xXx - GBA

Got packs, screens, info?
Viewed: Combination Combination Genre:
Adventure
Arcade origin:No
Developer: Digital Eclipse Soft. Co.: Activision
Publishers: Activision (GB/US)
Released: 2002 (US)
18 Oct 2002 (GB)
Ratings: 11+
No Accessories: No Accessories

Summary

Back in the 8 and 16-bit eras, few action films escaped the inevitable video game spin-off. And back in the 8 and 16-bit eras, video games tended to exist in a 2D, side-scrolling platform guise. Occasionally, one of these 2D, side-scrolling platform, action movie spin-offs would boast the odd bonus level, viewed in a different perspective and offering a break from the repetition - say, a pseudo-3D, racing level, for example.

Back to the present day and the SNES-like qualities of Nintendo's Game Boy Advance seems to be encouraging this trend all over again. xXx is essentially a 2D, side-scrolling platform game, featuring pseudo-3D racing levels, based roughly around the story of Vin Diesel's latest blockbuster. Now, while history has not bade well for these types of games, this is not necessarily a bad thing.

xXx tells the story of Xander Cage, a notorious death-defying action sports athlete, recruited by the NSA for a mission so impossible every other agent has failed. Drawing on his own very unconventional experience, Cage must use all his extreme skills to combat a clever, organised and ruthless enemy far beyond the scope of his experience.

This is achieved via the old-school method of running, jumping and shooting his way across the expansive 2D environments, collecting keys, opening doors, fulfilling objectives and generally trying not to get shot. Naturally, an array of bad guys are littered across the levels and require disposing of, which is a task made easier by the plethora of weapons that can be collected along the way.

As mentioned before, alternative levels offer the chance to take part in some good old arcade-style racing, with the aid of Cage's fuel-cell bike. A kind of cross between Chase HQ and Road Rash, this sees players racing the roads, chasing the bad guys and trying to knock them off.

At the end of the day, this game is totally old-school. Paying obvious homage to the arcade games of old, it offers all their classic action elements, but with the longevity we've come to expect from games of today.