Overview

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Review

Release Date: 11.18.2003
Platform: GameCube
Developer: Team Poponchi
Publisher: Atlus USA, Inc.

Reviewed by Wade Monnig on 11.18.2003

Review Rating: 7/10

User Rating: 3/10

Go! Go! Hypergrind is Extreme sports ‘cubed: The extreme of the skateboarding, the extreme of some twisted characters and the final extreme - extremly funny. And, of course, it appears on the Nintendo GameCube…which wraps up the ‘cubed analogy quite nicely, thank you very much.

Let’s face it, everyone and their brother has jumped on the “Extreme Skateboarding” bandwagon. I mean, come on, Solid Snake on a skateboard is something you should yell after hitting your thumb with a hammer, and not something you should see in a game. That has left the genre ripe for a little skewering at the hands of some rapier wit. And who better to do that than SPUMCO, the twisted minds responsible for Ren & Stimpy. SPUMCO starts with their tongue placed firmly in cheek as they lay out the “Toon World” story step-up. It seems that Skateboarding is extremly popular (no doubt fueled by some videogame or another) and SPUMCO is holding auditions for “real life” toons (ala Who Framed Roger Rabbit) to star in a new feature about skateboarding. This is where the player steps in and takes control of a character who is auditioning for the movie based on skateboarding where, in true “Real T.V.” fashion, pain sells and LOTS of pain is like a license to print money. Who better than a bunch of cartoon characters that can be accordioned, burned, flattened and beheaded…and then bounce back for more…to star in this flick?

Go! Go! Hypergrind takes the clichés of both Extreme Skateboarding titles and slapstick cartoon humor and makes them it’s own. As the old saying goes “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” and SPUMCO and Atlus seem to have joined the genre and THEN proceeded to slap it around with a large trout.

In order to rack up serious points in Tony Hawk Pro Skater, you need to string together some insane combos; the same goes for this title. However, they set-up the levels and “Negative Reaction” combo system allow for almost infinite combos. And we’re not talking the typical Ollie to 720 to Porn Star Grind. We’re talking crashing head first into a portable toilet (coming out covered in shi…brown paint), catching yourself on fire, lighting a bundle of Acme-approved dynamite, literally losing your head via a buzz saw and bouncing skyward with the assistance of a “Drink Milk” billboard that the Dead or Alive series only wished it had conceived (check out background of the first screenshot).

Go! Go! Hypergrind removes the controller wrenching button combinations of the genre and uses a system that is based more on timing. Whereas memorizing levels and finding the perfect line is essential in THPS, the forgiving combo/timing system allows you to create your own lines and really rip the ones pre-set into the levels.

Instead of focusing solely on the timed level/score-the-most-points design, Go! Go! Hypergrind throws in head-to-head battles, the Simon Says trick-offs and other types of showdowns into the main audition mode. They are not “required” conquerings (you don’t have to finish first or in the top three) but each showdown counts toward your overall score and adds cash to your pocket to buy upgrades for your skater that improves their abilities.

As you would expect, SPUMCO’s involvement has provided some completely insane character designs for the 11 playable skaters. For instance, Piggy Sue (or, as I like to call her, Tonya Hog: Pro Porker) is an overweight sow whose showing a lot of tail (of the corkscrew pig variety) and WAY too much crack (of the plumber variety). Each characters tricks and animations are unique: a typical grind for Piggy has her posing seductively in her bikini and ramp tricks have her literally kissing the camera. This adds a special flair to each of the bizarre characters (which are, admittedly, the game strongest drawing point). Considering that much of the single player replay value falls into playing though the 8 different levels with multiple characters, keeping the charters fresh was a must and SPUMCO/Atlus serves them piping hot from the oven.

In Go! Go! Hypergrind’s quest for style, some of the gameplay takes a hit. In order to give cinematic views of some of the Negative Reaction combos, the camera pulls to an angle that isn’t advantageous to actual skating, making it difficult to see the next item you’ll want to grind or trick off of. The timing based combo system also gives the impression that do not have much control over the action once you tumble into a combo since only properly timed X-button presses are needed to move to the next link. Anyone who has spent a good amount of time with any timed level knows the old “pause/restart level” trick when they blow a good combo but you can’t bail and restart in mid-run in GGH. This fits with the whole audition theme but it may annoy some players. Also, surprisingly, while there is a strong focus on the characters movements, animations and reactions in game, the cut-scenes are rather sparse and somewhat rudimentary. They still have the “every pimple and hair” look of the classic Ren & Stimpy episodes but they don’t move or animate as well as you would expect.

The basic control system makes the game easy to grasp but may disappoint anyone looking for a skating “simulation.” Go! Go! Hypergrind skates well but it really shreds your funny bone.

Box art