Danger is the name
Joe Danger is one of the few top high profile PSN games. Developed by four man team Hello Games and was released in 2010. This was a good year for indie games and Joe Danger is no doubt right on top of the best games list. Would have done even better had it not been a PSN exclusive game.
Gameplay for this light hearted arcade racer/puzzle might not be the most original one. Excitebike from 1984 already had the same idea. Recently games like Trials HD and countless Flash games have done also the same. This is not saying that this is not a different or a fun game.
Joe Danger is a stuntman who's deal is driving a motorcycle through a crazy tracks. Think of this as Evel Knievel in wacky cartoon world. The main campaign mode which consist of 55+ levels have nice variety. These ranges from the stunt tracks, mini-games, puzzle and races. Game has also a local co-op mode as well as a level editor and a mechanism for recording videos for Youtube.
Levels have number of different objectives. These range from keeping a combo move all track. Or collecting all stars and D-A-N-G-E-R letters. Unlocked objectives are rewarded with stars which again are used unlock new tracks. Personally I found the rewarding ratio to be almost right. Some of the objectives require multiple run throughs because of collectibles being in different lanes ala Excitebike style.
Controls are very loose. Way more forgiving than say Trials HD. This allows crazy stunts and smooth gameplay. Presentation is presented in a bright 3D cartoon world. Compared to Trials HD this looks very childish but suit the cute over the top overall feel. Audio besides the sound of the bike and Joe's grunts is the announcer. As well couple of funky songs.
Joe Danger would have benefited from a more open platform. The level editor is very cool addition and while it is possible to share the levels this bit too clunky. Exporting via USB stick and so on. Also the load times feel slightly long and the the mandatory timed tracks are not always as fun as the wacky stunt tracks.
I found myself really liking the game. The difficulty level ramps up significantly on later levels even to point of frustration. With the jolly feel and free controls this never feels too unfair. One of the best PSN games no doubt.
