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Official Gripshift thread (XBLA coming soon)

K

kaching

"GAF's biggest wanker"
11/27/2007 THREAD UPDATE: Gripshift will soon be available on XBLA. Should be available in December. Official coverage starts at post 764 in this thread. The official site has also been updated with an XBLA specific subsite. First coverage of this version posted by IGN: http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/837/837991p1.html

12/20/2006 THREAD UPDATE: Gripshift is arriving within a few weeks on PS3 as a downloadable game via the PS Store. Official coverage starts at post 206. The majority of the thread before that is about the PSP version of Gripshift. We now return you to the original post...

Knowing how popular this game will be around here, I imagine it needs it needs its own official thread in order to contain all of the following:

* reviews from online sites
* impressions from GAFers
* tips on using the level editor and sharing custom tracks
* a continuation of the debate with dark10x wrt whether this game even manages dc-level visuals

Impressions I've read so far mention that load times are almost non-existent, the track editor is robust, features a large number of unlockables and the kart racer dynamics of the gameplay seem to be well implemented.

I plan on getting this one instead of Burnout Legends this week :o ...anybody in the same boat? Or, at least thinking of getting the game?

EDITS:

Sidhe Interactive has setup a forum for track editor help and tutorials. They have already stickied 7 tutorial topics:

http://forums.sidheinteractive.com/forumdisplay.php?f=23

Sony Online's official site for Gripshift already has custom tracks for download and will eventually allow you to upload tracks (click the link, then click on 'Tracks' when the site loads):

http://gripshift.station.sony.com/

Better yet...

http://www.gripshiftgame.com
 
a heady mix of sincerity and self-deprecating sarcasm. Now, don't you have an xbot somewhere to troll?
 
kaching said:
a heady mix of sincerity and self-deprecating sarcasm. Now, don't you have an xbot somewhere to troll?
Click to expand...

here i am.

g.ford gave it a 7.0 in egm :O
 
kaching said:
I plan on getting this one instead of Burnout Legends this week :o ...anybody in the same boat? Or, at least thinking of getting the game?
Click to expand...

Yup. Or to put in in GAFese,
WIPEOUT/QUANTUM REDSHIFT GUY + STUNT CAR RACER >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> CRITERION GUY + FOND BURNOUT 1&2 MEMORIES VIOLENTLY RAPED BY DJ ELECTRONIC ARTS & THE EA TRAX POSSE
 
kaching said:
Knowing how popular this game will be around here, I imagine it needs it needs its own official thread in order to contain all of the following:

* reviews from online sites
* impressions from GAFers
* tips on using the level editor and sharing custom tracks
* a continuation of the debate with dark10x wrt whether this game even manages dc-level visuals

Impressions I've read so far mention that load times are almost non-existent, the track editor is robust, features a large number of unlockables and the kart racer dynamics of the gameplay seem to be well implemented.

I plan on getting this one instead of Burnout Legends this week :o ...anybody in the same boat? Or, at least thinking of getting the game?
Click to expand...

Only thing that matters to me...
 
IGN gives it a 7.5

http://psp.ign.com/articles/650/650776p1.html

GripShift half succeeds at what it sets out to do. It certainly includes elements from all four genres it says on the box, but it’s the implementation of said genres that decides whether a game succeeds or not. While GripShift does in fact offer varied, unique and entertaining gameplay, it feels like these genres never really gel together as well as they should. Still, it’s fun once you get used to the idea. Plus, the mini-games, track editor and multiplayer tracks help establish GripShift as a solid title. Rent it if you’re uncertain.
Click to expand...
 
kaching said:
I plan on getting this one instead of Burnout Legends this week :o ...anybody in the same boat? Or, at least thinking of getting the game?
Click to expand...

I'll probably try (either rent or buy) this game at some point, as it looks pretty interesting. Penguin bowling has got to account for something, you know. :) Also, I like the fact that there's a track editor.

