720 Degrees

"Come here red blob, end the game please."

720 was a hit back in the day when it was in the arcades. They had a joystick so you could move, and a button so you could jump. It was this reason why they decided to port it onto the NES. So that's exactly what they did. How did it do? Is the game any better then Skate or Die? We will see...

After you open the game you come to an unimpressive picture of a skateboarded holding his board, supposedly doing a grab trick, you are jumped right into the game. You are a guy sporting all neon green clothes (so the cars can see him?) will begin skating. You need to buy different parts for different events, such as the Half Pipe, Slalom, Jump and Downhill. That is ALL you do. Earning points is good, but just not good enough to keep you entertained. If trying to figure out just what the heck the buttons do in the half-pipe competition is NOT a fun way to spend your time. If you screw up the slightest bit, not only do you have to start over, but it takes an AGONIZING amount of time to start over. Then you'll probably hit the wrong button, fall on your butt, and have to do it all over again!

There is only a few sounds in this game, but that is probably a very good thing. The only things you will hear is the sounds of someone falling, the sound of someone falling into the water, and the sound of when you buy something. All of them are pretty much annoying to no limit. They are mediocre at best, I suggest you turn the volume down.

But the music is just as irritating, if not more. It is not catchy, nor easy to listen too, and it was horribly done. The music you hear when you win a competition, is even worse. It is some pathetic attempt to make a noise, it almost makes you want to lose on purpose just so you don't have to hear it. Get a mute button. As soon as possible.

The graphics are pretty bad also. There is absolutely no shading here. All you see is a shape (I don't remember the name at the moment.) that represents a ramp, it must be noon, no shadow. Also there must be no wind, since the water is not moving at all. It looks like they opened up Paint, and filled the square in with water. There is more to discuss, but it is not worth mentioning as they are equally bad.

The controls depend on one thing. Do you have a NES Advantage or something similar? If you do, the controls are kind of easy, since you have the joystick, so you can move around kind of easy. If you do not, the controls get very tough to get used to. But once you do get used to the controls, everything gets easier, you can move around easier then before.

But if you somehow beat the game, what is the result? You get your name into the high score list. Not so bad, correct? Well, you can't save it. That's right. Once you turn off the game, your hard work is ALL gone. The game would have been a little more fun if you could save.

The only challenge you can find in this game is the challenge of actually beating this game. Well, you may also find challenge in doing the moves also. When you master that, you may have problems trying to get around. Good thing there is a map mode. Now you just need to do the events. Wrong. The events are mad hard because of the horrible controls for it. It is really hard to land tricks since when you finally get one launched, you probably will not land it.

Overall, this game can be described in one word. ''BAD!'' The graphics are mediocre at best, the sound and music are even worse then that. The controls are very tough to master, and the gameplay is real bad. The only real uses for this game is for a Frisbee, a target at a shooting gallery, etc.

Reviewer's Score: 3/10, Originally Posted: 08/15/03