TrickStyle

"A very good game, but it could have been a lot better"

I did not really know all that much about Dreamcast when i bought it, only that i would get sonic, soul, and another at launch, this was my 'Other game' purhcased because i wanted to try it out. The basic premise of the game is this-The world is bored becuase there is peace, so this huge company creates the trickstyle competition to keep people entertained. The winner of the competition gets tons of money and near-god status in the eyes of the fans. There are 9 characters that hail from different parts of the world, like US, jamacia, Soviet union, and japan(of course), and each character has his/her own style of racing. Stunters well- do stunts, racers are much faster, but weak, and bullies just knock people out of the way. One great thing about the game is there are 400 different stunts to master! basically, it will keep you occupied trying to figure out the highest scoring stunt combos, and its very fun to watch.

The 1 player "quest" is also very fun to do, you have a guide who is breaking you in to the world of hoverboard racing, and your have to beat challenges to learn new stunts, so you get a little at a time, and thats good, becuase you really have to know the stunts to win the next challenge. Some of the challenges are pretty hard to win, so you are sure to know how to use what you have when you get something new. I have not beaten all the challenges yet(i beat 14) but im sure i will. Also, in order to get new boards you have to beat circuits of races, the first one UK is not very hard, but it will take a while to win. One of the greatest things about the races is that there is more then one way to finish the level. The very first race i did, all the AI controlled racers split into 3 different directions, and it takes a while to find different paths to take. Some of the faster ways to beat levels are very hard to get to, and you have to plan stunts in order to reach them-basically the replay value of this game comes from trying to FIND the fastest ways to beat levels while still getting stunt points.

Another neat thing is that there is a VMU game that lets you customize your boards, its just nibbles on your VMU, but still, it can affect how fast your board is and things like that which is novel.

The 2p game is OK, but i would have liked to see a better interface, like race selection and maybe a 2p championship mode, like circuit races where you get points or something. It is really fun to race with a friend, but, after a while, you need something more. heres the breakdown-

Graphics-8/10- The whole game is 3D and the levels are large, and detailed. The main area in 1p games, the velodrome is nicely put together, with plenty of places to practice your skills. The character designs are very nice, no breakup or any hint of it, and everything flows well. The stunt combinations are just wonderful to watch unfold I must complain that sometimes, the shading does not always get to all of your character, like half of your character is normal and the other half is shaded green. ITs a minor thing, and does not take away from the game, but it still should not been there.

Sound-9/10- One great thing about the game is the music, its very appropriate for the genre, futuristic tecno type stuff, some is hard, and some is soft, generally you wont find yourself annoyed with it, and sometimes you will look forward to certain songs :D. Sound is not a 10 beacause there could have been more songs. Just five or six more would have been fine. Its also really funny to hear the racers talk to each other during the race. For example- one chick says- " i have a date " when she passes you, its just funny to listen to, and very entertaining.

Concept-8/10- well, it is a racing game... but the stunt and level systems are very original. The stunt combos are just cool, i found myslef just doing stunts for no reason other than to watch them. THe guide is also very good because he teaches you how to master all the complex stuff.

Replay value-7/10-After you labor to gain all the stunts and boards, you just wont want to do the 1 player mode all over, but you will return to the game frequently to do stunts and see if you can improve your times, and see if you can master all the differnt levels. But the game has only 1 difficultly setting, and the 2 player game is lacking in mode selection, or a quest mode similar to the 1 player version. One other thing, every character wins or losses in the same manner, i would have liked to see individual animations at the end of the races.

What the game has-beautiful graphics, fun levels, and amazing stunts to master.

What the game needs- More tracks(music and levels), more options, some graphic tweaking, and more character specific actions.

Buy/rent- if you like to master games- but, but you will probably get the same affect if you rent it, except you will want to play it even after you return it :D

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/01/99, Updated 11/01/99