I do think that it might suffer from being released the same week as Burnout Legends, which is a very highly anticipated PSP game in the same genre. GripShift looks like it has enough differences from "traditional" racing games to make it worth looking into, but for the time being it's probably going to be overshadowed by Burnout Legends in terms of sales and hype (not to mention the runoff from Ridge Racer and Wipeout Pure).

kaching said:
Sidhe Interactive has setup a forum for track editor help and tutorials. They have already stickied 7 tutorial topics:

http://forums.sidheinteractive.com/forumdisplay.php?f=23

Sony Online's official site for Gripshift already has custom tracks for download and will eventually allow you to upload tracks (click the link, then click on 'Tracks' when the site loads):

http://gripshift.station.sony.com/
Click to expand...

Now this is rather cool. I didn't even know they were planning anything like this. This could really extend the longevity of play value for the game, kind of like Sony's downloadable content packs for Wipeout Pure have been doing for that game. Sometimes user-created content can be pretty awesome, as I've found out with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 and Tony Hawk's Underground for PlayStation 2, both of which had online repositories for user-created levels. I've never had time to get really proficient with the level editor in those games, but I'm grateful that I could at least snag a few really great levels from some talented folks out there and save them to my memory card to play over and over again.

Yes, I know that a fan site could be used to host created tracks (since the PSP files could be transferred directly to a PC), but having an "official" track repository makes it much easier to have a centralized location that can be supported by the developer and advertised to mainstream users. Plus, you need not fear that the plug might be pulled next week or next month because the maintainer didn't pay the bills or simply lost interest.

The hip-hop music on the site is kind of catchy. Is that song somewhere in the game?

I'm looking forward to reading more of your impressions!
 
I'm gonna go ahead and grab this today --- despite the silly nature of the game, it looks addictive and platformy.

MedEvil, the framerate is just too low to keep my interest ... and I'll proboboly get burnout too.
But i like this stilly stuff like Gripshift.. i'll be back with impressions later.
 
Agent X said:
The hip-hop music on the site is kind of catchy. Is that song somewhere in the game?
Click to expand...
Yes, its part of the soundtrack. The game has a bunch of licensed songs, including that one, that selected at random for play on each level. Most of them are quite catchy, similar hip-hop/dance stuff. Its like EA Trax but it doesn't suck.

I'm looking forward to reading more of your impressions!
Click to expand...
I'll come back with more later, just been too busy to sit down and do much more than post one-liners.
 
Gamespot says 6.5, as seen in Wario64's topic:

http://www.ga-forum.com/showthread.php?p=1928393


My impressions of the game:

If you've played Twisted Metal: Head On for the PSP, specifically its minigame levels, you'll know what to expect here. You've got exaggerated kart-like driving mechanics mixed with floaty, mid-air, controllable ballistic maneuvers (you control everything but the effect of gravity). All of this takes place on tracks miles above earth and anything resembling track boundaries, so if you don't learn quick how to best exploit the exaggerated driving/midair dynamics the game will probably never gel with you. The best place to start is with a vehicle that has 3-4 stars in the handling category to ease you into things. As I said in Wario's thread, that'll cause you to tradeoff on braking distance somewhat but a car with a high handling rating and judicious use of turbo should net you most of the maneuverability you need.

The core of the single player game centers around 5 difficulties of challenge tracks that you progress through which represent the majority of the 100 or so tracks that are supposed to be in the game. I'm in the early stages of the Intermediate tracks with 2 stages of difficulty left. Each challenge track has 3 goals you need to achieve to ultimately complete it - beat record time, collect all the stars and find the 'GS' bonus icon typically hidden somewhere difficult to reach. You can't typically complete all 3 goals in one perfect run no matter how good you are, so you'll find yourself whittling away at the goals with repeated runs through each level, sometimes using a different vehicle whose physical traits are more suited for the particular task on the particular level. Expect much trial and error with this game but you should also find that the frustration factor typically inherent here is muted by the fact that tracks load in only a few seconds and, once they're loaded, restarts are instantaneous.

Completed goals get you credits and credits unlock stuff - skins, car accessories, new tracks, minigames, and more. I've never been a big fan of locking actual game modes behind earning credits, esp. when we're talking about multiplayer game modes, so this aspect of the unlockables gets the big FU from me.

