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Rolling (game)
Encyclopedia
Rolling is an extreme sports video game released in 2003 for PlayStation 2
and Xbox
. Subsequent Game Boy Advance
and Gamecube versions were cancelled due to a declining interest in extreme sports titles. To date, it is one of the few other games depicting aggressive inline skating apart from Aggressive Inline and the Jet Set Radio
series. It was originally developed by the now defunct Rage Software
, who were aiming to create a more authentic recreation of the sport (the box art claims the game features 250 tricks), unlike Aggressive Inline which focused on exaggerated, fantasy-themed levels and high scoring, fairly unrealistic tricks.
Players can choose to skate as one of the twenty available skaters (excluding the twenty first, and hidden, skater) and work their way through a progressively difficult "career mode" featuring a total of fourteen levels, gaining reputation, sponsorship deals, as well as unlocking new 'tricks' and videos of the pro skaters.
announced the game just prior to the May 2001 E3 show, with the working title of Cesar and Fabiola's Inline Skate. Rage continued with development of the game throughout 2002, releasing more previews and screenshots of the game as it came to fruition under the new title of Rolling (Sk8). However, Rage Software began to suffer financial problems that year, and were forced to close in January 2003, before the game was released.
Following Rage Software's demise, SCi
purchased the rights to publish Rolling, Darren Barnet of SCi stating that they were "extremely impressed by it and thought it would be an ideal title to add to our portfolio". SCi acquired a "very complete" version of the game and hired previous developers from Rage to add the finishing touches. The game was eventually released in October.
series of video games, in that the user holds a button to increase their speed, and releases it to jump. Also, much like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, various 'tricks' can be performed by pressing one of the face buttons, including grabs, flips and grinds, while in the air or near edges of objects. While skating normally, the user can also 'cess slide' by using the shoulder buttons, and 'manual' by pressing the Up and Down directional buttons in quick succession. The choice of a similar layout is most likely due to the immense popularity of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
games, whose control setup is almost becoming de facto
within the genre (one of the few games to challenge this is Thrasher: Skate and Destroy). Similarly, the player can also change the button combinations of their skater's tricks to their liking.
logo and Rolling logo, and a certain point amount for a cameraman. In some of the levels, the player may participate in a 'photoshoot', where a specific trick must be performed for a photographer.
The competition levels work in a similar way as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. The player has three one minute runs to perform tricks in and is then judged on overall point score, variation and linking of tricks, difficulty of tricks and avoidance of 'bails', i.e. not performing the trick correctly. Unlike Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, however, the first run is a qualifier where the player has to score at least 50%. The second and third runs are judged on the above criteria.
As the player progresses, he or she will unlock several items. Completing objectives in the levels gains reputation, which in turn unlocks more levels, sponsors and tricks. Simply doing tricks within the levels will boost one of the skater's 10 statistics (grinding repeatedly will increase the 'grind' statistic, for example).
High Score - The players compete to get the highest overall score within the set time limit.
Stealing Scores - When tricks are performed, pickups are placed at the location. These are first only allowed to be picked up by the opponent, but after a certain amount of time they turn green and are available to any player.
Time Bomb - One person has a time bomb which must be passed to the other player by physical contact. The person who is holding the bomb when the timer reaches zero loses the game.
Close Up - When 'follow' appears on the screen, getting close to the opponent will gain points. When 'lead' appears, moving away will do the same.
In the Zone - Beat the opponent by doing a specific trick in a certain area of the level before they are able to. The player with the most points gained by doing so in the time limit wins.
Tagging - Similar to the Graffiti game mode in the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
series. The players spray their logo on as many of the 30 zones in the level as possible - the most tags in the time limit wins.
or IGN
, two of the biggest video game review websites, have a review. This could be put down to the delays in release, although it is more likely to be as a result of its fairly unknown status. The only reviews available are:
According to Game Rankings
, the average score for the Playstation 2 version was 63% (from 3 reviews) whereas the score for the Xbox version was 57% (from 2 reviews).
