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Chopping heads and earning points!
November 15, 2003 | 10:00 PM PSTby: Sean O'Neill
When I first got wind of Go Go Hypergrind I was ecstatic to hear one of my favorite animation production companies would be extensively involved in its development. Spumco, the brains behind the classic Ren and Stimpy (a favorite cartoon of mine). With John K and crew on board I was hyped! Soon after I was lucky enough to play the title at E3 as well as the Nintendo press event: Gamer Summit. Each time I tried it I found myself getting more and more drawn in. But with a crowded number of Skateboard games on the market could Go Go stand out?
Game Info:
Skate as one of 12 crazy, cool competitors, designed by SPUMCO, the world-famous animation studio responsible for The Ren & Stimpy Show™ and The Ripping Friends™!
Use the new "Negative Reaction" system to score insane points and begin your rise to stardom!
Powerful graphics engine allows for real-time character deformation. The wacky, cel-shaded skateboarders can be subjected to numerous humiliations, such as being set on fire, flattened and covered in paint, with visual effects all displayed simultaneously!
Perform over 60 never-before-seen fantasy tricks as well as a host of real-world grinds, aerials manuals and lip moves!
Gameplay:
In Go Go Hypergring you take control of one of twelve wacky skaters as you skate your way around eight stages in hopes that you will score enough points and impress the coach. And what do you get for your hard work? A movie contract with Spumco Animation house to be their star! Each skater’s abilities are different and you are able to improve these abilities by earning cash and collecting a number of cool Gear items to boost your stats. Along with your gear items you can buy new boards and new designs as well as costum wheels. All of which can be tweaked to fully provide the best riding experience. So the first question that comes to mind I’m sure is… Is Go Go Hypergrind a Tony Hawk rip off? While it is a skateboarding game Go Go brings a whole new spin to the four-wheeled sport. Not only are you asked to do crazy tricks, you are also asked to destroy your cartoon bodies. Everything from decapitating your self to getting smashed into an accordion by a giant hoof. By performing these Negative Reactions you gain more points and they can be linked together solve some cool puzzle elements.
You see a few sticks of TNT, well the only way to get them popping is to light yourself on fire and jump onto them, BOOM you will be thrust into the air! This is all part of exploring new areas in the vast levels. Speaking of levels as I stated before there are eight areas to explore, as well as a extensive training mode. You will be swinging from vines in a jungle level, smashing pumpkins in a haunted level and grinding rails across all across a city level. Each level is packed with items that tear your body to shreds, smash it bash it and even electrocute it… In one level I was set on fire, exploded a bomb, shot from a cannon into and out of a volcano, landed in an oily swamp, grinded a rail, was ingested by a hippo and then shot out his butt towards a tiki house that ate me and spit me out into a crock infested stream of water….all this in one combo. Tony Hawk eat your heart out! Atlus did an amazing job using the Spumco license, as everything has that Spumco feel. One major turn off for me was the animatics that held the story mode together. They were poorly animated and lacked a real gasser, something I have come to expect in Spumco products.
The game has a good amount of modes.
Freeride mode:
Single Session: Participate in a 2 minute skate session to rack up a killer score and try to set some records. You might receive a reward if you're good enough. Note that if you return to a Gimmick that you have already used within your last 5 Negative Reactions, then your multiplier will be reduced by half. Also note that if you continue skating after the time is up, the instructor will chase after you and knock you off your board, so be careful, or you might lose your combo! Free Ride: Practice without having to worry about a time limit. Skate until the cows come home, and when you’re ready, take on Story Mode or Single Session Mode. Special items such as SPUMCO illustrations can be earned by achieving certain ranks (A+/S/Bronze/Silver/Gold). Each stage has 12 different items you can earn. If you earn a particular rank more than once and have not yet received the prize for a rank beneath it, then you will be awarded the prize for the lower rank.
Tutorial: Learn the basics of controlling your character.
Story mode:
In this mode, you select a character and try to out skate your rivals while aiming for the lead role in SPUMCO’s new cartoon. Audition against other CPU characters for the lead role! You will compete in 5 RANK MATCHES (ROUNDS) per stage. There are 8 stages in all. Types of RANK MATCHES include:
Appeal Champ: The character with the highest score wins! (Your session will end when you run out of time, even if you are in the middle of a combo.)
Race: Collect 3 different colored coins and reach the goal before your opponent does.
Simon Says: Complete as many Negative Reactions as possible in the order indicated before time runs out.
Link Appeal: Score as many points as possible for a single Appeal Link.
Battle:Reduce your opponent’s life bar to nothing to win.
Mini Game: Goals will vary. For example, in Haunted Night, you are asked to smash as many pumpkins as possible within the allotted time.
VERSUS mode:
Appeal Champ: The player with the higher appeal score when the round is over wins. An unfinished Link can be completed even if time has expired (not available in IP vs. COM mode).
Race: To win, be the first across the red gate after collecting all three coins (red, yellow, and blue). Collect colored coins by using various Gimmicks to perform Negative Reactions. Performing Reactions will also earn you items to hinder your opponent.
