| Introduction
Ever since the introduction of the GBA and the success
of the first Tony Hawk title, publishers have been clambering
over one another to sign the latest and greatest extreme
sports licenses and related personalities. Acclaim is
pinning big hopes on Aggressive Inline, as it will also
appear on the other three "next gen" consoles.
The problem is that the GBA is becoming swamped with
titles of this sports genre, so with this in mind, we're
hoping that Aggressive Inline has got a little bit extra
to allow it to stand out from an ever-growing crowd
of extreme sports games.
GamePlay
Your first task is to select which skater you want
to use in the various areas, and as they all possess
very different skills, it's probably worth taking all
of them for a road test to discover which suits you
best. After this, it's on to one of twelve skate areas,
where you must complete a series of challenges and moves
to prove your skill as a skater.
The first area starts out with three challenges,
though it's important to note that you don't have to
complete all of them to progress. The 'pass' criteria
is always detailed at the base of the screen, including
a fixed sum of money that you earn, and pulling off
extra tricks will earn you additional cash at a number
of the challenges. Tasks can involve negotiating slalom
courses, collecting items, and jumping through rings.
Once you’re successful (and worthy by your audience),
it's off to the next area.
Most of the moves in Aggressive Inline involve 'grinding'
and as this is such an important aspect of this title,
there's even a grind meter on screen throughout the
game. But it's important to note that if there's no
color in the meter, you can't grind, and In order to
fill the meter, you have to pull off some mid-air tricks.
Spending some time on the half pipe (if you can find
one) usually sorts this out in no time at all.
Grinding is also an excellent way of collecting points,
although whatever trick you decide to pull off has your
meter draining at a steady pace and if you don't stop
at the correct moment, you'll wipe out. Maximum points
are gained by performing a succession of tricks and
even more so if you change direction or pose in a single
grinding session.
The multiplayer option is a little disappointing,
as linking two GBAs will just simply allow you to race
around the same park in Points, Trick, and Combo challenges.
If developers are going to put the time and energy into
producing multiplayer options, then it would be nice
to make them a little more inventive than this. It's
really very poor, especially when you think that developers
are now producing original challenges for multiplayer
options in other games.
You'll also discover that after spending some time
with the game, there's a fair bit of it locked, and
the only way to access it is being successful in the
other areas. This will then give you a pass code, which
can be entered in a later gaming session.
Controls
As extreme sports fans have come to expect, the control
can initially be very tricky, and something as fundamental
as jumping at the correct moment can be a huge challenge.
Luckily, you can sample many of the areas first in the
Freeskate section via the options, with the only areas
forbidden still to be unlocked. While this is of some
help, a full task-based tutorial of some type would
have been a better idea, and could aid many potential
gamers who have never sampled the delights of extreme
sports on the GBA.
Graphics
As the game uses a similar engine to Dave Mirra 2,
there are obvious similarities, but eagle-eyed gamers
will notice some slight cosmetic improvements. The backgrounds
and environments are well put together and all appear
as an isometric landscape, although I can't help thinking
that a little more light sourcing and shadows would
have given the whole thing a lot more depth. It does
its job well though, and there are more than enough
objects to interact with in the various locations, but
it by no means pushes the GBA in the visuals department.
Sound & Music
The audio elements in Aggressive Inline rank as some
of the best I've heard on a GBA title, and headphones
are essential to get the most out of this game. It's
not only the quality and clarity of the soundtrack,
but the fact that the developers have licensed original
music from such artists as Hoobastank, Black Sheep,
Eric B & Rakim. All this means a far more satisfying
and immersive gaming experience, so while I could give
a mention to the skaters’ various sounds, the music
is so good you don't even need it.
Final Comments
While Aggressive Inline is hardly the greatest extreme
sports title to hit the GBA, it's both challenging and
fun, and for these aspects alone it's probably worth
your attention. The audio is outstanding, and even if
you have no intention of purchasing this title I'd urge
you to ask for a demo in your local software store,
as you'll quickly realize just how good the GBA's sound
chip is, even through the tiny speakers.
It does suffer from some minor setbacks, such as
the overall sprite and collision detection, and while
it would have been nice to see the developers take a
few more risks, you're still getting a true handheld
representation of the console versions. If you're a
fan of the Aggressive Inline series, then this is well
worth adding to your collection. As for everyone else,
there are loads of extreme sports titles on the GBA,
so find the one that suits you best.
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