Gripshift

[MarioW]

Sidhe? As in Tir na Nog? That's pretty damn geeky if true, I salute you.

That would be the one, yes.

Heh, I just noticed the http://www.ntsc-uk.com/ banner at the top of the forums is using one of the GripShift car renders. Slowly this game will permeate all of society

[charlesr]

That's because it's our top review today. Got a respectful "above-average" 6/10 from us.

[Madbury]

I'm sold on this now. Probably get two copies (one as a gift)

Thanks for the impressions and the review, I think I know what to expect from this game.

Sega Ages - you are indeed correct. The producer and designer of GripShift, Andy Satterthwaite, was the producer and/or designer on titles such as Wipeout 2097, NGen Racing, and Colony Wars.

Interesting about Andy Satterthwaite, You can clearly feel the similarities between Wipeout 2097 and the largely overlooked but fab NGen Racing (my NGen Racing review). I know nothing about Colony Wars, on the basis of this though it might be worth checking it out.

[MarioW]

Interesting about Andy Satterthwaite, You can clearly feel the similarities between Wipeout 2097 and the largely overlooked but fab NGen Racing (my NGen Racing review). I know nothing about Colony Wars, on the basis of this though it might be worth checking it out.

He also did Quantum Redshift, an Xbox future racer, along with a couple of other ex-Wipeout people (they formed their own studio Curly Monsters).

The cover art is terrible, but if you have an Xbox you might like to check it out if you liked Wipeout 2097 and NGen.

[Madbury]

Yeah I picked up on that (Curly Monsters) when I was researching for the NGen review. I've played QR a little and it didn't grab me the way NGen did. NGen really is one of a kind. I can't imagine anyone trying something quite so bold again because it's a game which makes very few compromises. The demands it puts on the player are phenomenal and I respect it for that.

[anephric]

I really rather liked Quantum Redshift - along with the boxart the in-game cinematics etc leave a fair bit to be desired, but racing at Redshift level is fairly insane.

[Madbury]

Interesting. I might have to give it a second chance. My experience with Quantum Redshift was limited to about 20 minutes and it was a friends copy, so I never had the oportunity to go back to it. Sounds like there could be a good little game nestling amongst the dodgy presentation. Probably cheap as chips second hand too

[muddy]

Gripshift is now ?15 in WHSmiths! Picked it up at lunchtime after following this thread (also got Sudoku for ?15 too...)

[in5ane]

Sounds like a bargain for ?15, will check it out.

I absolutely loved Quantum Redshift. The cut-scenes were lame, the early speeds were tame, but the tracks were excellent, the weapon system genius, and it had a water/rain effect that would have you wiping your TV in disbelief!

[Madbury]

I'm really enjoying Gripshift. I like the way that each level has three challenges on it (collect all stars, finish fast for gold and collect the GS logo) - reminds me a little bit of Sonic R in that respect. I've not reached the higher difficulties yet as I've been poncing around on the earlier levels to try and build up my credits. What I've seen so far looks promising as they're starting to introduce some more interesting obstacles. I'm hoping the game hasn't shot it's load already and there's even more insanity to come later on.

[MikeRox]

I just find it a pain in the arse to control (Gripshift not Redshift :P) graphics are pretty nice, music I found a bit repetetive but I love the concept and will give it another try to see if I can get into it.

[nickgodfrey]

Really likin' this game.

The music is better than the Neptunes IMO :P

[Madbury]

I just find it a pain in the arse to control (Gripshift not Redshift :P) graphics are pretty nice, music I found a bit repetetive but I love the concept and will give it another try to see if I can get into it.

I agree it's a little tricky to get to grips with

Controlling the car mid air is no problem, but it's having the nerve to drift it around the bends which I'm finding dificult. I unlocked a better vehicle a while back, which made things a tad easier.

I like the puzzle elements a lot as quite often it's difficult to initially work out how you can fulfil the objectives, but with a little bit of lateral thought a good solution can be found.

Quite a strange fusion of genres. It shouldn't work, but it does.

Has anyone cleared the stunt arena thingy?

[sharky_ob]

Downloaded the Xbox Live Arcade version last night and played for about an hour (I've not played any previous version). Had to go out after that but found it really difficult to put this down. What a great little game, and for 800 points seems a total bargain to me.

I've only played some of the easy levels so far, and I'm looking forward to seeing the more complex stuff later on. I'm particularly loving the way you have to take a different approach to each level depending on which goal you're going for.

I've not had chance to try the racing yet, but the puzzling element is the part which interests me the most anyway.

Graphics are simple but effective. Controls seems good to me. No complaints at all for the price. If you've not played this before, I'd highly recommend it.