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
. Subsequent Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...
and Gamecube versions were cancelled due to a declining interest in extreme sports titles. To date, it is one of the few other games depicting aggressive inline skating apart from Aggressive Inline and the Jet Set Radio
Jet Set Radio
is a video game for the Dreamcast, developed by Smilebit and published by Sega on June 29, 2000. A 2D version of the game was later released for Game Boy Advance; this version was developed by Vicarious Visions and published by THQ. Its sequel, Jet Set Radio Future was released 2 years later for...
series. It was originally developed by the now defunct Rage Software
Rage Software
Rage Software or Rage Games was a British video game developer. Formed in Liverpool in 1992, its games were marked by an emphasis on graphical effects with arcade gameplay....
, who were aiming to create a more authentic recreation of the sport (the box art claims the game features 250 tricks), unlike Aggressive Inline which focused on exaggerated, fantasy-themed levels and high scoring, fairly unrealistic tricks.
Players can choose to skate as one of the twenty available skaters (excluding the twenty first, and hidden, skater) and work their way through a progressively difficult "career mode" featuring a total of fourteen levels, gaining reputation, sponsorship deals, as well as unlocking new 'tricks' and videos of the pro skaters.
Development
Rage SoftwareRage Software
Rage Software or Rage Games was a British video game developer. Formed in Liverpool in 1992, its games were marked by an emphasis on graphical effects with arcade gameplay....
announced the game just prior to the May 2001 E3 show, with the working title of Cesar and Fabiola's Inline Skate. Rage continued with development of the game throughout 2002, releasing more previews and screenshots of the game as it came to fruition under the new title of Rolling (Sk8). However, Rage Software began to suffer financial problems that year, and were forced to close in January 2003, before the game was released.
Following Rage Software's demise, SCi
SCi
Square Enix Limited, doing business as Square Enix Europe, is a British publisher of video game software wholly owned by Square Enix. Square Enix Europe has its head office in the Wimbledon Bridge House in Wimbledon, London Borough of Merton....
purchased the rights to publish Rolling, Darren Barnet of SCi stating that they were "extremely impressed by it and thought it would be an ideal title to add to our portfolio". SCi acquired a "very complete" version of the game and hired previous developers from Rage to add the finishing touches. The game was eventually released in October.
Gameplay
The game plays similar to the Tony Hawk's Pro SkaterTony Hawk
Anthony Frank "Tony" Hawk , nicknamed "The Birdman" is an American retired professional skateboarder and actor. Hawk gained significant fame for completing the first 900 as well as his licensed video game titles distributed by Activision...
series of video games, in that the user holds a button to increase their speed, and releases it to jump. Also, much like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, various 'tricks' can be performed by pressing one of the face buttons, including grabs, flips and grinds, while in the air or near edges of objects. While skating normally, the user can also 'cess slide' by using the shoulder buttons, and 'manual' by pressing the Up and Down directional buttons in quick succession. The choice of a similar layout is most likely due to the immense popularity of the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
Tony Hawk
Anthony Frank "Tony" Hawk , nicknamed "The Birdman" is an American retired professional skateboarder and actor. Hawk gained significant fame for completing the first 900 as well as his licensed video game titles distributed by Activision...
games, whose control setup is almost becoming de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
within the genre (one of the few games to challenge this is Thrasher: Skate and Destroy). Similarly, the player can also change the button combinations of their skater's tricks to their liking.
Career mode
Players pick a professional skater (or create their own using the editor) and work their way up to the top of the rankings by completing objectives within each of the 14 levels (10 street, 4 competition) in a succession of 3 minute 'runs'. In each of the street levels, the player must always get a certain amount of points (which increases with each level), a VideoGrooveVideogroove
Videogroove is a video magazine created to cover the latest and greatest of inline skating. Videogroove has been around since the birth of aggressive skating and has evolved along with the sport into a staple of the rollerblading community....
logo and Rolling logo, and a certain point amount for a cameraman. In some of the levels, the player may participate in a 'photoshoot', where a specific trick must be performed for a photographer.
The competition levels work in a similar way as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. The player has three one minute runs to perform tricks in and is then judged on overall point score, variation and linking of tricks, difficulty of tricks and avoidance of 'bails', i.e. not performing the trick correctly. Unlike Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, however, the first run is a qualifier where the player has to score at least 50%. The second and third runs are judged on the above criteria.