Simon Says: The player who successfully does the most Negative Reactions as indicated wins. When either player performs the designated Reaction, then the icon and name of the next one will appear in the center of the screen.
Push: To win, squeeze your opponent off the screen. While in the Reaction State, perform Appeals to move the yellow line towards your opponent. Perform another Reaction to move the split line, and then repeat the process. If time runs out, the player with the most screen area wins.
Battle: The player that reduces his/her opponent’s life bar to nothing wins! The C Stick can be used to fire an object in any direction, but objects can only be fired when in a Reaction condition. An arrow will point to the location of your opponent. (Green = Far, Red = Close) So as you can see you and your friends will be playing Go Go Hypergrind for a while!
Graphics:
Atlus nailed the cell shaded look spot on. Every element of this game looks amazing. You feel you are part of a cartoon world. The character designs are fun and will make any gamer smile. While I feel the cinematics are a huge disappointment and lip-synching isn’t even close the in game animation’s and liveliness of the levels overshadow any shortcomings.
Sound:
The sour spot in this game has to be the sound. Poorly performed voice acting doesn’t seem to match the look of the character. On top of that the annoying music will make gamers want to blast their own soundtrack on their home audio systems while playing. One bright spot is the sound effects that add a lot of pop to the action. I expected more in this department as the characters were so well developed that they deserve better then this.
Control:
Simple control that is surprisingly deep offers gamers a lot of control of their skaters. You ollie with A and perform tricks with the B button along with the joystick. To grind press the direction and Y and rotations are done with L and R. To perform a Negative Reaction you approach a obstacle and once the logo flashes on the screen press X. Timing is key here. While not as versatile as the Hawk games Go Go’s controls feel comfortable. The problem arises from time to time that moves perform a bit slower then your button mashing allows and movements can feel a bit clunky. What’s worse is the fact your Negative Reaction don’t always seem to work. A bit of fine-tuning could have smoothed the controls out a bit more.
Closing Comments:
Go Go is not Tony Hawk and that’s what makes it great. Atlus nabbed the services of Spumco and used them to the full extent. The game just oozes John K’s style. On top of that it’s quite a solid skater. While the controls can feel a bit clumsy and the soundtrack will make many wish they lost their hearing Go Go Hypergrind is a lot of fun. I can’t count the amount of times my buddies and I were playing and we saw something that made us pause the game cause we were laughing so hard. Jumping into a Porto potty or being blown out a hippo's butt it all adds to the gross factor and I love it. The Graphics are spot on and the game is a real surprise. I suggest you all give it a rental first, as the game isn’t for everyone. Those of you who like a bit of twisted humor, love skating or you’re a big fan of Ren and Stimpy… you will want to check this game out.
Game Info:
Skate as one of 12 crazy, cool competitors, designed by SPUMCO, the world-famous animation studio responsible for The Ren & Stimpy Show™ and The Ripping Friends™!
Use the new "Negative Reaction" system to score insane points and begin your rise to stardom!
Powerful graphics engine allows for real-time character deformation. The wacky, cel-shaded skateboarders can be subjected to numerous humiliations, such as being set on fire, flattened and covered in paint, with visual effects all displayed simultaneously!
Perform over 60 never-before-seen fantasy tricks as well as a host of real-world grinds, aerials manuals and lip moves!
Gameplay:
In Go Go Hypergring you take control of one of twelve wacky skaters as you skate your way around eight stages in hopes that you will score enough points and impress the coach. And what do you get for your hard work? A movie contract with Spumco Animation house to be their star! Each skater’s abilities are different and you are able to improve these abilities by earning cash and collecting a number of cool Gear items to boost your stats. Along with your gear items you can buy new boards and new designs as well as costum wheels. All of which can be tweaked to fully provide the best riding experience. So the first question that comes to mind I’m sure is… Is Go Go Hypergrind a Tony Hawk rip off? While it is a skateboarding game Go Go brings a whole new spin to the four-wheeled sport. Not only are you asked to do crazy tricks, you are also asked to destroy your cartoon bodies. Everything from decapitating your self to getting smashed into an accordion by a giant hoof. By performing these Negative Reactions you gain more points and they can be linked together solve some cool puzzle elements.
You see a few sticks of TNT, well the only way to get them popping is to light yourself on fire and jump onto them, BOOM you will be thrust into the air! This is all part of exploring new areas in the vast levels. Speaking of levels as I stated before there are eight areas to explore, as well as a extensive training mode. You will be swinging from vines in a jungle level, smashing pumpkins in a haunted level and grinding rails across all across a city level. Each level is packed with items that tear your body to shreds, smash it bash it and even electrocute it… In one level I was set on fire, exploded a bomb, shot from a cannon into and out of a volcano, landed in an oily swamp, grinded a rail, was ingested by a hippo and then shot out his butt towards a tiki house that ate me and spit me out into a crock infested stream of water….all this in one combo. Tony Hawk eat your heart out! Atlus did an amazing job using the Spumco license, as everything has that Spumco feel. One major turn off for me was the animatics that held the story mode together. They were poorly animated and lacked a real gasser, something I have come to expect in Spumco products.
