I have no idea if this is actually possible.
By: David Cooper
If there’s one thing young people want, it’s for their pastimes and interests to be associated with a major corporate brand. Enter Red Bull X-Fighters, from Xendex, for those who feel their motorcycle sports games don’t have enough in-game advertising — though in the interest of fairness, I should point out that Red Bull’s sponsorship doesn’t dramatically interfere with the game.
CONTROLS (3.75/5)
Controlling your motorcycle is pretty simple, seeing as you move on a 2D plane. The A button accelerates while the right stick balances your bike. Also, while in the air various combinations of the shoulder buttons, sometimes with the B and Y buttons, execute tricks. Sometimes you might feel like a contortionist with the amount of things you have to press at once, but the controls never get in the way of the gameplay.
GRAPHICS/SOUND (3/5)
Visually, Red Bull X-Fighters is loud, flashy and functional. That is to say, while the player blitzes through courses there are a lot of elements designed to simulate a live event, such as crowds and bright lights, but there is nothing particularly exciting about the whole thing. The levels are set in different cities, but aren’t vastly different in terms of character, apart from some minor details. For example, if you pay attention in London, there are some red phone boxes, which add nothing to the overall feel. As a result, the design feels somewhat artificial, and perhaps a little by the numbers.
That said, players are unlikely to notice this much. Given that a great deal of concentration has to be put into gameplay, players are more likely to watch the important HUD elements, such as the timer or trick length indicators. These are very clear and legible at all times, and thus ideal for a game of this nature.
The sound design can get a little irritating at times. Apart from the typical rock soundtrack, which can be forgiven for its generic feel, the commentary is some of the most repetitive I’ve heard. This may be a limitation of the file size allowed on a smaller downloadable title, but hearing the same lines of commentary several times per play from the overly enthusiastic announcer is common. He also provides little consistency, often praising my performance right after I smashed head-first into the ground.
GAMEPLAY (3.5/5)
Essentially, Red Bull X-Fighters is a poor man’s Trials HD. Racing your bike through a 2D course, performing crowd-pleasing tricks as necessary and attempting to beat your previous scores (or your friends’). The levels are perhaps a little more linear than Trials HD, but the basic concept and execution is very similar.
For the most part, the trick system is pretty balanced. Odds are, the more buttons you press, the more points you will accumulate, but there are not tricks for every button combination. As a result, tricks have to be planned in advance — you don’t want to waste some large airtime on button bashing with nothing to show for it. The game may advertise thrill and excitement, but there is more thought in playing it than that.
The other half of gameplay comes from speed, and getting through courses as quickly as possible. Some actual races against opponents might have been nice, but these are time trials only, which serve the same purpose I suppose. The challenge in this comes from controlling the bike as players are given extra speed if they perform a wheelie, but such maneuvers are risky and can knock you completely off balance. Additionally, doing some jumps can put you in a bad position for future jumps, and so you have to make tactical decisions regarding when to speed up and reduce your time.
Variety in gameplay comes from the different events offered (time trials, score attacks, even a couple of unique events) and, unlike many games, different event types actually do require different play styles. Sometimes you need speed. Other times, you need style, and sometimes both with events that require a fast time and a couple of tricks. Completing events unlocks new bikes and events, and so on until you have high scores in all of them, and progressing though them is a lot of fun. It’s often challenging, but not frustratingly so.
The biggest problem with Red Bull X-Fighters is its length. Priced at 800 MS Points ($10), you could expect it to provide a little less than some XBLA games, but I was disappointed by how quickly I rushed through this, completing the game (including 11 of the 12 achievements) in less than two days. Replay value would come from attempting to get gold medals in every event, but with only six courses, and a handful of events for each, there are few new thrills to look forward to. Perhaps this is an indication of my enjoyment of the game, in that I certainly wanted more, but I would add that more satisfying and complete gaming experiences can be found elsewhere.
OVERALL (3.25/5)
The jaded cynic in me wanted to hate Red Bull X-Fighters — an “extreme” sports game sponsored by an energy drink company screams “cash-in.” However, it is difficult to deny the joy found in performing tricks successfully and beating high scores. Red Bull X-Fighters is good for a few days of fun-filled action, but it’s unlikely to provide extensive thrills.
RotoRob GAMING 