Line Rider

Line Rider
Developer(s)	Boštjan Čadež InXile Entertainment (remake)
Publisher(s)	InXile Entertainment (remake) Genius Products (DS) Deep Silver (remake, Europe)
Designer(s)	Boštjan Čadež
Platform(s)	Microsoft Silverlight, Adobe Flash, Nintendo DS, Wii, Microsoft Windows, iOS
Release	Silverlight, Flash September 23, 2006 DS NA: September 16, 2008 EU: July 17, 2009 Windows NA: September 23, 2008 EU: May 22, 2009 Wii NA: October 7, 2008 EU: July 31, 2009
Mode(s)	Single-player Two-player (remake only)

Line Rider is an internet game, Versions are available for Microsoft Silverlight and for Flash. It was originally created in September 2006 by Boštjan Čadež (also known as "fsk"), a Slovenian student.^[1][2] Originally appearing on DeviantArt on September 23, 2006, Line Rider quickly became an internet phenomenon.

Line Rider is featured by several websites, such as Yahoo! but is mainly used on the website Linerider.com,^[3] Time Magazine's website^[4] and has appeared in several McDonald's commercials for the Snack Wrap in 2008. Line Rider was also selected by staff and voted by users as the Best Webtoy of 2006 in the Jay is Games polls.^[5] A two-page article about the game was published in Games for Windows: The Official Magazine.^[6]

Gameplay

The Line Rider character, "Bosh"

The basic concept is to draw one or more lines with the mouse on which a boy (referred to as "Bosh" by the creator^[7]) on a sled can ride after the player presses the "Play" button. The game includes simulated physics, which means the track must be sufficiently smooth to prevent the character from falling off the sled. The author has said that he prefers the description "toy" to "game," as there is no goal to accomplish, nor does it have an end.^[8] In spite of its simplicity, many complicated tracks have been created, which include loops and other stunts. New tracks can consist of unrealistic tricks such as "flings" and "manuals" both on and off the sled. Some tracks are even set to music and include hand-drawn mountain slopes and trees. Tracks are typically shared among users by uploading a video to web sites, such as YouTube or Google Video.^[9] Revision 6.2 of Line Rider was released in August 2007, and was optimized to run more smoothly, and to have a higher-powered zoom tool. The game does allow created tracks to be saved, and shown to the public (only if creator wishes to do so). The storage is not on the Line Rider website, but on the user's hard drive, therefore allowing maximum storage implication and quicker access to stored tracks. In order to allow public viewing, the user must be logged into the website server.

On July 1, 2008, the original Flash version was replaced by a new one written in Silverlight. It includes a new feature that allows people to send tracks to other people via Windows Messenger. On October 23, 2009, this was replaced by Beta 3, which has the option to use dual players, a camera, trapdoor and deceleration lines.

As an educational tool

Line Rider has been the basis for an article published in The Physics Teacher magazine concerning the use of computers in Physics education by members of the Physics Department of Southeastern Louisiana University.^[10] The article uses video captures of Line Rider to explore the physics in the game by use of video analysis.

Remake

Line Rider 2: Unbound cover art

Line Rider 2: Unbound (Line Rider: Freestyle in Europe) is a remake released in September 2008 for the Nintendo DS, Microsoft Windows, and Wii. The gameplay is similar to that of the original revision 6.2, with the addition of a multiplayer puzzle mode, and has several added features including different vehicles, exploding lines and scenery. Players are able to share tracks with others through a Bluetooth connection and can send the files in texts to other phones and to the web.

On December 19, 2006, it was announced that InXile Entertainment had gained console rights for Line Rider, legally restricting copies and imitations of the game. Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS and Wii versions were released in Fall 2008, containing new features.^[11][12]

It was stated that a story mode featuring new characters Bailey and Chaz would be in the game. In the story mode the player competes against Chaz in hopes of winning the ultimate sled and the love of Bailey. This mode spans 40 courses, all of which were designed by TechDawg, a well known track designer. The player can also download other people's tracks off of the internet from the game's website.^[13] The European version was published by Deep Silver.

Voice actors include Tom Kenny (as Bosh), Tara Strong (as Bailey) and Fred Tatasciore (as Chaz) in the cutscenes and credits.

A version has been released for the Apple iPhone called Line Rider iRide.^[14] This version includes iPhone specific features such as accelerometer based physics and worldwide file sharing.

Reception

Reception

Review scores Publication Score DS PC Wii 1UP.com C[15] C+[16] C+[16] Edge 5/10[17] N/A N/A Game Informer N/A N/A 6.25/10[18] GamePro [19] N/A N/A GameSpot 7/10[20] 7/10[20] 7/10[21] GameZone 6.4/10[22] N/A 7.9/10[23] IGN 7.7/10[24] 8/10[25] 7.8/10[26] Nintendo Power 6/10[27] N/A 5/10[28] Nintendo World Report 3/10[29] N/A N/A VideoGamer.com 7/10[30] N/A N/A Aggregate score Metacritic 59/100[31] 73/100[32] 62/100[33]

The game received "mixed or average reviews" on all platforms according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.^[32][33][31]

The game was nominated for two Nintendo DS-specific awards in IGN's 2008 Game of the Year awards, namely, Best Puzzle Game^[34] and Best Original Score.^[35]

References

External links

• Line Rider official mascot design
• European Line Rider 2 Product Website
• Line Rider 2: Unbound at MobyGames