OlliOlli Reviews
Unforgiving gameplay that requires you to plan out your every move, and the interesting Daily Grind challenge makes it worth the entry fee, even if the 2D design puts constraints on what types of challenges OlliOlli can present you with.
Regardless of the above quibbles OlliOlli is a game that's going to live on your Vita for a long, long time. It's a great example of the kind of game that works perfectly on the move, but just couldn't be achieved on a mobile platform. It's twitch gaming of the finest quality, with the simplicity of the controls obfuscating the true depth of the combo system that overlays them. Give OlliOlli a chance and you'll be hooked, more so than with any other Vita game that's appeared for a while. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to dream about hardflips and salad grinds, impossibles and laserflips down at the South Bank. Potentially while wearing a silly hat.
OlliOlli is great fun, provided you've got the requisite patience and diligence. I'm still not convinced that the landing mechanic was the correct design decision, and some of the later levels seem overly taxing, but it's still a solid accomplishment. No, I didn't really care for Tony Hawk and I never understood the skateboarding obsession in the first place.
OlliOlli is a game that sounds good on paper, but in the end, doesn't work. By the end, you realise you're just going through the same routine, except this time you're flicking the analog stick a bit more than you were a few minutes ago. Only take this one if you're really desperate for something to play when you're on the bus.
OlliOlli manages to walk a fine line between being legitimately infuriating to insanely rewarding. It's probably not for everyone, but if you've been yearning for a challenging game, with a nostalgic nod to yesteryear, then you can't go wrong with this one.
For every time I've thought, "if only this game had a tight control scheme and consistent physics and scoring," the devs at Roll7 must have been furthering their plot to make 'OlliOlli.' I would never have guessed that I could be addicted to a skateboarding title, and I have some serious concerns that the Vita might not have been designed to support such a replayable (if brutally challenging) game. It might not be much of a looker and many will confuse it at a glance for an iOS title, but the gameplay really trumps such superficial concerns. If anything, they should make a version for the PS3/PS4, and put one of the DualShocks to work.
OlliOlli is a cracking little game that combines fiendish challenges with simple fun, with the responsive controls and inventive level design making for a game balanced perfectly between enjoyment and frustration. It's just a shame that it doesn't fully take advantage of the Vita's capabilities, with little sense of score challenges between friends so masterfully wrought in the likes of MotorStorm RC. Still, a worthwhile purchase for arcade fans, and a cracking content package at a budget price.