Line Rider Heads To DS/Wii As Tricks Abound
We've previously covered the 'physics toy' phenomenon that is Line Rider, but seems like it's time for a couple of updates to the insanely popular Flash toy.
Well, firstly, as you may have spotted, indie development studio inXile has licensed the game for a DS and Wii release, both expected to ship in Spring 2007 - it explains: "According to the title's original creator Bostjan Cadez, Line Rider is a "toy" that allows players to construct their own track filled with as many ramps, hills, and jumps as they can imagine utilizing a pencil tool. Once the player is done creating their course, they can send a virtual sledder down the route until he wipes out."
Secondly, the creator of the beautiful 'Jagged Peak Adventure', 'unconed', has created 'Urban Run' [YouTube link], the latest in his series of wonderfully designed Line Rider illustrated adventures. The game is an example of a) how physics games work really well, b) that one-man toys can make amazing games, and c) that indie studios can pick up on phenomena quickly and easily - all of these are good for the game biz! [Semi-via Waxy.]
Comments
This sounds good. As I've blogged myself, the Wii needs more innovative games that make good use of the controllers:
http://silversprite.wordpress.com/2006/12/23/nintendo-wii-first-impressions/
Posted by: John Kirriemuir | December 23, 2006 5:09 AM
True, developers need to get in a Wii state of mind. Those line-rider vids are awesome, I never thought of Line-rider other than being a nice demo. But after seeing those vids it might be something that going to be big. Youtube can help with that too. Instead of battling each other in a game, people could post the videos they made and try to outdo each other. Same type of competition could apply for stuff like the Elebits level editor.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hszOo99xL7w
Posted by: Cruds | December 23, 2006 6:09 AM
The thing about Elebits that prevents it from becoming this kind of phenomenon, I'm sorry to say, is the sucky friend-code-based level sharing. One cannot make a level and just put it out there, it will only be sharable between friends, which means both sides entering the other's code.
Anyway, Line Rider is cool, but it seems to me to be of ultimately limited interest for what would probably be a disk game release, unless it were jazzed up with new features, or made available via a VC-style download....
Posted by: John H. | December 23, 2006 12:02 PM