Written by: Mark

 

 

 

Joe Danger is the a hugely popular Playstation Network game from Hello Games which was first released to great acclaim in late 2010. Such was it’s popularity that Xbox 360 owners were crying out for their own release of this fan favourite.

 

 Almost a year later 360 owners got their wish with the release of "Joe Danger Special Edition" which promised even more content in this fun packed thrill ride but would the new inclusions and changes mean that the game is an essential download?

 

 

Joe Danger sees the player taking on the role of a faded motorcycle stuntman from the 1980’s who is determined to make a comeback and once again become the worlds greatest by wowing crowds through completing an a variety of increasingly difficult stunt tracks throughout his comeback tour.

 

Admittedly motorcycle games in this vein are nothing new with games such as the classic NES game Excitebike and more recently the hugely successful XBLA offering Trials HD proving smash hits worldwide.

 

With this in mind the questions would be whether Joe Danger could offer enough variety to be seen as a real rival to the previously mentioned titles or whether it would prove to be nothing more than a cheap imitation.

 

 

Joe Danger has gone for a family friendly approach in how it is presented with it’s cute and colourful cartoon style graphics. On first impressions this may make you feel that the game is one aimed at kids however the it does not take long for you to realise that the gameplay and humour definitely appeals to a wider audience and the graphics suit the overall style very well indeed.

 

The main tour mode is presented with each event done in the style of newspaper headlines which sets the scene nicely and also helps to record progress and charts awards gained.

 

 

Each stage is superbly animated and offers just enough detail to draw you in whilst not proving a distraction from the incredibly addictive gameplay. The same can be said for the sound which may not win any awards for it’s innovation however offers enough to assist with the undoubted fun which is what the game is all about.

 

 

If I were asked to sum up the gameplay in two words the ones I would use are incredibly addictive and that is most certainly what Joe Danger is. Like the similar Trials HD the game has a focus on being somewhat of a score chasing game with the objectives to score as many points during each level to beat your own previous best and that of people on your friends list. To achieve this levels have to be completed in as quick time as possible in addition to scoring points by completing various stunts and tricks by leaping over the crazy ramps, springs and other obstacles including shark tanks, mousetraps and many more.

 

To add replay ability each stage has a series of challenges which mean that once achieved players gain stars which are used as currency to unlock further stages and this brings more addiction as you will find that in order to perfect the game you will undoubtedly return to stages over and over and never do you feel too much frustration or repetition.

 

Although the game looks like it is a mix between 2d and 3d it uses the depth of the playing areas very well. By this I refer to the fact that in order to fully achieve everything in each stage quite often this requires the player to switch racing lanes. It could have been all to easy to make the game a simple one lane affair however this multi lane approach adds something very enjoyable to proceedings and as such is a very welcome inclusion.

 

As you can probably guess the gameplay is all about fun and certainly does not try and take itself seriously at all and this is what makes Joe Danger as fun as it is. In some cases I found the game Trials HD so intense it became a little frustrating at times where as Joe Danger strikes the perfect balance between fun and frustration and I have to say that it has been put together perfectly well and for this the developers deserve a massive round of applause.

 

In fact the only downside to how the game plays is a little down to the controls which utilise almost every button on the joypad and quite often I found the various combinations needed to pull off stunts a little awkward and as a result sometimes found myself making unnecessary errors. Whilst this can be annoying at times it is a only a minor gripe and certainly can be overlooked thanks to the incredibly addictive and fun gameplay on offer.

 

 

 

As if there was not enough replay ability in the lengthy single player tour mode the developers have gone above and beyond by including a superb track designer which can see players putting together their own hazard filled tracks in no time.

 

Once completed tracks can be posted online and shared with friends which is a simple process and means that in many ways the game is endless even once you have completed the impressive amount of challenges available in the single player game.