Topic: PREVIEWS: Line Rider

[Pale]

Give the little sledder the ride of his life.
 http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/previewArt.cfm?artid=16294

 Line Rider, originally released in the fall of 2006, is an elaborate, yet accessible physics toy that features a character who sleds on any user drawn slope. Upon release, the game became an Internet phenomenon, attracting a cult following and ballooning into an obsession for many intrepid course designers. Line Rider 2: Unbound features the work of one of the most famous designers, TechDawg, who's creations can be seen at IRideTheLines.com.    

Line Rider 2 promises to add a puzzle gameplay mechanic to the simulation so players will have a goal to strive for.  These goals will play out in a story mode that features new characters Bailey and Chaz.  The player (Bosh) will compete against Chaz in hopes of winning the ultimate sled and the love of Bailey.  This mode will span 40 courses, all of which were designed by TechDawg.    

Giving the player full control over custom courses is what made the original Line Rider a hit, and the sequel takes note, featuring two different custom creation modes.  In Puzzle Creation, courses can be created with the same puzzle features of the story mode.  In Freestyle, players will get the original line rider experience, having the ability to make elaborate art pieces.  Both creation modes will allow for courses to be uploaded to the Internet and shared with the Line Rider community.    

The creation modes also feature several new options not seen in the original game.  Acceleration, deceleration, scenery, trampoline, trick, trap door, and animated finish lines have all been added to the line type palette.  Clip art and sound effects can also be used to give tracks more audio and visual flair, an option that wasn't included in the original game.  Last but not least, multiple Line Rider characters can be placed on a single track, allowing for synchronized sledding.    

Line Rider will ship this summer for Wii.  Check out the trailer below to get an idea of how the game will look, but please note that it is unknown if the footage featured is from the Wii version.    

[Nick DiMola]

I'm hoping this turns out fairly well. I thought the original was pretty inventive, but required alot of work with a mouse. The DS version should probably fix that, and the Wii version to an extent as well, though that is still a bit tough.

[DAaaMan64]

lol that was funny to watch.

[UltimatePartyBear]

That makes it look pretty good.  The stunts and scenery generation seem to work very well, and it looks like the editing tools are much improved.  The new line types, particularly the breakable ones, are probably the best addition.  I wish there were more than 40 puzzles.  I think 100 is the minimum for a puzzle game, but since the principal draw (no pun intended, heh) is creating stuff, that shouldn't be a big deal.  I'll probably buy this if it comes out at a budget price.

Once again I have to note that even though the DS touch screen is ideal for the game, the Wii makes sharing so much easier.  Ideally, I'd like to use the DS as a controller for the Wii game.

[Nick DiMola]

Ideally, I'd like to use the DS as a controller for the Wii game.

Genius. That would be simply amazing.