Tony Hawk RIDE

jared

This is why I love Giant Bomb.

http://www.giantbomb.com/tony-hawk-ride/61-24712/reviews/

Their reviews are priceless.

LOLWUT.

(verdict: the game blows)

kryyst

Haven't played it but have no desire to. The problem with this kind of simulation is that the closer they try to make the peripheral to the real thing the more broken the game will feel when it doesn't react like you'd expect the real thing to.

At the most basic level you have Guitar hero which is great fun for people that can't play guitar. However the big complaint from most people that can play guitar is that they have to turn their brain off because playing the game is nothing like playing guitar. Once they do that some of my musician friends have fun with it. I find a similar problem with the Drums. I can play Drums but there is a disconnect between what I'm instinctively wanting to play and what the game wants me to play. So you have to get over that and then you can have real fun.

Now we have the wii board and skate/snowboard games for it. The peripheral loosely mimics the real sport but it's different enough that you aren't trying to pop real ollies or anything like that you are just pivoting and touching around different areas of the board. It in no way ever feels real it just feels like you are standing on a huge controller using your feet instead of your hands. It's fun, because it's like skate boarding for dummies, the same as *Music Hero is playing an instrument for Dummies. Which isn't to say they can't be challenging or fun. Just it's a loose interpretation of the real thing, but still obviously you are using a controller.

Now we have Ride. A board that feels like you are standing on a skate board. So if you know how to skate you instinctively try to, skate using your feet like you would position them in real life. The game in no way translates this and it immediately feels counter intuitive and breaks any semblance of being a simulation. To make matters worse it doesn't even control well at a dumbed down level. The sensors on the board aren't accurate you never really know if what you are trying to do is going to translate into the game at all. So random actions are usually more rewarding then going for something specific.

For people that don't know how to skate the controller is even worse. It's tippy, unforgiving and down right awkard, but funny as hell to watch someone else use. I guess this is actually the simulation part of it. It reminded me of when I was a young skate punk watching my dad stand on my board and go flying on his ass.

But lets take the peripheral out of the equation. The game itself is just inferior to Skate which is their competition. Even with a regular controller Ride would be a lack luster game that most people wouldn't want to invest time into. It's just several steps back.

Which leaves Ride as being Epic Fail. Selling a lack luster game with a novelty controller at a $120 price tag is a good way to kill your target sector.