As the player progresses, he or she will unlock several items. Completing objectives in the levels gains reputation, which in turn unlocks more levels, sponsors and tricks. Simply doing tricks within the levels will boost one of the skater's 10 statistics (grinding repeatedly will increase the 'grind' statistic, for example).
Practice mode
Once levels have been unlocked in the career mode, the player can skate in them freely in this mode. There is no time limit, so the player can explore the levels without hindrance in order to find the best 'lines' (to perform high scoring point combos). The only downside to this mode is that statistics cannot be increased, tricks cannot be mastered (when a trick is done enough times to 'master it', which then increases its point scoring by 25%) and there are no objectives to complete.Multiplayer
The game features several different multiplayer modes that can be played simultaneously with 2 human players. Any unlocked or created level can be played in these modes, including the competition parks. The different games are as follows.High Score - The players compete to get the highest overall score within the set time limit.
Stealing Scores - When tricks are performed, pickups are placed at the location. These are first only allowed to be picked up by the opponent, but after a certain amount of time they turn green and are available to any player.
Time Bomb - One person has a time bomb which must be passed to the other player by physical contact. The person who is holding the bomb when the timer reaches zero loses the game.
Close Up - When 'follow' appears on the screen, getting close to the opponent will gain points. When 'lead' appears, moving away will do the same.
In the Zone - Beat the opponent by doing a specific trick in a certain area of the level before they are able to. The player with the most points gained by doing so in the time limit wins.
Tagging - Similar to the Graffiti game mode in the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
Tony Hawk
Anthony Frank "Tony" Hawk , nicknamed "The Birdman" is an American retired professional skateboarder and actor. Hawk gained significant fame for completing the first 900 as well as his licensed video game titles distributed by Activision...
series. The players spray their logo on as many of the 30 zones in the level as possible - the most tags in the time limit wins.
Skater editor
Another feature similar to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. The game features a fairly powerful editor that allows the player to assign biographical details, different hair, skin, tattoos and clothing (unlocked in career mode), among others.Park editor
An editor that allows the player to create their own skatepark that can be used in the Practice and Multiplayer modes. It is not quite as powerful as the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series', but features many different objects and items that are not present in those games, making it a worthy addition.Skaters featured
There are 21 professional skaters in the game, 1 of which is a hidden character that must be unlocked in the Career Mode section of the game. They are listed below.- Jon Julio
- Cesar MoraCesar MoraCesar Mora is a leading musician and actor in Colombia. He was born in Cali, and later spent fourteen years as part of the famed Son Del Pueblo band....
- Fabiola da SilvaFabiola da SilvaFabiola da Silva , nicknamed Fabby, is a Brazilian inline skater who competes on the LG Action Sports World Tour. She has received over fifty medals in the LG Action Sports World Tour events. She has received seven X Games gold medals and one silver, making her the most decorated female athlete in...
- Jon ElliottJon ElliottJon Elliott is an American progressive talk radio personality, formerly featured on Air America Radio.-Business Experience:...
- Brian ShimaBrian ShimaBrian Matthew Isoa Shima is a professional inline skater.Came to fame in the early rollerblading community because of his unique style on skates and winning many competitions. He also holds the record for the most pro skates held by any person...
- Wilfried Rossignol
- Bruno Löwe
- Blake Dennis
- Eric Schrijn
- Vinny Minton
- Eito Yasutoko
- Takeshi Yasutoko
- BJ Bernhardt
- Martina SvobodovaMartina SvobodovaMartina Svobodova is a Slovakian rollerblader who has received gold and silver medals at the X Games as well as other international inline skating competitions....
- Robert Lievanos
- Jenny Logue
- Anthony MackieAnthony MackieAnthony Mackie is an American actor. He has been featured in feature films, television series and Broadway and Off-Broadway plays, including Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, Drowning Crow, McReele, A Soldier's Play, and Talk, by Carl Hancock Rux, for which he won an Obie Award in 2002.In 2002 he featured...
