162 lines
7.9 KiB
Plaintext
162 lines
7.9 KiB
Plaintext
|
||
|
||
|
||
SKATE OR DIE
|
||
|
||
SKATE OR DIE is a colorful and humorous multi-event game of
|
||
competition based on a trendy and relatively new sport:
|
||
skateboarding. The authors, David Bunch, Michael Kosaka, and Stephen
|
||
Landrum, have worked together and separately on such software hits
|
||
as The TEMPLE OF APSHAI Trilogy, SUMMER GAMES, GFL CHAMPIONSHIP
|
||
FOOTBALL, and COMMUNIST MUTANTS FROM OUTER SPACE.
|
||
|
||
SKATE OR DIE is distributed by Electronic Arts, a premier software
|
||
company that usually knows what it's doing: In this case, however,
|
||
it's anybody's guess as to who is going to buy this product. (The
|
||
Commodore 64/128 version is the basis of this review; IBM-PC version
|
||
notes follow.)
|
||
|
||
SKATE offers five events -- Pool Joust, Freestyle, High Jump,
|
||
Downhill Race, and Downhill Jam -- each of which can be practiced
|
||
individually prior to actual competition. These events reappear in
|
||
Compete All, and each can be skated individually or in sequence. In
|
||
single-player mode, SKATE supplies the necessary competition in the
|
||
form of Lester, who is not only the greatest (most "bionic" in SKATE
|
||
lingo) skater in the solar system, but also (accordi to the game
|
||
package) "stupid, mean, and ugly." When you enter Rodney's Skate
|
||
Shop at the start of the game, you'll encounter the roots of
|
||
Lester's genetic lineage.
|
||
|
||
Rodney's Skate Shop is where, by moving a joystick-driven pointer
|
||
around the screen, you sign up for competition or practice, change
|
||
the color of your skateboard, check out the high scores screen, or
|
||
listen to Rodney's potentially rude remarks. After selecting
|
||
practice or competition, you will find yourself on a skateboard in
|
||
the Town Square, from where you'll guide your board down streets to
|
||
the various events.
|
||
|
||
Specific events determine the screen displays. Pool Joust is an
|
||
empty swimming pool in which two skaters take turns trying to
|
||
splatter an opponent's brains all over the concrete with a boffing
|
||
stick. The High Jump and Freestyle events consist of a steep-sided
|
||
ramp, with fan-filled bleacher seats in the background. The Downhill
|
||
Race takes you through an obstacle-riddled park, and the Downhill
|
||
Jam takes you through the obstacle-riddled back alleys of the inner
|
||
city.
|
||
|
||
SKATE is controlled by a joystick. A second joystick lets you
|
||
compete against another human, rather than the three computer-driven
|
||
opponents. The Downhill Race and Downhill Jam events offer two
|
||
methods of skate control: Regular and Goofy. In Goofy mode, pushing
|
||
the stick forward moves the board forward, whereas in Regular mode
|
||
the same action slows or stops the board. Goofy feels more natural,
|
||
which is to say the board moves as you'd expect.
|
||
|
||
Depending on the event, the joystick also controls several board
|
||
tricks, such as kickturns, aerials, handplants, and rail slides.
|
||
Pushing the button and/or leaning toward or away from a direction
|
||
does the trick, although no trick lasts forever. You must click the
|
||
button and/or lean again to complete the action, land safely, and
|
||
continue the event.
|
||
|
||
On the Freestyle ramp, you score points for executing these
|
||
tricks. In the High Jump event, you are allowed to make five passes
|
||
from left to right. The height marker is on the right, and clicking
|
||
the button at the highest point records the jump. Both Downhill Race
|
||
and Downhill Jam events are timed, and each offers opportunities to
|
||
earn bonus points.
|
||
|
||
In the Pool Joust event, each skater takes turns with the boffing
|
||
stick and tries to knock the opponent off his board. Various
|
||
Freestyle tricks are available in Pool Joust. A trigger push readies
|
||
the boffing weapon.
|
||
|
||
Upon completing all five events, you will be apprised of your
|
||
score. And, if you've been good enough, you'll enter it on the high
|
||
scores table in Rodney's Skate Shop.
|
||
|
||
The SKATE game package contains a double-sided disk, a foldout
|
||
instruction sheet written mostly in skateboarder's talk, and a
|
||
sticker of Lester.
