Aggressive Inline Game by Nintendo Reviewed by Philip "Pocket Squirrel" Wesley Size: 64 megabits Save: None! Released: 2002 Works with: Game Boy Advance and Up. Rated: E (Mild Lyrics in songs and mild falling down violence. No Blood.) Quick Summary: Pass on it. **************************************************************************** Opening Snide Remarks: I am fairly easy to sell things to. In particular, I buy a lot of Game Boy games that do something unique. I like how the Game Boy system can be pushed to and beyond its percieved limits. Just when you think they have done it all, they do something new. I remember looking at Super Mario Land 2 and thinking: "It doesn't get better than this!" Then along came Wario Land. Face Ball 2000 impressed me a lot on the old Game Boy, now we have programmers pushing QUAKE levels in my face. I remember being floored by Doom and then along came Super Monkey Ball Jr. Game Boy games get prettier and do more things. Aggresive Inline's claim to fame is "Full Songs" from artists like Hobostank, Black Sheep, Eric B & Rakim, etc AND over 400+ tricks to do as over ten real pro skaters. (None of which I have ever heard of. Sorry, I'm not up to speed on the Roller Blade Inline Extreme Sports World. SO, yeah. How is it? **************************************************************************** Gameplay Descripion: It wants to be Tony Hawk; but it's missing any sense of playability. The levels are tiny and short, objectives are simple; but only made challenging by the less than responsive controls. After a while, you will get rather bored. Tricks are "tricky" to do because of the controls and there is not much variation between the "400+" moves to warrent even trying. Just find a decent move that nets points, do it over and over again in the first level to earn time for later levels, thus making the game very easy once you have the hang of it. It does not save your progress anyways. It has a few modes of play. Arcade: A "Story" mode that is laughably bad, the objectives are pretty plain vanilla or -to clarify more- cut and dry. Things such as "jump through flaming hoops that are right next to a ramp" and the always infamous "grind things" objective. Tony Hawk has to too; but at least that game has little tricks to its objectives to make them more interesting. Free Skate: One thing about Roller Blading, it appears to be fairly slower than skateboarding. This game is slow too. This is a no-score, no-objective, explore-the-short-levels option. Areas you have unlocked by meeting objectives in the game can be played for fun or practice. It has a good number of levels; but in many of them it feels like the only difference is cosmetic. The same old street layout; but with new background objects. So the levels quickly bore me. :-( Liked: Well, you can skate by a pole and swing on it. Hated: But as interesting as that is; this game is pretty much "Passive Inline" when it comes to the fun factor and meat of the game: Game Play. **************************************************************************** Graphics Description: Roller Bladers must all have terrible posture. It looks like Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 without a board. The levels are fairly dull. The only one that made me perk up and take notice was the Car lot; but then I realized that there's only three cars that get repeated over and over again ad nauseum. The circus level was unique; but also without frills. The game won't win any beauty contests; but it won't be kicked out of them for being ugly. It is just a mediocore game graphics wise. Animation is pretty well done though. No blood or customizable clothes in this game. Sadly enough. Liked: It does the trick.......... Hated: ........nothing more though. **************************************************************************** Sound/Music Description: Full songs are NOT included in this game regardless of what the box says. It has looped songs that remind me of "Hit Clips" verions of the songs. (About 45 seconds to a minute long songs.) It is a nice gesture though, even if the songs get on my nerves after a while. Some levels have the generic Tony Hawkish music we know and tolerate as well. The sounds are average per par in this game. Each level has a specific song. Sadly, you can not hear different music in a stage than the song assaigned to it. So sad. Liked: Sounds like a contender! Hated: Fruity Loops are for breakfast, not a sports game. I grew to dislike some levels because of the music! That is not happy. **************************************************************************** Play Control/Game Design: Physics engines are tough to make if you are not sure how. This game makes it clear that it is aiming at one thing only: "Giving the people semi-full songs, unlike Tony Hawk 2"; and it does just that. However, they forgot to make it more fun, and forgot to design interesting LEVELS to play with. Some are only half-way interesting; but not for long. I'm not sure of the liscensed Skaters.. but it seems that no women inline skate or something. That just seems STUPID to me. Where are the ladies? (If any of the liscensed players are female, my sympathy goes out to them; because they look like GUYS in the game. Heh.) Liked: It's okay.. for a while. Hated: You have no woo-men, stoopid Bunnies! Why you gots no mates?! Also no sense of style, gravity, hit detection and the beat goes on. Babump babump bada. **************************************************************************** Improve: Well, fix the game design, level design, length and tweak the graphics engine a little. Let me be able to change the music and add a BATTERY SAVE. See? Works. RIYL: Inline skating and you do not mind being a notch below Tony Hawk Pro Skater games. **************************************************************************** Final Words: Okay. Aside from the musical "ace", this is a vanilla game. Vanilla is YUMMA; but it is not Chocolate. In other words it is like Vanilla ICE. Not a real rapper; but he tries by swiping a sweet musical hook. However, many people are smarter than to be sucked into this One flute String Orchestra. By that I mean that it has one unique feature that transcends the rest of it; but does not redeem it. **************************************************************************** Score Gameplay: ** Graphics: ** Sound/Music: *** Play Control/Game Design: * Personal Opinion: * Total: 9 out of 25 Final Score: 36% **************************************************************************** Currently Known Codes: A few. At the press start title screen.. All Levels - Up, Down, Up, Down, Left, Right, B, R Unlock All Skaters - Input LLBBRRLR at the title screen.