The game has a good amount of modes.
Freeride mode:
Single Session: Participate in a 2 minute skate session to rack up a killer score and try to set some records. You might receive a reward if you're good enough. Note that if you return to a Gimmick that you have already used within your last 5 Negative Reactions, then your multiplier will be reduced by half. Also note that if you continue skating after the time is up, the instructor will chase after you and knock you off your board, so be careful, or you might lose your combo! Free Ride: Practice without having to worry about a time limit. Skate until the cows come home, and when you’re ready, take on Story Mode or Single Session Mode. Special items such as SPUMCO illustrations can be earned by achieving certain ranks (A+/S/Bronze/Silver/Gold). Each stage has 12 different items you can earn. If you earn a particular rank more than once and have not yet received the prize for a rank beneath it, then you will be awarded the prize for the lower rank.
Tutorial: Learn the basics of controlling your character.
Story mode:
In this mode, you select a character and try to out skate your rivals while aiming for the lead role in SPUMCO’s new cartoon. Audition against other CPU characters for the lead role! You will compete in 5 RANK MATCHES (ROUNDS) per stage. There are 8 stages in all. Types of RANK MATCHES include:
Appeal Champ: The character with the highest score wins! (Your session will end when you run out of time, even if you are in the middle of a combo.)
Race: Collect 3 different colored coins and reach the goal before your opponent does.
Simon Says: Complete as many Negative Reactions as possible in the order indicated before time runs out.
Link Appeal: Score as many points as possible for a single Appeal Link.
Battle:Reduce your opponent’s life bar to nothing to win.
Mini Game: Goals will vary. For example, in Haunted Night, you are asked to smash as many pumpkins as possible within the allotted time.
VERSUS mode:
Appeal Champ: The player with the higher appeal score when the round is over wins. An unfinished Link can be completed even if time has expired (not available in IP vs. COM mode).
Race: To win, be the first across the red gate after collecting all three coins (red, yellow, and blue). Collect colored coins by using various Gimmicks to perform Negative Reactions. Performing Reactions will also earn you items to hinder your opponent.
Simon Says: The player who successfully does the most Negative Reactions as indicated wins. When either player performs the designated Reaction, then the icon and name of the next one will appear in the center of the screen.
Push: To win, squeeze your opponent off the screen. While in the Reaction State, perform Appeals to move the yellow line towards your opponent. Perform another Reaction to move the split line, and then repeat the process. If time runs out, the player with the most screen area wins.
Battle: The player that reduces his/her opponent’s life bar to nothing wins! The C Stick can be used to fire an object in any direction, but objects can only be fired when in a Reaction condition. An arrow will point to the location of your opponent. (Green = Far, Red = Close) So as you can see you and your friends will be playing Go Go Hypergrind for a while!
Graphics:
Atlus nailed the cell shaded look spot on. Every element of this game looks amazing. You feel you are part of a cartoon world. The character designs are fun and will make any gamer smile. While I feel the cinematics are a huge disappointment and lip-synching isn’t even close the in game animation’s and liveliness of the levels overshadow any shortcomings.
Sound:
The sour spot in this game has to be the sound. Poorly performed voice acting doesn’t seem to match the look of the character. On top of that the annoying music will make gamers want to blast their own soundtrack on their home audio systems while playing. One bright spot is the sound effects that add a lot of pop to the action. I expected more in this department as the characters were so well developed that they deserve better then this.
Control:
Simple control that is surprisingly deep offers gamers a lot of control of their skaters. You ollie with A and perform tricks with the B button along with the joystick. To grind press the direction and Y and rotations are done with L and R. To perform a Negative Reaction you approach a obstacle and once the logo flashes on the screen press X. Timing is key here. While not as versatile as the Hawk games Go Go’s controls feel comfortable. The problem arises from time to time that moves perform a bit slower then your button mashing allows and movements can feel a bit clunky. What’s worse is the fact your Negative Reaction don’t always seem to work. A bit of fine-tuning could have smoothed the controls out a bit more.
Closing Comments:
Go Go is not Tony Hawk and that’s what makes it great. Atlus nabbed the services of Spumco and used them to the full extent. The game just oozes John K’s style. On top of that it’s quite a solid skater. While the controls can feel a bit clumsy and the soundtrack will make many wish they lost their hearing Go Go Hypergrind is a lot of fun. I can’t count the amount of times my buddies and I were playing and we saw something that made us pause the game cause we were laughing so hard. Jumping into a Porto potty or being blown out a hippo's butt it all adds to the gross factor and I love it. The Graphics are spot on and the game is a real surprise. I suggest you all give it a rental first, as the game isn’t for everyone. Those of you who like a bit of twisted humor, love skating or you’re a big fan of Ren and Stimpy… you will want to check this game out.
November 20, 2009
