720° (NES Game)

I want to like 720°. I really do. I used to be a skater and I love skating games. 720° just makes itself a little difficult to fall in love with. Mainly I find myself comparing it to the skateboarding portions of California Games, which I enjoy much more and which I am much better at. I had to go on youtube to see if I could find video footage of people enjoying this game. Sure enough there are plenty of videos with people who have somehow managed to play this game at a high level. This is just one NES game I haven't been able to crack.

Maybe I'm just a guy who doesn't like things he's not good at the first time (not true. I was horrible at Super Mario Bros. at first, and I still loved that game). Or maybe this just isn't that good of a skateboarding game. I think I'll go with the latter.

In this game you skate around a large open area avoiding frisbees, police, muscle men, etc. If you take too much time getting to your destination (competitions or shops) the screen will read "Skate or Die" and a tumbleweed will come kill you. If you make it to a competition, you'll be thrown right into the thick of it with no prior instruction. This will lead to button mashing and frustration as you try to figure out exactly where you're supposed to go and what you're supposed to do. If you play this game long enough, you'll eventually start to figure some things out, but it'll usually happen right before you die.

The controls in this game remind me a little of Q-Bert (jumping off a cliff when you think you're jumping straight). They try to make a skating game out of an isometric platformer, and it almost works. I just found myself jumping off the sides of ramps when I thought I was hitting them straight on. I guess I have to give this game a little slack because it's really the first of its kind. The other skateboarding games I enjoy owe a debt of gratitude to 720°. I just didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. If I ever get lucky enough to make it to the skate park level, maybe I'll change my tune. Until then, I'll stick this game with...