Turbo and friends burst onto Xbox 360, Playstation 3, WiiU and more. Do they burn rubber or stall at the start? Keep reading Kidzworlds Turbo: Super Stunt Squad game review to find out!
Turbo: Super Stunt Squad, available on Xbox 360, PS3, WiiU (and more) is based on the hit Dreamworks movie and developed and published by D3. It is seriously one of the most surprising games I’ve played in a very long while! Unfortunately, I don’t mean that in a positive way. Let me explain.
Turbo: Super Stunt Squad Game Review!Courtesy of D3
Snailboarding?
Turbo, the animated movie from Dreamworks Animation is about a snail (Turbo) who receives the gift of super speed through a freak accident. Turbo then sees an opportunity to use this new found power to achieve one of his personal dreams…winning the Indy 500! That’s an exciting dream!
So, like many of you Turbo fans out there, I was super stoked to pop in Turbo: Super Stunt Squad and get blazing around, setting insane lap records - but that's not what happened. Turbo: Super Stunt Squad, to my shock, is not a racing game at all! It is actually a Tony Hawks Pro Skater (THPS) clone, minus the skateboards. You read that right, everyone. The newly powered racing snail has now entered the world of extreme snailing? Snailboarding? Umm...have I missed something?
Okay, reset the brain! I’m playing something I wasn’t expecting and that’s cool, I love the THPS games. I’m stoked! So my initial shock out of the way. How does Turbo: Super Stunt Squad stack up as a THPS style videogame? Does it itch that craving I’ve had for gravity defying aerials and wicked flip tricks since the disappearance of the classic franchise it so tries to emulate?
In a word, no. But hear me out!
Charming But Uninspired
It’s not that Turbo: Super Stunt Squad is a terrible time. It’s really not, but it is completely average and uninspired.
A big part of the fun with any game centered around tricks is of course, the tricks! Flip tricks, lip tricks, grabs, grinds, manuals. All these should combine to create a variety of visually chaotic and fun combos but another fundamental design issue with Super Stunt Squad soon rears its ugly head. It’s difficult to differentiate between your tricks because there isn’t enough variety to each character's animations. Not surprising really, since Turbo and friends don’t have any limbs to animate. It really hurts the overall enjoyment of tricking and acts as another example of the misguided vision D3 had for Turbo's new video game.
Turbo: Super Stunt Squad isn’t without its charms though.The worlds are bright and colorful and the characters look just like their movie counterparts. Controls also handle well enough and the moves, while limited, are easy enough to understand and pull off. 'A' jumps, 'X' for flip tricks (on Xbox 360) and so on. For those gamers that find enjoyment in Turbo: Super Stunt Squad, there is lots to keep you busy as well. Six areas in total are unlockable, each inspired from sets in the movie and each zone is peppered with all sorts of “snail-pipes”, ramps and various obstacles to grind and trick on. And if you like to complete your games 100% you better like to scavenge because D3 has packed the levels with hidden items to collect. Or maybe you’re just looking for some new and easy Achievements/Trophies? :P
For the rest of you, I recommend sticking with THPS for your extreme tricking and or stunting needs and if you’re looking for a racing game…this most definitely isn’t for you.
Note: This review is for the home console versions.
Turbo: Super Stunt Squad is available on Xbox 360, PS3, WiiU, Wii, 3DS/DS.
Rating:
Price: $24.99-$39.99
ESRB Rating: E for Everyone
Have Your Say!
Are you stoked to hit the snail-pipe with Turbo and friends? Maybe you're just looking for a good racing game recommendation? Lets talk games in the comments below!
