PAX East 2010: Joe Danger Hands On

So as I was walking around the expo halls of PAX I had the pleasant surprise of finding and rebuying a copy of one of my favorite original Game Boy games, Motocross Maniacs. Just holding the little gray cart of the simple racer brought back a flood of childhood memories. Shortly after my boyfriend brought me back into reality, I began to wonder why we haven't seen anything like Maniacs in quite some time. Fast forward only a few minutes of walking around the expo floor and I ran into Joe Danger, a delightfully addictive racer from Hello Games for the PlayStation Network. Just seeing it in motion for a few seconds, I realized that my prayers had just been answered. Not only was this very much in the spirit of the old Maniacs game, but it added new gameplay options and came wrapped up in a cute little package that can only be described as adorable.

Players are given numerous small bite sized courses to ride through as Joe Danger. The daredevil takes on huge ramps over school buses, Sonic-styled loops, and springboard launches that can send Joe flying into the air. In addition to racing for the best time, Joe likes to keep his crowds pumped by performing flips and tricks for higher scores. The level rhythm immediately reminded me of Trails HD with one missed landing resulting in taking Joe back to the last checkpoint. However, unlike Trails, the Joe Danger demo had a much kinder difficulty curve and highlighted a cartoony vibe that feels more in line with ExciteBike while still feeling fresh and unique. To top it all off, their is a full set of online multiplayer options that will help keep the title alive long after its release.

I know that this isn't exactly the most serious "hands on" that you'll see in our PAX coverage, but the game was just too charming and polished for me not to mention it. The controls are simple and flawlessly tuned and the levels are pitch-perfect in length and challenge. From its introduction of Joe as "the world's most determined stuntman" to the subtly animated background elements, everything in this game is utterly enchanting and I couldn't help myself to get wrapped up in it. The best compliment that I can give the game I played through most of the available levels over and over in order to beat the high scores to the point that my very patient boyfriend had to reminded me that I had other games to get to and that Joe will eventually be released so I can play it all day at home. Needless to say, I feverishly await Joe Danger's debut on the PSN sometime this spring.