- Anneke Winter
- Jenna Downing
- Randy Spizer
- Aaron FeinbergAaron FeinbergAaron Benjamin Feinberg is an American inline skater, born in Gainesville, Florida. Feinberg resides in Portland, Oregon and has been skating since he was 12 years old.-Skating career:...
(Hidden) - Mark Korte (Hidden)
Levels
- NorCal School
- Station
- Marine Mall
- SoCal School
- Suburbs
- Derelict Factory
- NYC Outskirts
- São Paulo Outskirts
- Business Park
- Downtown Sydney
- Competition #1: Escondido Skatepark, CaliforniaCaliforniaCalifornia is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA. - Competition #2: Rampworx Skatepark, LiverpoolLiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. - Competition #3: Eisenbergs Skatepark, TexasTexasTexas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, USA. - Competition #4: Rollerparc Skatepark, ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Soundtrack
The game features 41 songs from a wide selection of genres, and the game can be configured to play any track at random, or only hiphop, rock or eclectic to suit different player's (and skater's) tastes. The game soundtrack is as follows:- Alec EmpireAlec EmpireAlec Empire is a German musician who is best known as a founding member of the band Atari Teenage Riot. Also a prolific and distinguished solo artist, producer and DJ, he has released well over a hundred albums, EPs and singles and remixed over seventy tracks for various artists including Björk...
- The Ride - AQ Tech - Freeloader
- Audible Monsters - Knowledge is Poor
- Beatbarn ft. DJ Mel and J-Flat - I Am
- Chuck DChuck DCarlton Douglas Ridenhour , better known by his stage name, Chuck D, is an American rapper, author, and producer. He helped create politically and socially conscious rap music in the mid-1980s as the leader of the rap group Public Enemy.- Early life :Ridenhour was born in Queens, New York...
- Spinpsychoz - Del tha Funkee HomosapienDel tha Funkee HomosapienTeren Delvon Jones , better known as Del the Funky Homosapien or Del tha Funkee Homosapien, is an American MC.-Early life and beginnings: 1990-1997:...
- The Izm - DJ Q-BertDJ Q-bertRichard Quitevis, born October 7, 1969, in San Francisco, California, known by his stage name DJ Qbert or Qbert , is a Filipino-American Turntablist and composer.- Early life :...
- Turbo Foot Clan - D-on-25 ft. RIPRIPR.I.P. is an abbreviation for rest in peace .R.I.P. or RIP may also refer to:-Biology:*Regulated intramembrane proteolysis, a biochemical process which regulates a semipermeable membrane...
- Rollin - Dr. Chuffenstein - Rombostic Bimbectomide
- Dr. Chuffenstein - Transpanular Pedalic Collision
- Fingerbangerz - F-BZ
- Fingerbangerz - Rollin' Champs
- Fingerbangerz - Say
- Fingerbangerz ft. Mark DMark DMark D, born Mark Randall, is a British artist and punk musician . He is also associated with the Stuckist group of artists.-Life and work:Mark D was born and spent his childhood in Peterborough. He now lives in Nottingham...
- 2002 - Good Company - Babylon
- HieroglyphicsHieroglyphics (band)Hieroglyphics, also known as the Hieroglyphics Crew and Hiero, are an American underground hip hop collective based in Oakland, California. The collective was founded in the early-1990s by rapper Del tha Funkee Homosapien...
ft. DelDelIn vector calculus, del is a vector differential operator, usually represented by the nabla symbol \nabla . When applied to a function defined on a one-dimensional domain, it denotes its standard derivative as defined in calculus...
- At the Helm - Hot SnakesHot SnakesHot Snakes were an American post-hardcore band led by Rick Froberg and John Reis, formed in 1999 in San Diego, California and disbanded in 2005. Reis and Froberg had previously performed together in Pitchfork and Drive Like Jehu, after which Reis had found international success with Rocket from the...
- Past Lives - Krafty KutsKrafty KutsKrafty Kuts is an English electronic music, dance music and breakbeat producer and DJ.His Debut album - Freakshow was released in 2006 on his Against The Grain label and contains guest artists Tim Deluxe and Ashley Slater from the UK band Freak Power...
