Shard said:
If there is anything the XBLA has been in dire need for, it is a quality racer. In between the three faces of horrific shittyness that were Novadrome, Mad Tracks and Yaris, well, it has not been good times for the genre on the XBLA.
XBLA has done quite a few categories very well (i.e. strategy, board/card games, shooters, for example) and others not so well (ie. what the hell is Screwjumpers? I can only put this in a new category labeled Eww. Sorry for any offense to the developers).
Given that those games you list were 800 points (or should have paid you 800 points for the few seconds they resided on your hard drive), Mario and Sidhe will have a blockbuster.
Given MS's sensitivity to parity in pricing versus the competition, I'm sure Gripshift'll be 800 points (even if Mario can't say, yet). But in comparison to the above crap, they could charge more and you wouldn't hear any complaints. The game has a value far exceeding the (presumed) 800 points it'll cost.
I look forward to the thread you'll create, Shard, when this game goes live. We may be preaching to the choir in this one; but, I'm sure that thread will fill with overwhelmingly positive impressions. The game is fun; really the only thing required of a game.
Mario said:
It is about "cars", but things like the in air control, off road driving, star collection, platforming, and the apparent simplicity of the early tracks turned some people off. Approach it like a racing game and you'll be disappointed. Approach it like a driving platformer and you'll gel with the game a lot faster.
There is a race mode, so you can do that too
That's the great thing about the game you guys/gals at Sidhe made, Mario. Play it however you want. Want a racer: attempt to best the times posted on the leader boards. As you know, it requires quite a bit of creativity. Want a platformer: Find all the stars and Gripshift tokens. Or do all in one go. Either way, both elements are definitely intertwined. And for those reading who haven't played Gripshift, the early tracks are in no way an indication of what you'll see later on. In the tradition of Nintendo, it's more about getting acclimated with the game.
Not to leave out how visceral the competition to move up the leaderboards can be. I'm not beatbox, but cracking the top 100 on any given track is a pretty good feeling, as far as video game ego-stroking goes. This game has that infinite replayability thing going for it. Skip lunch for a day or two and buy the game when it comes out.
