Yaris | |
---|---|
Developer(s) | Castaway Entertainment |
Publisher(s) | Backbone Emeryville |
Platform(s) | Xbox Live Arcade |
Release |
|
Genre(s) | Racing game/Shooter |
Mode(s) | Single-player, Multiplayer |
Yaris is a Toyota-licensed racing advergame based on the line of Yaris subcompact cars. [1] It was developed for the Xbox 360 and distributed for free on Xbox Live Arcade. The game was released on October 10, 2007, but was later delisted from the Xbox Live Marketplace in November 2008.
The game is a simplified futuristic combat racing game featuring three Yaris models, each with prehensile robotic gun called a "mechanosymbiont" emanating from the hood. The default color of the car is red. The available models include:
Gameplay consists of racing through U-shaped tube racing tracks while picking up coins, similar to the 3D minigame called "Special Stages" in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 . The tracks are populated by abstract enemies such as MP3 players, flaming wheels with deadly trails of fire, and odd motorcycle racers. The enemies can be attacked with the car's "mechanosymbiont" laser gun; some destroyed enemies release coins as well.
The cars can be upgraded with collected coins, from improving the chassis or wheels, changing the color, increasing the weapon storage, or increasing the shield strength.
The weapons that can be obtained include:
The game features two player multiplayer, both on the same machine and on Xbox Live. The players can simultaneously help and hinder each other with various "auras" that occur when the cars are close to one another. Pressing each of the four controller buttons has a different effect:
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | 17/100 [2] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Joystiq | (negative) [3] |
The game received "overwheming dislike" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic. [2]
In the Joystiq review, Dan Dormer gave Yaris a scathing review, writing that "Yaris does nothing right, and everything wrong. Every element, from the graphics to the controls to the online play, is just busted. Even at the price of free, this lemon isn't fun or worth the sticker price". [3]
The Videogametalk.com reviewer Mike Flacy wrote of Yaris, "As the title is completely free, you should ask yourself different questions related to value. For instance, "Is the title worth the 17.5 seconds it will take to download it?” That's a tough one. You could take out the trash in that amount of time, a much more rewarding task than playing Yaris." [4] This sentiment of "not being worth the free price" was widely echoed across major video game review sites.
Just one positive review came about from the game: Ars Technica 's review titled "Yaris: the Xbox Live Arcade sleeper hit of the year" by Frank Caron wrote, "It's simple, it's small, and it's fun. Go download it; I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised." [5] However, the article included a subscript qualifying that other staff members of the site disagreed with Caron's assessment.
GamesRadar+ ranked the game 33rd on their "The 50 Worst Games of All Time." [6]
Project Gotham Racing is a 2001 arcade-style racing video game developed by Bizarre Creations and published by Microsoft Game Studios, released exclusively for the Xbox console as a launch title. It serves as the spiritual successor to Bizarre's Metropolis Street Racer and retains the Kudos system, which awards points for driving skills and style, necessary for progression rather than solely finishing races in first place. Races occur across four real-world cities, featuring a total of 204 unique circuits. The game achieved both critical and commercial success, launching an exclusive series that continued with Project Gotham Racing 2 in 2003.
Xbox Live Arcade was a video game digital distribution service that was available for the Xbox and Xbox 360 consoles. It focused on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers. Titles on the service ranged from previously released arcade and console games to brand new games designed for the service, and were priced from a range of 5 to 20 US dollars. While originally requiring a disc to gain access to the service on the original Xbox, the Arcade was integrated into the Xbox 360 along with the rest of the Xbox Live Marketplace with the launch of the new console.
RoadBlasters is a combat racing video game released in arcades by Atari Games in 1987. In RoadBlasters, the player must navigate an armed sports car through 50 different rally races, getting to the finish line before running out of fuel.
Mutant Storm Reloaded is a multi-directional shoot 'em up developed by PomPom Games. The game debuted as a launch title on the Xbox 360's Xbox Live Arcade service with updated graphics, sound, and gameplay over its Windows and Xbox predecessor, Mutant Storm.
