Game title: "Line Rider 2: Unbound"
Platform: Nintendo DS
Studio: InXile
Rating: E for Everyone
Score: 6/10
THE REVIEW
Game play: "Line Rider" began its life as a free flash-based Web application — start with a little guy on a sled, draw him a track to ride on using a variety of different lines, and let momentum and physics do the rest. It wasn't really a game so much as an online, interactive sled-based sandbox; the best creators spent months dreaming up elaborate tracks, complete with gravity-defying loops and background drawings.
"Line Rider 2: Unbound" includes all the bells and whistles of the Internet toy — the freestyle mode is almost an exact reproduction — but adds in a couple of new modes to actually turn the tool into a game.
Story Mode sets your rider, a cute little fellow named Bosh with a red-and-white scarf, against rival Chaz fighting for the affections of sweetheart Bailey. Really, the "story" is just a loose framework of cartoon cutscenes that tie together puzzlelike stages, where the player has to figure out the perfect lines to draw in
predetermined zones to get Bosh to the end of the level. Get it right, and after Bosh flies down the track and lands safely at the end, you're treated to another small cartoon. These video clips are low-level slapstick of the Wile E. Coyote variety; if you're over the age of 8, you probably won't be amused.
Puzzle Mode allows players to create their own tracks, leaving gaps for others to try and solve the level, in the same way that players solve the preset puzzles in Story Mode. Given the DS's wireless Internet capabilities, this means that players can exchange tracks with people around the world, daring each other to beat their
levels. Some of the levels on Nintendo's Wi-Fi connection are so dense that it would
take a long while to even begin to solve them — a tall order for the young market the game seems to be aiming at. But there's an almost unlimited amount of depth here for those who are willing to master the difficult controls involved in creating
levels.
Graphics: This is essentially still the same as its Flash-based predecessor, so the graphics really don't matter much — you're just drawing lines and letting a tiny sled ride on them. The snowy levels are presented nicely enough, and the cartoon characters are humorous, if juvenile.
Audio: In-game sound effects are appropriate (your rider will yell happily as he glides down the track or groan when he crashes), and the music is surprisingly good, though the small number of songs means you'll be hearing the same stuff.
THE WRAP-UP
Parents' take: Aside from comic animated mischief (snowball fights, etc.), nothing objectionable.
Final word: "Line Rider 2: Unbound" is a fun way to learn how to use the tools involved in the online "Line Rider" creator. The game ramps up the difficulty well and teaches players how to gradually make more and more complex tracks. The story mode is enjoyable and the ability to swap tracks and create puzzles for friends adds value (if your friends also have the game). But it doesn't really add enough to the basic concept to justify the $30 purchase price, when you can still use the freestyle track creator on the Internet for free. But if you're already an expert at the original, or you have a lot of patience to learn the tools, you'll find a lot to like here.