|
||
|
||
The SKATE OR DIE graphics screens feature colorful details and
|
||
excellent skate animation. The various tricks seem accurate and
|
||
ridiculous, simultaneously. Blowing a trick, for example, causes the
|
||
skater to slide down the Freestyle ramp on his knees, or land flat
|
||
on his back, all protective pads and shields scattered about.
|
||
|
||
The Downhill Race in the park takes you through a timed obstacle
|
||
course and offers chances to score bonus points by guiding the board
|
||
through drainpipes and steering it around gravel and foliage. The
|
||
Downhill Jam through the back alleys offers opportunities to score
|
||
bonus points by knocking over flower pots, garbage cans, and your
|
||
opponent. Skating through the chain-link fence is advisable only for
|
||
a good laugh.
|
||
|
||
SKATE OR DIE looks and plays just fine. All aspects of the game
|
||
meet the familiar standards of Electronic Arts. The only part I
|
||
can't figure out is this: Who will buy the product? Skateboard
|
||
fanatics? Game fanatics? Disgruntled Yuppie accountants from
|
||
California?
|
||
|
||
Since Electronic Arts has a sturdy reputation, it is easy to assume
|
||
that SKATE OR DIE will make a wonderful addition to your software
|
||
shelf. My suggestion is that you "test skate" SKATE OR DIE at your
|
||
local software store to make certain that your money will be well
|
||
spent.
|
||
|
||
IBM VERSION NOTES
|
||
|
||
The MS-DOS version of SKATE OR DIE is another of Electronic Arts'
|
||
meticulous translations. Provided you have EGA or EGA compatibility
|
||
(as most VGA cards offer), the program looks about as good on an IBM
|
||
as it does on the Apple IIgs, and better than it looks on the
|
||
Commodore 64. It's just as playable, too, although a standard 4.77
|
||
MHz processor may be a bit too slow for EGA graphics.
|
||
|
||
SKATE OR DIE includes both disk formats: one 3-1/2" disk and two
|
||
5-1/4" disks. Neither set is copy-protected (but information from
|
||
the documentation is required to start the game). The instructions
|
||
also outline the simple installation program, should you wish to
|
||
install the game files on a hard drive. If you play from one or two
|
||
floppies, make backup disks first, because the game disks are
|
||
write-protected and will not save scores.
|
||
|
||
SKATE OR DIE requires an IBM PC, XT, AT, Compaq, or other
|
||
compatible, Tandy 1000 series, 3000, or 4000. A joystick is
|
||
recommended by Electronic Arts, and I agree: The program is tougher
|
||
to learn using the keyboard, and definitely inelegant. Your system
|
||
will need 384K and a CGA, EGA, or Tandy graphics adapter. As
|
||
mentioned, if your machine is 4.77 MHz, you may find that the EGA
|
||
graphics slow down the action to an unacceptable degree. You can
|
||
force CGA mode for faster skating, but with the marvelous graphics
|
||
available in EGA, this is obviously not an optimal solution.
|
||
|
||
When you boot the program, you'll be prompted for your graphics
|
||
adapter, and asked to identify various acrobatic routines according
|
||
to the fold-out instruction sheet (a slight inconvenience). Then,
|
||
the program begins and you proceed as outlined in the above review.
|
||
|
||
The function keys allow you to toggle sound effects and music
|
||
(separately), pause the game, and to move backwards through the
|
||
menus until you exit the game. This is a pretty handy feature. But
|
||
there's one peculiarity of the program that is a definite pain: The
|
||
system clock halts while this game is running, so every time you
|
||
finish the game, you need to reset the clock. I'm curious why this
|
||
game -- and none of the hundreds of other games in my library --
|
||
causes this annoying problem.
|
||
|
||
In spite of this admittedly minor idiosyncrasy (it's apparently not
|
||
a bug, since it's mentioned in the documentation), SKATE OR DIE is
|
||
one of the better arcade translations for MS-DOS. This is true
|
||
especially if you have an EGA, a joystick or two, and a clock speed
|
||
greater than 4.77 MHz. The graphics exhibit pizzazz and style, the
|
||
gameplay is more complex than most arcade games, and there's a great
|
||
variety of play modes and challenges.
|
||
|
||
SKATE OR DIE is published and distributed by Electronic Arts.
|
||
|
||
*****DOWNLOADED FROM P-80 SYSTEMS (304) 744-2253
|
||
|
||
|
||
|