- Rolling - Lee Coombs - The Roller
- Brothers From Another Planet - Hey Mom
- No Clue - Find the Truth
- No Clue - I Just Farted
- No Clue - Unlock the Door
- Not Katies - November Girl
- P.I.M.P.S. - Anxious
- P.I.M.P.S. - Over Your Head
- RJD2RJD2RJD2 is an American music producer, singer and musician. RJD2 was born in Eugene, Oregon, and raised in Columbus, Ohio. He currently resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was signed to the Definitive Jux label where he released two largely instrumental hip hop albums and has produced tracks...
- Chicken-Bone Circuit - RJD2RJD2RJD2 is an American music producer, singer and musician. RJD2 was born in Eugene, Oregon, and raised in Columbus, Ohio. He currently resides in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was signed to the Definitive Jux label where he released two largely instrumental hip hop albums and has produced tracks...
ft. BlueprintBlueprint (rapper)Blueprint is an American rapper and hip hop producer from Columbus, Ohio. He is the founder and owner of Weightless Recordings and is also signed to Rhymesayers Entertainment...
- Final Frontier - Rob PaineRob PaineRob Paine is a DJ from the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area. His style mixes house music with elements of dub and reggae. He has been performing since 1992, and has established Worship Recordings with Dan McGehean. He has recorded with Zach Eberz , Chris Brann...
- Seeing Dubbed - Suv - Ripcurl
- The Art of Fact - 3Days 2Nights
- The Art of Fact - Collapses
- The Art of Fact - Demolition
- The Art of Fact- It's Endless
- The Art of Fact - We Suck
- The Art of Fact - Yesterday
- The Dyslexics - Illingual
- The HivesThe HivesThe Hives are a Swedish garage rock band that first garnered attention in the early 2000s as a prominent group of the garage rock revival. Their mainstream success came with the release of the "greatest hits" album Your New Favourite Band, featuring their most well-known song "Hate to Say I Told...
- Hate to Say I Told You So - Sultans - Shakedown
- The Von BondiesThe Von BondiesThe Von Bondies were an American alternative rock band. The group disbanded in July 2011. Its most recent members were Jason Stollsteimer on vocals and lead guitar, Christy Hunt on rhythm guitar and Leann Banks on bass guitar...
- It Came From Japan - The Von BondiesThe Von BondiesThe Von Bondies were an American alternative rock band. The group disbanded in July 2011. Its most recent members were Jason Stollsteimer on vocals and lead guitar, Christy Hunt on rhythm guitar and Leann Banks on bass guitar...
- Lack of Communication
Critical reception
There is a distinct lack of reviews available for the game. Neither GameSpotGameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
or IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, two of the biggest video game review websites, have a review. This could be put down to the delays in release, although it is more likely to be as a result of its fairly unknown status. The only reviews available are:
- Game Power AU: 6.5/10, 65%
- GamesmasterGamesMaster (magazine)GamesMaster is a monthly multi-format computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom.GamesMaster is the biggest selling multi-format video games magazine in the United Kingdom, outselling its sister publication Edge.-History:The magazine was launched in...
: 55/100 - Official Xbox MagazineOfficial Xbox MagazineOfficial Xbox Magazine is a monthly video game magazine which started in November 2001 around the launch of the original Xbox. A preview issue was released for E3 2001, with another preview issue for November 2001. The magazine is bundled with a disc that includes game demos, preview videos and...
: 59/100 - PlayPlay (US magazine)Play was a U.S.-based magazine focused on video games, anime, manga, film, DVD, television, comics, music and media. Published by Fusion Publishing, Inc. since 2001, Play magazine also had a separate Internet presence on its website, Play Online...
: 48/100, 48% - Playstation 2 Max UK : 76/100, 76%
According to Game Rankings
Game Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
, the average score for the Playstation 2 version was 63% (from 3 reviews) whereas the score for the Xbox version was 57% (from 2 reviews).
External links
- Official Rolling website
- Rolling at GameSpotGameSpotGameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
- Rolling at PS2Home
- Rolling gameplay footage