720 Degrees

"Gotta love skateboarding games....'cept this one"

720. Descriptive name, eh? I was wondering what kinda game was in store for me this time as I first glanced at it's name in GameFAQs. Well, it turns out to be a skateboarding game. To be specific, the prequel to the Skate or Die series. I've never played those games, but I knew it was the prequel because the words 'Skate or Die' appear frequently in 720. Well, all that's besides the point. This game is kinda fun, with a few quirks that really get in the way of it being a classic.

Firstly, doesn't that title screen suck? Wow, I coulda drawn something better than that in the second grade, maybe first. Anyways, you'll notice that there's a 'Start' and 'Continue' option. The Continue option is there if (and you will eventually) lose all your lives. Yes, you can lose your life in a skateboarding game. Remember, this is an oldschool - arcadey game, where score reigned supreme over just completing the game. Thankfully you get infinite continues.

You start off in the Map area, and let me say this. The graphics are bland, but workable for the most part. The incredible amount of grey used is kinda annoying, and what the heck is up with ramps having the same neon blue color that water has? The music is kinda catchy in a way. All the cars, motorcycles & people throwing frisbees are there to knock you down & waste some of your time...cuz that's where the dying part comes in. If you spend too much time goofing off in the Map area the 'Skate or Die' thing chases you. It's there to keep people from building up too many points just tricking off ramps & buying all the upgrades possible. It's also a good source of frustration. Anyways, I generally just go around the outside of the area so I won't miss any of the upgrade shops or obstacles, plus you don't have to worry about any of the obstacles slowing you down.

So basically the flow of the game is this - you rush to pick up one or two equipment upgrades, then duck into one of the 'Obstacle Courses' before the 'Skate or Die' demon chases you. Complete the obstacle course in a minute or so, repeat until all the courses are complete. Move onto the next 'Class', where you do the exact same thing. Here I'll describe the obstacle courses :

Downhill- Skate down the track. If you fall off, you reappear right next to where you fell
Jump - Same as Downward Slope only with jumps
Slalom - Basically that ski game that came with older versions of Windows
Ramp - This is a half pipe, and you try to accomplish two tricks

The first three are mind-numbingly easy & dull, and the halfpipe is both incomprehensibly hard to trick off of and limited. You can either do an 360 ollie or a handstand off the edge. YAY. If there's one part of the game that makes me with I was playing a Tony Hawk game, this would be it. PLUS, you don't even NEED to do well in the four events, just finish them. Of course, the better you do the more cash & points you receive. More cash = more almost useful powerups. Oh yes, and I must mention the crummy 'music' that plays during these obstacle courses....they must've put more all their musical effort into the Map area.

One of the few high points of the game are the passable controls. They're pretty good, other that the nightmarish halfpipe course.

Bottom Line? This is basically an overhead Tony Hawk with crap graphics, bad music, and two real tricks to do. It's not bad, but you'll soon be wanting more.


Fun: 6
Graphics: 5
Sound: 5
Replay: 7

Annoyance: The Skate or Die demon. Pure evil, I tell you
Great Moment: Realizing how fortunate we are to have the Tony Hawk series

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 01/17/02, Updated 01/17/02