pokemon
characters which might sound lame but was actually pretty funny. How
can you not laugh when you are doing a loop through Jigglypuff?
After
spending quite a bit of time with Line Rider 2, I came to the
mind-shattering conclusion that it’s pretty much two games in one:
story mode and freestyle. Story mode forces you to fill in the blanks
to complete otherwise premade tracks, while freestyle gives you
complete freedom in creating fun tracks to watch your sled guy ride on.
I think the game developers could have eliminated story mode and sold
this package with just freestyle (discounting the game in the process).
Creating your track and then forcing a friend to finally give it a try
is a lot more fun than trying to complete someone else’s track. I give
the developers credit for at least trying to add more depth to Line
Rider, rather than just port over a two year old Flash game. If this
game sounds interesting at all, I recommend you try playing the free
version available on the Internet. Just imagine it on your much smaller
DS screen and you have pretty much nailed down the experience. The
value of Line Rider 2 really depends on what you want from a game and
how much time you are willing to put into it. Those looking for
mind-bending puzzles or nail-biting action might find Lind Rider about
as fun as Nintendo’s Electroplankton, their experimental, freeform
music generator. However, if designing and creating your own intricate
sled courses to share with others sounds like fun, you will get the
most out of this game.
7 out of 10
|
|
|
|
|
| Comments |
 By Video Game News, Inc. @
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 3:12 PM
|
|
|
|
By
John @
Wednesday, October 15, 2008 4:36 PM
|
|
Cool review, will check out!
|
|
|
|
By
Dom @
Wednesday, April 15, 2009 5:44 PM
|
|
Woah what...the...hell....YOU HAVE NEVER HEARD OF TECHDAWG! WHAT THE FUCK? iridetheline.com is his website and he is GOD at linerider!
|
|
|
|
By
Dom @
Wednesday, April 15, 2009 5:44 PM
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Login to check your inbox
|