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Joe Danger The Movie
* Format: Xbox Live Arcade * Unleashed: Out Now * Publisher: Hello Games * Developer: Hello Games
* Site:
www.joe-danger.com
Newcomers to the world of the Forsyth- chinned stuntman need to understand that just one word is the beating heart of the Joe Danger games; fun. They look fun – bright, cartoony graphics that instantly win you over. They sound fun – cheesy bites of speech, briefly dominating the pseudo-dramatic soundtrack. Most importantly of all, they play fun. The deceptively simple control scheme can – and will – begin to fight you at a moment’s notice, as you struggle to keep up with split-sec- ond hazards and suddenly realise that timing is everything. In the first game, Joe was limited to his motorbike. In The Movie, the loosely- formed premise is that he’s filming a series of stunts for various films. This means themed collections of stages (such as snowy and prehistoric) but also, more importantly, a variety of vehicles. His trusty stunt bike is still present, and the quad from the Limited Edition’s Santa DLC makes a return – but Joe also gets to play with new toys such as a mine cart, skis, a BMX, a skidoo, and a jetpack. The jetpack provides the greatest de- viation from the gameplay of the origi- nal. You’re given the freedom to move in any direction you please with silky- smooth controls, pretty much at your own pace excepting any relevant time limit. That might sound like the jetpack levels are easy and, well... they are. It’s impossible to not have fun piloting a jetpack (such is the human condition)
but nonetheless, it’s the ‘phew, a guar- anteed easy level’ vehicle. Joe Danger is all about the stunts. The more you stunt the higher you score, and the longer you can string stunts to- gether the greater your multiplier. When using any vehicle other than a jetpack however stunts are often essential for progressing through a stage. Forward or back flip to elongate and/or direct your jump; boost off a ramp to extend your trajectory; duck and jump to avoid being split in two/blown up; and so on. Performing stunts also serves to fill the meter which the aforementioned boost draws from, essential to meet certain time limits or make certain jumps. The ultimate aim of the game is, again, to earn stars. Each stage has multiple stars to earn. Perhaps there are one or two hidden ones to collect, and/or you need to win a race, and/or you need to pick up all the collectibles before time runs out, and/or you need to keep a stunt combo going throughout the entire stage, and so on and indeed so forth. Here, however, is where JDTM struggles to keep up with the original. Simply put: it’s much easier. It’s a thorny issue. Having a good time is always more important than finding the developers have put up as many roadblocks as possible on the road to success. JDTM is rarely quite so satis- fying as its predecessor however, sim- ply because the majority of challenges it presents are less taxing. The most easily identifiable exception is any- thing involving the unicycle, a crimi-
nally underused vehicle that requires you to constantly ensure Joe (or any of the unlockable characters) is correctly balanced, and lean forward or back accordingly whilst heading with great speed toward the next instakill hazard. The level editor makes a triumphant return, better than ever. Not only does it now seem much more generous in regards to the length and item popu- lation of your stages (and it remains as user friendly as ever), the much- needed option to share online is now included.Unfortunately levels are pre- sented as one cumbersome list, with no LittleBigPlanet-style filters or search function. Not that a search would nec- essarily help – level names are, disap- pointingly, randomly generated with no scope for pesonalisation. Multiplayer is similarly semi-improved. You can now play with three friends rather than just one but, bafflingly, online play is still a no-go.
This is a great game well worth your Microsoft Points. Cleaning it of awards will take newbies a respectable amount of time, and everybody no matter their experience will have a wonderful time. Those who know the original inside out will welcome the improvements and additions – though also be aware of the slight drop in chal- lenge – most of all.
written by Critical Gamer’s Luke Kemp
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