LocoCycle Reviews
The fact that Lococycle was intended to be an Xbox 360 game to begin with is quite clear, as it does nothing to take advantage of the new power that the Xbox One affords it. Despite a mixed bag of launch titles on the console, this is by far the biggest disappointment, as Twisted Pixel have delighted us so much in the past.
It's almost impressive that the bottom of the barrel has been established this early on in the Xbox One's career, but that's the only achievement of note for this wretchedly awful racer.
LocoCycle is a next-gen debut that's uncomfortable to watch and boring to play from a developer I honestly expect better of. That it isn't outright broken or unplayable from a technical perspective is just about the only accolade I can muster for what has otherwise been a miserable first experience on the Xbox One.
There may be a good idea buried somewhere within LocoCycle, but what Twisted Pixel delivered disappoints on practically ever level.
Ever watch a movie that's so bad... it's good? Twisted Pixel attempts the same with LocoCycle, but ends up with a game so bad... it's bad.
Even looking fantastic wouldn't save how inane, silly and not fun Twisted Pixel's latest effort is. A generic voice and personality for IRIS, a weird twist in the form of Pablo, and tired vehicular combat do not make for a fantastic Xbox One debut.
The whole experience frustrates me. Driving at insane speeds on a wise cracking sentient motorcycle should be gaming nirvana, but the writing, mechanics, and design of Loc0Cycle are subpar. It's not worth the price of admission, and is one of the Xbox One's weaker launch titles.
LocoCycle represents a complete failure to communicate
Ultimately, the whole thing is depressing more often than it's annoying. Twisted Pixel's lineage suggests that LocoCycle is made by talented and creative designers who had a handful of potentially entertaining ideas to play with. The implementation is rushed and slipshod, however, ignoring fundamental problems and expending limited energy on the wrong things. What you're getting for your money feels a little like somebody else's office in-joke: you can sense the well-intentioned laughter, but you can't really join in.
If you're picking up an Xbox One and you're hard pressed on deciding which launch game you should pick up, we'll make it easy for you; give LocoCycle a pass unless you really want to spend a few hours playing a game that's memorable for all the wrong reasons.
I reviewed this on the Xbox One and, in hindsight, LocoCycle would probably be a better Xbox 360 title. It certainly doesn't show off any next-gen prowess, so don't buy this game to show off your new hardware.
If you ever have friends over and they say something like "Oh is that the Xbox One?" And you want to show off the system to them, Lococycle should be the last title you would ever want to consider playing. But if you have children who wouldn't know any better, then yes, Lococycle would be for you.
By no means is LocoCycle a great game. Hell, I don't even know if I can call it a good game. But if I told you that I didn't have fun while playing it, well, I'd be lying.
At times enjoyable, LocoCycle is still a very by the numbers XBLA title.
Plays like a torturous yet incredibly entertaining fever-dream. The humor makes a playthrough worthwhile, but the clunky mechanics are a real detriment to the overall experience.
Lococycle isn't broken, but that's the only praise I can give it. The game offers up uncomfortably unfunny material and sandwiches it with boring gameplay. In the end, the game is a squandered opportunity and a failed attempt at an idea that could have had merit.
While LocoCycle is far from the worst game of the Xbox One launch, it certainly isn't the best. The humor isn't very funny, and the game can feel like a drag, especially the boss fights. If you can stand the cheesy dialogue, the voice work is good and the music is excellent, but the rest of the presentation doesn't hold up. If taken in short bursts, the gameplay is fine, and the title is short in completion time and the time it takes to nab Achievements. It's difficult to recommend at the original $20 asking price, but at its current $10 price point, it might be worthwhile if you have nothing else to play on the shiny new console.
While its arcade-style gameplay is enjoyable, LocoCycle is wrapped in racist, lowest-common-denominator presentation that doesn't succeed at being funny or scandalous.
It is very difficult to give an evaluation to this Lococycle. If we were to take into account the classic canons, namely playability, technical sector, longevity and sound we probably would not go above the 2, but the production does not deserve this treatment. Twisted Pixel probably realized that she had a terribly mediocre product on her hands and conscious of this problem threw the plot into total nonsense, giving the player cracked laughs. The twenty dollars or so to take home the title could therefore be justified, if we consider how much fun it has made us enjoy and how crazy the interlude scenes and the situations present are.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Twisted Pixel demonstrates once again that it's a studio that not only produces good comedy, but is also one of Xbox's most reliable purveyors of joyful downloadable titles packed with character, charm and enjoyment by the bucket load. LocoCycle is unhinged madness, and impossible not to like. Grilled cheese sandwiches!!