The Track Editor is great. I didn't bother looking at the manual and just waded right in. Controls are smartly laid out so there's nothing too destructive you can accidentally trigger while building a track while you're just learning the controls. The editor is equipped with both context-sensitive and indexed help, and a windows-style menubar for all the main properties you can invoke in the editor. The Gripshift devs say this is the same editor they used to build the packaged tracks, just with a few limitations to ensure as much as possible that tracks can't be built that would impact game performance. You can't build infinitely large tracks, basically, being limited to 1000 building units to spend on different types of track length, roadside objects, traps and other enhancements.

The overall package is well catered to the PSP and the general vision of a pick up and play handheld game experience. The visuals are crisp, bright and colorful, the menus are generally laid out sensibly in order not to delay entry into gameplay anymore than necessary, loadtimes are snappy and don't require reloads of the same data, there's a large amount of packaged content to visit and revisit plus the ability to create your own and trade it with others. I think the reviews that are complaining about the way vehicles handle are missing the point. The game intentionally and adeptly generates the type of frantic, on-edge and not quite in control thrill that tends to be hit or miss with the player if they can't figure out how to make it work for them. But I haven't seen anything in the game yet that intentionally or unintentionally inhibits the ability to do that.
 
kaching said:
Each challenge track has 3 goals you need to achieve to ultimately complete it - beat record time, collect all the stars and find the 'GS' bonus icon typically hidden somewhere difficult to reach. You can't typically complete all 3 goals in one perfect run no matter how good you are, so you'll find yourself whittling away at the goals with repeated runs through each level, sometimes using a different vehicle whose physical traits are more suited for the particular task on the particular level. Expect much trial and error with this game but you should also find that the frustration factor typically inherent here is muted by the fact that tracks load in only a few seconds and, once they're loaded, restarts are instantaneous.
Click to expand...

That's reminiscent of Crash Team Racing for PlayStation, which I really liked. There were lots of goals to complete in that game, too.

kaching said:
Completed goals get you credits and credits unlock stuff - skins, car accessories, new tracks, minigames, and more. I've never been a big fan of locking actual game modes behind earning credits, esp. when we're talking about multiplayer game modes, so this aspect of the unlockables gets the big FU from me.
Click to expand...

The big FU? Are you John Cena? :D

What kind of game modes are we talking about here, and what level of involvement does it take to unlock them? I've seen some games that had unlockable game modes, though these usually boil down to fun little "diversions" rather than one of the main game modes, or something on that level. War of the Monsters and Downhill Domination come to mind as games that did this--you could unlock some fun mini-games and such as you accumulated credits in those games. However, the "main attraction" game modes were there from the get-go, so the unlockables felt more like rewards than a means of artificially lengthening play value by making the player plug away for hours at gameplay portions he ordinarily wouldn't touch otherwise.

Anyway, that was a good review, kaching. Thanks for posting it!
 
Main modes of the game are the challenge mode and race mode, then there's the bonus minigames. Everything basically has to be progressively unlocked. Which isn't a big deal for the challenge mode because running through a level basically unlocks the next. But unlocking minigames takes credits. Two of the minigames are easy enough to unlock but the remaining 5 minigames require you to accumulate many more credits, which you only get a few at a time. And I can't set up a multiplayer session based on those minigames until I've unlocked them through credits accumulated during the challenge mode.

I know WotM and DD did this with minigames too. As much as I like those games overall, I didn't like the setup there either. Its an overly contrived way to entice replayability in single-player and seems esp. unnecessary in a game with a full blown track editor that supports downloadable tracks.
 
Some new GripShift content went up on http://www.gripshiftgame.com in the last couple of days, including

- official downloadable tracks
- musician bios with links to albums
- about 32 new screenshots


Should be a new trailer up early next week too.
 
so they've added 2-3 official ones, since the original 10 they had for download. And there's user-created tracks to be found in their forums as well.
 
Owner reviews certainly seem to skew higher than media reviews - I haven't seen a single impression from someone who bought the game that wasn't happy with it. But then, with only 4800 unit sales in its first month in the US, I'm not sure that you'll see enough players of the game to sustain it even as a cult hit. I hope it does better elsewhere because it certainly deserves far better than the cold shoulder its gotten so far.
 
