FutureFive New Zealand - Consumer technology news & reviews from the future
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OlliOlli Is A Dizzying Experience
Wed, 29th Jan 2014
FYI, this story is more than a year old

Skateboarding games are a rare sight these days -  Ever since the Tony Hawk series stopped and EA left the Skate series to dry up, there have been no announcements for a new skateboarding game, until OlliOlli shredded onto the scene via the PS Vita.

OlliOlli has a unique approach to skateboarding, simply because it is played from a 2D side scrolling perspective. The game is more about pulling off big tricks by grinding on rails and jumping off of stairs and other flat surfaces. The one thing that is missing are manuals and air tricks since there are no halfpipes in this game. If you are a fan of vert-style skating (like myself), you might be slightly disappointed that it's not featured here.

I've been a fan of skateboarding for most of my young life and have tried to play every skateboarding video game ever released. From my own personal experience, OlliOlli is without question the hardest skateboarding game I have ever played. I was surprised with the game's hard learning curve and complex controls. This is a type of game you will not master in a few minutes that's for sure.

The main thing that makes OlliOlli hard to play is its intricate control scheme. Everything is controlled using the left stick and timing is key to succeeding. Not only that, but you have to press the "X" button at the right time to land appropriately too. It's a system that works pretty well, but you will need a lot of practice to become a master at it.

OlliOlli screenshot

One thing I didn't like about OlliOlli were its graphics and presentation. I managed to play the game for a short while, but then I got sick playing the it after a long while. I've played games for many years and the only other time I got sick was when I was playing the PS2 version of Red Faction. OlliOlli is now the second game I have played that made me sick.

This could be because the levels move at a fast pace and has several bright colours in the background. Not to mention the character model you are controlling is very small. My brother played the game okay, but I got dizzy sometimes I played OlliOlli. Just a word of warning if you're sensitive like me when it comes to playing certain video games.

Overall, OlliOlli is a unique approach to skateboarding games. It has a hard difficulty curve, but it can be addictive once you get a hang of the complex controls. The disappointing aspects of the game is that the graphics are outdated and very small. I know not everyone will get dizzy playing this game, but I did. Another minor flaw is that the game focuses only on street skating. Still, it's still a fun game if you are a fan of skateboarding in general.

7.0 out of 10