Joe Danger: Special Edition

There are people in our midst who lack that little voice inside who keeps telling us "this may not be a very smart idea", when we are about to do something dangerous. During the 70's one such man - Evel Knievel - rose to fame with his death defying jumps and cape, and the video game equivalent of Knievel is called Joe Danger.

A charming little fellow on a motorcycle that you control through colourful and insanely designed levels, is the core of the concept. Joe has been the victim of a work related accident, but the time has come for a comeback, and his comeback tour ranges from big buses, giant mousetraps, and pools full of sharks.

At first the controls are as simple as can be, accelerate up ramps by pressing the right trigger, but before long new layers are added to the controls until you're pretty much using all the buttons available without it ever feeling too complex. The controls are reminiscent of Trials HD, but our daredevil is way more robust and pulls off all manners of crazy landings.

Where Trials HD requires attention to detail, balance, and lots of patience, Joe Danger: Special Edition is more forgiving. The controls quickly become intuitive and familiar. And while I threw the controller away several times, that had more to do with my skills as an arcade daredevil than the sharp controls on offer.

Where Evel Knievel still holds a Guinness Record with 433 broken bones in his career, he is topped by his virtual colleague Joe Danger in my hands. There is some trial and error in the game, something some may not like, but the addictive elements overshadow this and even impatient folks - such as this reviewer - will replay the most difficult levels until we nail them. It's a nice feature that you restart the level with a simple press of the back button, a feature you will use frequently towards the latter levels.

As you go through the levels you collect several things such as nuts, letters and coins, are translated into stars at the end of the level. These are in turn used to unlock more levels.

Joes motorcycle is equipped with a turbo boost, that you activate with a press of the A button. The boost enables giant jumps where long strings of tricks can be performed. The turbo needs to be recharged, and you achieve this by pulling off smaller tricks, like wheelies. At times you won't be able to complete levels unless you use your turbo correctly.

In addition to the career mode you can test your skills in multiplayer, sadly limited to local action in split screen. With more than ten levels on offer there is plenty of fun to be had, even if it would have been nice with Xbox Live support.

An nice added feature is the level editor that allows you to create extreme challenges that you and a friend can enjoy. There are lots of items with which to create levels, and you can share them online with other players.

Joe Danger first saw the light of day in June 2010 as a Playstation Network exclusive offering, and as he comes over he does so with some added bonuses. You now have access to a Laboratorium, basically a playground, where you can learn new skills. You will quickly be challenged by puzzle leves, where you use the level editor tool to rearrange challenges, so you can complete the level and collect all the bonus items. A nice addition to an already great package.

Are there any negatives? Well, after the first hour playing the game with friends, there were quickly comments made about the soundtrack. At first I didn't take it to heart, but after donning on the headphones and listening to the 70's retro sounds, it quickly became a bit stressful. Short, repetitive sound sequences, and you probably don't want to overstay your welcome in the menus.

While Evel Knievel died in his sleep at 69 years old in Florida in 2007, Joe Danger has died over and over again in our hands. It's an incredibly well crafted and addictive game, that Xbox 360 owners will be able to experience at long last.