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| Airblade,
For PlayStation 2 |
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| Games,
Richard Young,
06 December 2001 |
Rating: F4
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One of the more eye-catching titles in this current wave of “second generation” PlayStation 2 software is the futuristic hoverboard stunt-fest, AirBlade. Developed by Criterion games, the company responsible for the Dreamcast hoverboard racing game “Trickstyle”, AirBlade has taken the floaty-skatey future sport idea (as seen in Back to the Future II) one step closer to Tony Hawk’s territory via it’s stunt based missions and big air acrobatics. The heart of the game is the story mode, whereby one is required to perform a certain set of tasks while riding around 6 multi-levelled environments on an anti-gravity skateboard – the titular AirBlade.
Against the backdrop of an evil-corporation-plotting-to-steal-the-airblade-for-it’s-own-ill-gotten-gains type plot, you are required to perform stunts in sequence within a certain timeframe. These include knocking over riot-gear clad baddies, grinding onto the roofs of vehicles (which destroys them, mysteriously) and, most fun of all – using poles or beams to spin round then leap to even greater heights. The AirBlade itself is a lot of fun to fly, once you get the hang of the physics engine, and despite the game having only six levels, most of them are large and well designed. For those with friends, the two-player split-screen games are well thought out too.
The highest praise of all, however, is for the graphics. You have never seen anything like this before on any console. The cities, cars and people are beautifully crafted using Criterion’s own Renderware programs. There is not a hint of pop-up or slowdown anywhere. The lighting is beautiful and the character models are excellently animated. The one weak point for me, however is the music. The generic hip-hop funk in itself is pretty average, but it is the fact that each level has just one music track that loops endlessly means that it soon begins to irritate. At least you have the option of reducing the volume. The cut-scenes are not great, and bizarrely look worse than the game itself, but that’s not usually something to worry about.
Ultimately, AirBlade is a fine title that really shows off Sony’s super-console to it’s best. The longevity and gameplay are not a patch on the mighty Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series of games, but that is a bit of an unfair comparison. For a refreshing and original title with over the top stunts and visuals to die for, ask Santa for AirBlade, after all – he should know at least something about anti-gravity travelÂ…
Developed by Criterion
Published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.
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