There has actually been a steady stream of good 'official' reviews since launch which is promising(see http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages4/928224.asp). Good to see so many review scores at the 80% and higher mark now.

For a game now ranked as the 3rd highest fully original title on PSP (behind Lumines and Mercury) it has been disappointing to see sales so low. Consumers are just sticking with what they are familiar with for the most part I guess - hopefully that doesn't create a vicious cycle of developers/publishers not wanting to bring more original titles to the platform.

Anyway, at least 4,800 people so far at least have given the game a shot (thanks for their support :) ). Good to see people trying something new.

When the game is released in Europe and Australasia on 2 December maybe we'll see a few more people pick the game up and hopefully build up a critical mass. It will be priced pretty competitively in Europe too which will help.
 
Ubisoft has set a release date for GripShift in Europe of 11 November. Australia and NZ will get the game a week later. Should be priced pretty competitively too at 30 Euro (price has dropped to US$30 in the US too, though you can get it for less if you look around).

There has also been a new trailer created for the Euro launch available on www.gripshiftgame.com.

Direct links

22.6MB Quicktime format 480x272
16.6MB MP4 format suitable for direct playback on PSP

Enjoy!

BTW thanks to the people on these forums continuing to say good things about the game.
 
Mario, are you involved?

I had a chance to play the game for a day or so, and I will get around to buying it. I liked it, but I lost my PSP and rebuying that sorta set back my game budget. Also, it would be competing with GTA for my time.

But, I said this before-- if this game had a well-known mascot, I think it would be considered a premiere title. There's a ton of stuff to do, and the game design is really good. Plus-- track editor!

I hope its low sales don't discourage original titles.
 
I like it too. Didn't really expect to. It's pretty hard in spots, even initially I thought. I don't mind the car controls at all though and a lot of people complained about that. Plus..I like unlockables! and the track editor (though haven't messed with that much).
 
Ignatz Mouse said:
Mario, are you involved?
Click to expand...

Yeah, as Kaching mentioned I work for Sidhe.


I had a chance to play the game for a day or so, and I will get around to buying it.
Click to expand...

Thanks. We appreciate the support.


I hope its low sales don't discourage original titles.
Click to expand...

Its certainly not an easy market for original titles on the PSP at the moment, so its possible the release of original titles will continue to be slow on the platform.

However, we are hopeful that GripShift does enough sales to warrant a sequel as there is still a lot more to explore within the game mechanics and world. And we are looking to do more original stuff for the platform in the future.

We are already working on an original (yet licensed) product for PSP, so keep an eye out for that announcement down the track too.
 
I know this will matter to a grand total of 3 people around here, but congrats to Mario and team for earning 3 awards for Gripshift at AGDC 05.

http://pspupdates.qj.net/2005/12/gripshift-for-psp-scoops-awards-at.html

GripShift for PSP Scoops Awards at AGDC 2005

Wellington, NZ - 5th December 2005 - Sidhe Interactive's GripShift(tm) for Sony PlayStation(tm) Portable has been recognized for it's originality, and superior level and game design at the 2005 Australian Game Developers Awards in Melbourne, Australia. The title was awarded "Best Level Design", "Best Game Design" and "Best Handheld Game" at the event attended by game industry representatives from around the world.

GripShift(tm) successfully fuses platform, driving and puzzle elements to create a unique gameplay experience for PSP(tm). GripShift's design has been popular with media and gamers alike, including respected videogame magazine Edge UK who in a recent issue described GripShift(tm) as "one of PSP's finest and full-featured games to date".

"GripShift was a labor of love for Sidhe. To have its originality and design values recognized and awarded by our peers is a fantastic validation"
said Mario Wynands, Managing Director of Sidhe Interactive. "Being able to offer fans an innovative title like GripShift at a compelling price for the holiday season is great, but it's also nice to receive industry praise"

Sidhe Interactive also received the Industry Contribution Award, recognizing its longstanding efforts and involvement in growing the Game Development Industry in New Zealand and Australasia.

