Aggressive Inline

Skate the Edge of Sanity

NA release: 1st August 2002
EU release: 6th September 2003
JP release: N/A
Developer: Z-Axis
Publisher: AKA Acclaim
NGC Magazine Score: 81%
Mods Used: Widescreen Code

I know that during the GameCube generation, extreme sports games tried to branch out by being more violent or sexier. With a name like Aggressive Inline, I expected this to be the start, but this is surprisingly rather tame. The other surprise is that out of all the attempts to create a competitor to Tony Hawk, this one actually managed to nail the feel of those games. This is entirely due to one important thing: it just completely copies the controls and features of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3.

The buttons are all the same, changing between grinds is the same, the “revert” move to combo a quarter pipe trick into a manual is the same. The most important thing that is the same is that it all feels precise and easy to control, and in many ways is far more forgiving, so you won’t have trouble performing long grinds when you start the game with really low stats. There are a couple of new moves, such as using poles to spin around and vaulting off walls, but it really does feel so close that they must have very closely analysed THPS3 to entirely copy its mechanics.

Where it does differ, however, is level design. When you start the game, the levels are colossal. However, there are hidden keys to find that unlock even more, equally giant, areas of other levels. There’s a 4-story giant museum room with loads of stuff inside that’s simply an extra area that’s only a part of the museum level. They flow a bit better than the levels form Freestyle BMX 2 (the previous game from Z-Axix), but it’s still a bit of a faff to find your way around. They did, at least, recognise that a 2/3-minute timer would not work for these levels.

Instead of removing all limits, you have an “aggression bar” that slowly depletes. If it reaches to zero, you have to end your run or sacrifice your score to continue. Really, unless you repeatedly crash without performing a few simple tricks in between to top it up, it’s not something that will empty very often. Luckily, there’s also a benefit to keeping it high, as it makes your skater faster.

The mission structure is a bit of a mix between THPS3 and the later THPS4, with you having high scores challenges and objectives within the level. There are people you can talk to within the level which either reveal new objectives or trigger a timed objective. The system works fairly well, but with the sheer sized of the levels and not that many location-specific objectives, it feels like huge chunks of the level just aren’t important or useful.

Aggressive Inline is a highly enjoyable game, but also one that lacks its own identity. It copies the core controls and movement of Pro Skater 3, but not the soul. The size of the levels gets in the way (a same, as there is a lot of variation within a level), and the soundtrack is nothing more than background noise. The lack of a character creator is also a big negative. If you just want an alternative to Tony Hawk, this is definitely one of the best options.

Fun

As far as graphics go, Aggressive Inline is slightly better than Tony Hawk 3, thanks to a solid frame-rate and more intricate level design. It’s certainly nothing amazing to look at, but it more than does the job. The programmers seem to have spent an unhealthy amount of time perfecting the exaggerated skirt-raiding, breast-jiggling physics on the female skaters, which is something they probably should have saved for their forthcoming naked BMXing extravaganza, Dave Mirra XXX.
Martin Kitts, NGC Magazine #72

Remake or remaster?

As it’s the best of Acclaim’s extreme sports games, and the music and characters could easily be replaced with nobody caring, a remaster would be decent and could actually be done.

Official Ways to get the game

There is no official way to get Aggressive Inline.