Action stars bask in adulation, but it’s a humble stuntman who makes those pretty boys look like superheroes on film. As veteran risk-taker and backbreaker Joe Danger, you’ll race through dozens of treacherous obstacle courses in the name of movie magic.
Every sharp sidescrolling movie set is a child’s toy chest come to life, and no single element ever wears out its welcome. One minute you’re outrunning an avalanche on skis or pulling simple stunts off motorcycle ramps; the next you’re flitting around with a jetpack or busting flips in an airborne mining cart. And even as you blaze past the ever-present (though optional) high-score ghosts of other players, secondary objectives like collectible objects and hidden stars lure you back for “one more try.” (Or 10. Or 20.)
Racing with local friends might’ve been more fun if the tracks weren’t so sparse.The precarious balance between alluring challenge and headbanging frustration occasionally tips in the wrong direction, though. Some tracks ditch checkpoints entirely, and the bustle of unnecessary foreground scenery sometimes obscures deadly traps, forcing you to repeatedly race the same sequence till you’d need a sedative to slow your pulse. And though offline-only multiplayer contests to control a flag or punch pals are mildly entertaining, the five surprisingly simple maps grow stale way too quickly.
But Joe Danger has a potent ace up his sleeve: a flexible level editor that lets you easily build new tracks even as you roll and rocket through them. Joe Danger 2’s movie sets don’t always know the difference between a joy ride and a death race, but this feature alone is bound to keep fresh, fun new content flowing for ages.
That flapping dinosaur’s fireballs will wipe the grin right off Joe’s face.PUBLISHER: Hello Games • DEVELOPER: Hello Games • ESRB: Everyone • MULTIPLAYER: 4 on same screen • ACHIEVEMENTS: Ordinary • COST: 1200 Microsoft Points ($15) • RELEASE DATE: September 14, 2012
+ Pilot various vehicles across action movie–inspired tracks.
+ Tons of secondary objectives and a powerful level editor guarantee enormous replayability.
– Some visibility issues and absent checkpoints; simplistic offline-only multiplayer tracks.
? Why can’t we edit downloaded levels?
