Game Description

X-Bladez, the first inline skating title for Game Boy Advance, features a motley group of six male and female youngsters as they race across ten different courses in six different countries. Each locale features such notable backdrops as the Great Wall of China, the Statue of Liberty, Alcatraz, the Eiffel Tower, and more as players compete against five computer opponents. Three modes of play include Tour Mode, Time Trial, and Practice Run.

Tour Mode has players trying to advance through the series of ten courses by finishing within the top three on each. Those who wish to compete for the fastest time but without the worry of competition can do so with Time Trial, while Practice Run has players familiarizing themselves with each course's layout. Progress during Tour Mode can be resumed using passwords provided at the end of each race.

Each of the courses features three different pick-ups found along the ground: turbo boosts, money, and food. Food helps players absorb more damage while racing, since hitting an edge or a barrier will result in a fall. Players can also jump over obstacles to minimize damage. Turbo boosts increase a skater's overall speed by 40 percent for a limited time, and money can be used to purchase items in between races. Three levels of upgrades are available to improve wheels, skates, and health. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Review: Enjoyment

The races are boring, the track design is pitiful, and there's almost no interaction with the environment. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Production Credits

Company 1: Crave Entertianment

Executive Producer: Mike Arkin

Associate Producer: Chris Scaglione

Q.A. Manager: John Bloodworth

Lead Tester: Jamie Saxon

Tester: Ramon Ramirez, Ramiro Ramirez, Nam Kim, Marlus Dos Santos, Daniel Rafipoor

Senior Group Marketing Manager: Craig Owens

Senior Creative Manager: Ryan Villiers-Furze

Designer: Ethan Malykont

Manual Design: Phil Stephenson Design

Director of Marketing Services: Sheri Snow

Marketing Services Coordinator: Yumi Saiki

Company 2: The Codemonkeys Ltd.

Producer: Mandy Ingham

Lead Artist: John Welding

Code: Chris Brown

Animation Consultant: Zane Whittingham

Additional Art: Wayne Ellis, John Lycett-Smith, Dan Nuttall, Will Brand, Sharon Taylor, Simon Perrins

Additional Support: Elliot Gay, Mark Kirkby, Bolin Hogg, Janet Smith ~ Keith Adams, All Game Guide

Review: Overall

X-Bladez may have the right idea with the title, but the gameplay in this inline skating cart is about as extreme as a competitive game of croquet. There are no tricks or wild stunts to perform, an element found in nearly all of its skating contemporaries, which means it's just a straightforward, vanilla racing title with the bare minimum of features.

Those who grew up with racing games on the Super NES will notice X-Bladez' use of Mode-7-like effects to simulate a 3D environment. Courses are flat as a board and composed entirely of 90-degree angles. There are no surrounding buildings or signs to give the track some perspective, so it looks like you're traveling across a sheet of multi-colored asphalt rather than an actual city.

While the locales feature such interesting elements as the Statue of Liberty or Alcatraz, you don't actually skate inside or around the landmarks -- they are merely static backdrops far (really far) into the distance. The only things you have to worry about are avoiding the corners (even though they are as flat as the track) and jumping over the odd speed bump or two placed along various points on the course. Miss and you'll wipe out.

The act of skating is composed of two or three animations at most, creating a herky-jerky form of visual diarrhea as characters twitch recklessly across the screen. Power-ups suggest this game could be a variant on Super Mario Kart Advance, but none of the collectibles are weapons. Food, health kits, and turbo boosts are all that's offered, and players can't even punch a rival opponent to help break up the monotony.

Navigating the flat courses is as boring as expected, even with the occasional barrier to jump over (jumps are painfully slow in this game, meaning you have to start the process well in advance of the object if you expect to clear it). Get too close to an opponent while passing and the characters will start blinking in and out of view as if the handheld isn't sure how to handle the complexities of showing two skaters on the screen at once.

Factor in the lack of modes (just practice, time trial, and a ten-level tour), the ridiculously pointless shop functions, and six characters who basically all look and react the same, and you have a game that was simply rolled out to market before the wheels were firmly tightened to the boot. X-Bladez is laughably bad and a shamefully sloppy effort. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Review: Graphics

Flat tracks and poor animation ruin the experience. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Review: Sound

Repetitive music becomes irritating after extended play. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Review: Replay Value

Not even a two-player mode, and there's no battery backup to save race times. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Review: Documentation

The black-and-white manual spends a surprising amount of time on the character descriptions, but everything is adequately covered. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide