Jackass: The Game

MTV's Jackass may be on its way out in terms of popularity, but that hasn't stopped Red Mile and MTV Games from releasing a new title based on the hit cable reality TV show starring Johnny Knoxville and friends. Jackass: The Game brings to life the independent, underground culture spirit first popularized by the Tony Hawk franchise, but somehow manages to screw it all up with sub-par and uninspired gameplay. Much like the show, it has very limited appeal and a short shelf-life.

The premise of Jackass is very much like a Tony Hawk title - players will take the role of an intern for the show Jackass and will have to perform outrageous stunts and tasks for each of the main cast members encountered in the six levels. The visual style and gameplay mechanics are almost identical to the Tony Hawk franchise as well. Players will collect a bajillion items to unlocking new outfits and characters, increase stats to improve skills, and utilize the infamous "balance" meter when performing a trick on a moving object such as a shopping cart or bicycle.

Of course, the bread-and-butter score system is crucial in Jackass as well. Several tasks involve players having a time limit and needing to achieve a certain score in order to progress. Missions that do not require a high score still factor in the score component by awarding players "medals" that also help unlock other features in the game. In fact, it seems like there is almost too much crap in this game to "unlock", and honestly it was so overwhelming I just stopped caring after about fifteen minutes into the title. Perhaps if the game stopped trying to throw so much exposition in a poor attempt to replicate the crude humor of the show one might find more clarity as to what each thing you collect actually does.

As for the missions themselves, players unlock them by finding the cast members over the course of the level using the on-screen map, or by calling them on the cell phone once that feature is opened up. Missions typically come in three types: aerial stuns, ground stunts, or time/score attacks. Successful completion of say, launching yourself off a trampoline onto some random dude's "shack" constitutes the goal of one of these illustrious missions. Or ramming your shopping cart into various vehicles in a certain order. Or just riding around town trying to accumulate a high enough score. The problem with many of these missions is that they simply are not fun, and those that have a shred of enjoyment in them manage to only capture that feeling for a very short time (ie, only the first time is somewhat fun - the 100th time it's not so much).

Compound the boring, uninspired missions with absolutely horrible controls and the result is Jackass. Moving your character is done with the D-pad, and of course, the gameplay is 3D, so right off the bat players are at an inherent disadvantage. The controls are also way too responsive, with the slightest tap on the D-pad shifting the camera radically to one direction. While in moving objects, the L and R shoulder buttons can be used to turn more sharply, and thus the controls are a bit better, but even these are still very loose and cause frustrating experiences time and time again. Oh, and in probably the best display of physics seen in some time, while launched airborne with a massive acceleration factor, players can hold down on the D-pad to nearly stop - in the air - in order to land more accurately. Of course, this makes these types of missions much more forgiving, but it was still amusing, nonetheless.

The visuals aren't that much better although the game manages to do semi-descent 3D models. The problem is the generic nature of everything from level design to character design to vehicle design. Not to mention, the characters look nothing like their TV personalities, so during dialogue scenes, 2D cutouts of the cat are presented with text boxes, set against the 3D environments. The effect is just plain ugly. The soundtrack and sound effects are better, though. Some recognizable tunes are present, though this is a Nintendo DS cart we're talking about, so don't expect stellar quality. The bone-crunching sound of a player's body after a stunt is pretty cool to hear every now and then, except that even jumping will result in this sound effect, so it will get old very, very quickly. There is an audio option, thank god.

Perhaps the coolest feature of this game is the customizable characters you can make, ranging from the default options at the start, to all the unlockable options once a player braves the game long enough to collect enough items. Sadly, therein lies the problem - very few will feel motivated to churn through the levels for hours to collect these bonus features, and the basic setup is not deep enough in comparison to other titles on the market with the feature.

Expecting much from a portable game based on Jackass may be asking a lot, though, and when played in small amounts, the title is a good guilty pleasure and provides some amusement. However, anyone looking for a meaningful gaming experience should turn elsewhere without a second thought.