In its seventh year, the AGDC awards have been an important part of the Australian Game Developers Conference, which have worked to educate and acknowledge the vibrant Game Development scene in Australasia. Other award entrants included "Destroy All Humans", "Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 3", and "Heroes of the Pacific" which won the "Best Game of 2005" Award.
Click to expand...
 
Well, I picked this up on the good reviews...but sadly, I'm not enjoying it very much so far.

From a certain point of view, it's a very impressive game -- the load times are literally a fraction of a second in most cases, the graphics are smooth and colorful, and there is a crapload of content and game modes to explore. It also gets a lot of points for trying to do something different -- the mix of game types really is unique and refreshing.

However, I think the game is simply too damn hard to be enjoyable. I'm midway through the "Easy" tracks, and I already can't seem to get all three objectives complete for most of the maps. Getting a gold medal in a time run is the easiest of the three, but there have been certain maps where I had to re-run the thing dozens of times to shave a few hundredths of a second off my time. ("Jump Pad," I'm looking at you. I had to do that jump sequence over and over again until I cracked 13:00...and the last thirty times, I scored 13:xx or fell off over the second jump pad, trying to get a fraction of a second more boost time to make the gold medal time.) Collecting all the stars seems simple enough, except that there isn't enough time to drive with the care and precision needed to get all of them. Finding the GS icon is straightforward on some levels, and impossible on others. (I don't even know where the fuck it IS on one of the levels. I can see it on the overview map, but can't see it when I actually drive the track.)

The basic problem with all of these is the driving physics. "Floaty" and "kart-like" aren't necessarily bad things, but the tracks are completely unforgiving. Thanks to the low gravity, boost at the wrong moment can be unrecoverably bad. The thing which REALLY pisses me off, though, is catching a track edge. If you hit the shoulder, it WILL tilt your car, and that almost invariably launches you off the track entirely. But, since there isn't enough time on the clock, you're forced to drive recklessly...so you fall off over and over again, and restart the level over and over again, until you don't feel like playing anymore.

I'm really bummed because I was excited for this game based on the reviews, but it's just too frustrating to enjoy. I'm going to give it a break for a couple of days and see if I feel any better about it later.
 
I suggest not trying to finish every objective on every level until you're better at the game. You only need so many credits to get into the next section, after all.
 
I'd also suggest using nitrous to help correct mistakes. You can recover from having gone completely off the track by using little bursts of nitrous combined with a hard turn or handbrake.
 
I just bought this game brand new (after the schlep at EB was like "I CAN GET U A USED COPY TOO URRR HUR HUR HUR" and I told him to stuff it). It rocks!!! I love the moon gravity and midair handling. I've unlocked a ton of crap and I think I'll be playing this for quite a while. Mario, thanks for including the skip level tokens, because there are just one or two per difficulty level that I just can't master.

Definitely worth $29.99! Support your local dev team, dammit!
 
Sho Nuff said:
Definitely worth $29.99! Support your local dev team, dammit!
Click to expand...
I would echo this. It's a well-crafted, polished game...don't let my weaksauce bitching turn you away, since I bet every other person on this board has better gaming skills than I do. :(
 
Gripshift is by far my favorite PSP game. (out of the 8 or 9 that I own) Kudos to you and your team Mario! It's really aweful how low sells are for this game but I've been trying to do my part by drumming up buys from friends. Well worth the $30.
 
-jinx- said:
don't let my weaksauce bitching turn you away, since I bet every other person on this board has better gaming skills than I do. :(
Click to expand...
It is a difficult game though. I agree that even many of the levels labeled as easier can be quite challenging when you're working on the secondary goals. The challenge in this game is very technical requiring the player to appreciate how the low-grav physics can help as much as hinder, learning how to gauge jumps properly, judicious use of nitrous, etc. There's a lot of trial and error here and that would absolutely be the game's death bell if it weren't tuned so well to avoid making repeat runs feel like a chore by merit of level restarts being instantaneous and no level ever requiring more than 2-3 minutes to run through, and most requiring much less.

