Disney Sports Skateboarding
Score: 25% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: Konami Developer: Konami Media: GCD/1 Players: 1 - 2 Genre: Sports
Graphics & Sound: It's no secret that I am a big time Disney fanboy. At times this has given some of my Disney-related reviews a slight tilt since I was always looking at it from a Disney fan's perspective. At least, that's how I first approached Disney Sports Skateboarding. Unfortunately, even the blindest of fanboy eyes would have a hard time putting a positive spin on this game. It's just that bad. Graphically, Disney Skateboarding is on the positive side of a PSX title, but only slightly. Once again, screenshots prove to be very misleading. The texture quality on all of the environments is blurry and hard to look at. Even if you were to make the excuse that this is a cartoon world, that still wouldn't be enough. Of course, you're likely to not notice the panoramic blur around you once you see the terrible animation. For a group of animated characters and a license that prides itself on the highest quality of animation, the robot-like animation of the game's characters is not acceptable. In comparison, the audio-animatronics at Disneyland are more animated. Throw in a camera that is sure to dizzy anyone and a choppy framerate and you've easily got one of the most unattractive games on the system. It's also one of the worst sounding games on the system, edged from the top spot only by Top Gun. The announcer is about as annoying as they come and the music is about as grating as listening to Donald Duck belt out a Streisand tune.
Gameplay: Konami's other Disney Sports titles have actually been pretty good. Disney Golf is one of the few golf titles I've even been able to play through and I've heard good things about the soccer game. But for some reason, the skateboarding game just doesn't come off as good as the other two titles. As the title suggests, Disney Skateboarding allows you to take control of a number of Disney characters like Goofy, Mickey, Donald and Pete and bust a few moves Tony Hawk style around various locales. One of the high marks is that you are given almost total customization of your character's outfit and board, but eventually you have to leave that menu and play the game - which is where the game tanks. The game gives players 5 modes: Challenge, Trick Championship, Training, Free Ride, and Time Attack. Regardless of the title, each of these modes is run by the same flawed mechanics. Challenge mode is the game's main feature and has you skating around cities clearing checkpoints. As you complete objectives, you'll be able to unlock new stages and progress through the game. If ever I needed a walkthrough, it was with this game. Some of the checkpoints are easy to find, but others are nearly impossible to find. As I go through the game right now (man, I love wireless controllers) there are at least 3 or 4 in the first level alone that I can't find. Eventually this makes level progression harder because the hidden checkpoint areas pop up more in later levels. I'm always for giving kids a little added challenge, but when I'm having problems with it, something is obviously wrong. This is a sure-fire way to frustrate kids and give parents a headache that won't go away.
Difficulty: As I've already outlined, the game is just plain hard. Considering this game is aimed more at a younger audience and Disney fans that may not be the biggest gamers, I couldn't believe how incredibly frustrating this game can get. In the game's defense, the controls are easy to learn, but what's the use of having a good control setup when the game is nearly unplayable? The framerate and camera problems also make Disney Skateboarding a chore. The game is way too slow at times due to the framerate and the camera has no idea where it wants to point, sometimes even shooting behind walls or focusing on corners. This game isn't fun.
Game Mechanics: Looking at the positives, the control setup is very good and easy to learn. But, and I am kicking myself for saying this, they are a little too easy. There's such a minimal learning curve, that the scheme becomes boring after a few rounds and gives you nothing to work towards. One of the more enjoyable parts of other skateboarding games is that great feeling you get when you pull off a new move or discover a brand new trick combo, a feeling Disney Skateboarding fails to deliver. Once you get past how easy the controls are to pick up, you'll realize that they are extremely sluggish and are so unresponsive that there are times when your character won't pull off tricks. Overall, Disney Sports Skateboarding feels half-baked and rushed. If anything, the developers could have at least reused the Evolution Skateboarding engine, I mean, it seems to work well enough in MGS2: Substance. This game isn't recommended for anyone - even to the most loyal of Disney fans.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
Def Jam: Vendetta FIFA Soccer 2003