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Developer: Metro Graphics
Publisher: JVC Digital Studios
Genre: Sports
Region: PAL
Format:
Release Date: 06 Jul 00
User Rating
10 (1 vote)- Preview
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Overview
The extreme sports genre has had its fair share of blinders on the old Playstation with such hits as Tony Hawks Pro Skater and Matt Hoffman’s. We’ve seen plenty of the dire kind as well and it seems the crapper end of the scale always come from water sports. Imagine my delight when I saw the wakeboarding game Burstick coming to our humble granddad Playstation. For those of you who don’t know, wakeboarding is a sport whereby you water ski off the back of a boat and do your thing over ramps and other obstacles that might be lurking in the water. It could be a good idea if a variety of tricks and areas were available with some diverse new 2-player stuff and a wicked soundtrack. Unfortunately I’m not afraid to tell you that we see none of these, right from the start. JVC what have you done…
Gameplay
The idea of Burstrick is very simple, very simple indeed. You’ve got two modes, obstacle and trick. In the obstacle option you ski around (or tail on the end of a automatic boat) avoiding the hazards, jumping off ramps and competing for space over a strict time limit. The trick option is basically doing tricks, collected rings to boost score and avoiding hazards to a strict time limit. Each time the score to grab gets increasingly difficult. My first impressions of this game were fantastic! I could do the whole three tricks! Going over three different heights of ramp and pressing X does the three different tricks! I was impressed! Start the car.
Where’s the 2 palyer mode? Where’s the variety? Where’s the rest of this game? There’s none of what would be expected and should be fulfilled. Compared to the might of something like Tony Hawks this quivers in its giant shadow. This doesn’t have the range of levels, the variety of moves, the style or the soundtrack. It’s too basic to be any good. Left, right, jump, hit mine, is the basic sequence of a dull game that lacks in influence, popularity, edge and many other things.
Graphics
To be frank, I’ve seen fewer grains on the beach. These are real old school graphics here, old school being the appropriate term to describe pap. This really does look like it should have been somewhere in the PS1 launch line up back in good old 1995.
Water has always been one of those things that is rarely seen done well in a computer game. For Burstrick, think the amazing effects of the N64’s oldie but goodie wave race and then think the complete opposite and your getting close. Grainy, dirty and really not worth crying over. I could give it some credit for colour and effort of detail though.
Fun Factor
This is about as fun as poking yourself in the eye.
Overall
Burstrick is one of those games that doesn’t deserve a long review and it doesn’t deserve you money. Who is going to buy stuff like this when the Playstation is jam packed with alternatives bigger and better than it.
- Gameplay
3.0 - Graphics
4.0 - Fun Factor
3.0 - Overall
3.0