This doesn't mean the game never gets frustrating (esp. in those instances when you're trying to figure out how to shave fractions of a second off your run time, like you mentioned) but the game does a pretty good job of managing that if you can appreciate how the controls and physics in the game can best be used to your advantage.
 
I like the theme song too.

WHATCHA GONNA DO, OHHHHHHHHHH SHIT
BACK, GRIP, SHIFT
BACK, GRIP, SHIFT
BACK, GRIP

WHATCHA GONNA DO, OHHHHHHHHHHH SHIT

(I know it's "shift" but it sounds like "shit")
 
Good to see a few more people picking it up over Christmas and enjoying it.

For those with the game, we have a track building and replay competition coming up in January. Details will be posted on the website in early January, but until then, here is a sneak peak at the prize pack

competition_prize_pack.jpg


Thats a GripShift black jacket, GripShift branded mini radio controlled car, copy of the game signed by the whole dev team, bunch of concept art signed by the original artists, and a Misfits of Science album.

I'll post back in here when the competition goes live.
 
In a move that will probably require me to update my post in the Viral Marketing thread to simply "I am capitalist scum", I want to share my finding an Amazon online seller offering GripShift brand new for only US$19.95 (which is about $10 cheaper than anywhere else).

Link here for those interested.
 
I played Trackmania 1 & 2 to death on PC.

This game looks remarkebly similar, what new things does it bring to the table?
 
Grug said:
This game looks remarkebly similar, what new things does it bring to the table?
Click to expand...

New things compared to TrackMania? Or for PSP in general? Off the top of my head

New things compared to TrackMania

- 100 Challenge levels with multiple objectives per level
- levels include more arcadey elements like jump pads, magnets, fans, crushers
- Weapons in Race Mode
- 8 Bonus Games including Penguin Bowling, Snaker, Deathmatch, Soccer Madness
- in air car control for crazy stunts


New things for PSP

- only driving platformer game for the platform
- designed around modular, "burst"" gameplay model to allow user to play for 60seconds or an hour depending on how much time you have
- 4 player Ad Hoc wireless play for Race Mode and 6 of 8 Bonus Games
- fully featured level editor
- downloadable and uploadable custom levels via PC, and tradeable via Ad Hoc wireless
- full screen anti aliasing
- short load times
 
I have been playing a lot more of this game and it's definitely kwalitee, the controls just "clicked" and I am rocking the house or something.

Uberfast load times and great pick-up-and-playability FTW.

edit: I really like how the track editor hasn't been dumbed down either, thanks for having the rocks to ship something that's so complex and might confuse stupid little kids. :D
 
This game is actually pretty damn fun. Kind of Monkeyball mixed with stunt car racer. I am having a blast... picked it up once again thanks to the gaf!
 
Mario said:
New things compared to TrackMania

- 100 Challenge levels with multiple objectives per level
- levels include more arcadey elements like jump pads, magnets, fans, crushers
- Weapons in Race Mode
- 8 Bonus Games including Penguin Bowling, Snaker, Deathmatch, Soccer Madness
- in air car control for crazy stunts
Click to expand...

Oops, forgot the most obvious one :)

- portability
 
We finally have the GripShift comeptition up on the website. Details below

----------

GripShift for PSP Competition

“Create the best custom track or most insane replay compilation to win exclusive never released GripShift gears!”


What will I need to do?

The GripShift competition is broken into two separate categories, you may enter both as many times as you like! Each category has a complete GripShift prize pack up for grabs.

1. Best User Track Design
2. Best Replay or Replay Compilation


What can I win?

competition_prize_pack.jpg


The prize pack contains

1 x GripShift for PSP signed by the whole core development team
1 x Exclusive GripShift branded black jacket – made only available to the Development & Publisher teams
1 x GripShift branded mini radio controlled car – one off promo item, never released publicly.
1 x Misfits of Science album (R18)
GripShift concept art signed by the original artists


How do I enter?

For detailed information on entering the comeptition and what we are looking for, please refer to http://www.gripshiftgame.com/competition.php

For general information about GripShift for PSP, please refer to http://www.gripshiftgame.com

Good luck with your entry!
 
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