Gaming Target - PlayStation 2: Jet X2O

Written by Adam Woolcott on December 13, 2002

Full Review: That poor Swider is so desperate to get laid, that he calls this game Jet Sex2O.

Ever since SSX hit the PlayStation 2 on launch day 2000, there's been numerous attempts to ape the success of that game and create an extreme racing game with attitude. Jet X2O is just another in this line Ц a bland, phony, and uninspired extreme racer with attitude Ц and this time it's on *yawn* water. It's a decent game if you play it, with an ample challenge and some good course designs, and some fairly nice graphics. However, the lack of any kind of inspiration makes Jet X2O look and feel like just another Уme tooФ game in the vein of SSX.

Jet X2O comes with 3 gameplay modes Ц a basic single race for either 1 or 2 players, a Big Wave mode that puts you all alone on the tracks to screw around with and learn, and the biggest part, the World Tour. World Tour plays similar to most of these УextremeФ racing games now Ц with a twist. Not only are you awarded points for your position at the end, but you're also given points for how many tricks you pull off within the race, and the point total received. The 2 combined totals have to be high in order to progress through the Tour, thus it's a good idea to finish 1st in both categories.

There's plenty of characters to choose from at the outset, and a few more unlocked Ц most consist of the usual run of the mill УextremeФ kinda folk who are more lame than cool and extreme. Witness the stereotypes at work Ц the muscular, yet mentally challenged guy, the Уtoo cool for schoolФ guy, the ditzy, conceited, yet hot blonde bombshell from a foreign country, and of course, the tough chick. Suddenly, being able to create your own rider sounds like a REAL good thing. Each character has different strengths and weaknesses, but all can be built upon by advancing in the races.

Once you pick your rider and get on the track, you'll see a game that feels very familiar. You race against 5 other guys in a giant, point to point track with tons of shortcuts and alternate paths. To its credit, Jet X2O does have some inspired track designs with some cool twists. While all are naturally on water, there's some special areas to access that take you underground, overground, and a few other places.

LikeЕahemЕSSX, you're awarded turbo for successfully pulling off tricks, and also awarded turbo for passing through barriers scattered around the tracks. Executing tricks is simple Ц just presses of the shoulder buttons and using Square occasionally to modify the tricks. The only problem is the lack of tricks Ц there's only a few, and all seem to be the same from character to character.

Opponent AI is rather challenging and efficient Ц and with the wealth of alternate paths and shortcuts, it weighs even more on your ability to find the right path against a smart opponent. However, if you manage to mount a big lead, you don't have to worry much. Getting to that point is the hard part. In all aspects, this is probably the best part of Jet X2O Ц if anything, it's challenging.

The controls of Jet X2O take a minor dive though. The default configuration is a mess as it is, with an awkward task of controlling gas and the trick modifier button at the same time if you want to do it. Besides that, the watercrafts move very sluggishly, making it frustrating to pull off tricks if you can't guide your craft to the right point on the track. Naturally this gets better as you progress and gain more skills, but the game tends to be sluggish to a point of possibly making all but the most determined player turn it off.

What turns Jet X2O away from being a good game though, is the general lack of thrill. Despite some solid track designs, and challenging AI, the game just lacks excitement, polish, and inspiration. It's way too bland for its own good. The sense of speed is terrible, and the lame characters draw you out of the game. This game just feels exactly like SSX on water, and while I'll admit to not being the biggest SSX fan in the world, even SSX has more excitement, thanks to the polish and speed of the game. With Jet X2O, it's almost if Sony and Killer Game took the attitude of SSX, but forgot the parts that made SSX a popular game.

Jet X2O does have some nice graphics, though to many they will come off as bland. The water effects are nicely done, though nothing out of the ordinary. The physics of it along with the craft is actually good though, and actually has an effect on the outcome of some races if you hit water at the wrong point. Track designs as mentioned are nice, with some highly detailed УroadsideФ areas with a lot of things going on. The problem is, since the speed is so lacking, and the races so unexciting, you tend to notice all this instead of what's going on during the race.

The final negative point for Jet X2O is the poor sound. Not only does the game lack exciting music, and just pumps out boring techno music, but the voice acting in the game is atrocious. Since the characters are so extreme, they all have attitudes, and all would be laughed out of their class reunions for being so lame. Not only that, they're repetitive as well. The only decent thing from the voices is that it's a tip off for either someone passing you, or you passing them, since they tend to taunt you in the process. Not that these lame-ass taunts are going to make you scared or anything.