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187 Ride or Die Review for Xbox |
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| Saturday, September 24, 2005 |
| | Title:
187 Ride or Die
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System:
Xbox
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Genre:
Combat Racing
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Publisher:
Ubisoft
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Developer:
Ubisoft
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Release:
8/23/2005
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Online:
Yes
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ESRB:
Mature (M)
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You are Buck, a thugged-out hustla, balla, playa and just about every other hip hop cliché. Welcome to 187: Ride or Die. In this competition you’ll have to battle your way through heinous voice acting, cheesy dialogue, and a steady flow of obscenities that would make Eminem blush. Your goal is total domination of the streets, and the elimination of “that vato n****a Cortez” and his crew of thugs. Did we mention it’s a driving game? Get ready for this, gaaaaaang-STA!
Gameplay
Solid controls and a variety of different race types are the strong points for 187 in the gameplay department. You control both the driver and the passenger in each vehicle, navigating through the courses and taking out your rivals. Weapons range from Molotov cocktails to AK-47s, with four different classes of vehicles. Depending upon the type of race, you’ll be choosing from SUVs, trucks, muscle cars, and whips (sports cars). You can shoot forwards or backwards (your passenger takes care of aiming for you), and drop land mines and Molotov cocktails to slow down the enemies behind you. Drifting will gain you boost as you tear up the streets and eliminate anyone who gets in your way.
Graphics
Vehicle models are nicely done, complete with huge rims and tons of subwoofers. Character models look great, and animations are fluid. Tracks are varied and detailed--whether you’re driving through the projects or screaming down the freeway--and the environments are well suited to the theme of the game. Everything looks just like you’d expect.
Sound
The game uses original music, and the hip-hop loops may actually have you nodding your head--when you can hear them over the annoying voice work. The voices and dialogue are intended to suit the “ghetto” style of the game; they do anything but. I’m not opposed to swearing in video games intended for mature gamers, but it can be overused, as this game clearly demonstrates. The script seems like it was written by someone who just listened to one rap album (which must have been a bad one) and injected the same corny slang over and over and over. “Holla back!” “Ya heard” “My ghetto-a** gangsta n****a Buck” The voice acting is so bad, it’s impossible to describe. The guy who does the voice of your boss sounds like he can’t read, so he’s sounding out every syllable as he goes through the script. And with your passenger spewing the same three poorly written phrases over and over throughout each race, the game gets downright annoying to play.
Replay
The multiplayer modes add some replay value to the game. After all, there’s a whole assortment of selectable characters, each with their own horrible dialogue that you won’t find anywhere else but in multiplayer.
Overall
This could have been a great game if there had been more depth to the story and the voice acting wasn’t so horrible. It’s not what gamers have come to expect from Ubisoft, that's for sure. It might even be a stretch to say this game would make a good rental. If you’re looking for a driving game with a little more to offer, check out the new Burnout Revenge instead, and let this one rot at the bottom of the bargain bin.
| The Core Score |
Overall
3.5 |
| Fun |
|
5 |
| Gameplay |
|
7 |
| Graphics |
|
7 |
| Audio |
|
1 |
| Replay |
|
1 |
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