Ford Street Racing is a game commissioned by Ford for the Xbox, PC, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable (PSP). The game was sold as Ford Street Racing on the PC while the various console releases were given region specific names. They are as follows: Ford Bold Moves Street Racing in the US and Canada, Ford Street Racing: L.A. Duel in the EU, and Ford Street Racing: XR Edition in Australia and New Zealand. It was released September 19, 2006 in the United States. It was developed by Razorworks and published by Empire Interactive under the Empire banner in the US and under the Xplosiv banner in the rest of the world. The game received mostly mixed to negative reviews.
Project Gotham Racing 4 is a 2007 racing video game developed by Bizarre Creations and published by Microsoft Game Studios. The fourth main title of the Project Gotham Racing series, it was released exclusively for the Xbox 360 in October 2007. New features included weather effects, Bulldog mode, and the inclusion of motorcycles. Like its predecessors, PGR4 was a critical and commercial success, however it would be the final title in the series, with Bizarre having since been acquired by Activision, and announcing that Project Gotham Racing 4 would be their last game produced for distribution by Microsoft Game Studios.
Pac-Man Championship Edition is a 2007 maze video game developed and published by Namco Bandai Games for the Xbox 360. It has since appeared on several other platforms, including iOS, Android, and the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable as a PSP mini title available on the PlayStation Store. It is an HD reimagining of the original Pac-Man arcade game; players navigate Pac-Man through an enclosed maze, eating pellets and avoiding four ghosts that pursue him. Clearing an entire side of the maze of dots will cause a fruit item to appear, and eating it will cause a new maze to appear on the opposite side.
America's Army: True Soldiers is a first-person shooter video game developed by Red Storm Entertainment and published by Ubisoft. It was released on November 15, 2007. It is a spin-off of the United States Army's computer game America's Army.
Vigilante 8: Arcade is a vehicular combat video game developed by Isopod Labs and published by Activision. It was released on November 5, 2008, for Xbox 360 through Xbox Live Arcade. Isopod Labs was formed by three former members of Luxoflux, developer of the original Vigilante 8 series. A remake of Vigilante 8 with some elements of Vigilante 8: Second Offense included, Vigilante 8: Arcade features online play for up to eight players.
Defense Grid: The Awakening is a tower defense video game developed by Hidden Path Entertainment for Windows and Xbox Live Arcade on the Xbox 360. The game was one of the titles promoted by Microsoft during their Game Developers Conference keynote speech on February 20, 2008. The game was released for Microsoft Windows on December 8, 2008, and for Xbox 360 on September 2, 2009. The OS X version shipped from Virtual Programming on July 7, 2010.
OutRun Online Arcade is a racing video game and the most recent release in the OutRun series. It was developed by Sumo Digital and published by Sega. The game was released on April 15, 2009 on Xbox Live Arcade and released exclusively in Europe for the PlayStation 3 a day later via the PlayStation Network. Gameplay involves players racing their choice of Ferrari through a selection of fifteen stages in the shortest time possible.
'Splosion Man is a 2.5D action platform video game developed by Twisted Pixel Games for the Xbox 360, available through the Xbox Live Arcade digital download service. It was released on July 22, 2009, as part of the Xbox Live Summer of Arcade. Players control 'Splosion Man, an escaped science experiment with the ability to explode himself repeatedly, as he works his way through obstacles and traps trying to exit the fictional laboratory known as Big Science.
Blur is a 2010 arcade-style racing video game for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was developed by Bizarre Creations and published by Activision. Blur features a racing style that incorporates real world cars and locales with arcade style handling and vehicular combat. The game is a spiritual successor to the Project Gotham Racing series. Blur was the penultimate game developed by Bizarre Creations before they were shut down by Activision on February 18, 2011.
Comic Jumper is an action video game developed by Twisted Pixel Games published by Microsoft Game Studios. It was released for the Xbox 360 via the Xbox Live Arcade Marketplace on October 6, 2010. It is the third original game created by Twisted Pixel following The Maw and 'Splosion Man, all three of which are exclusive to Xbox Live Arcade.
Snoopy Flying Ace is a dogfighting video game based on Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts franchise and developed by Smart Bomb Interactive for the Xbox Live Arcade service on the Xbox 360. It was announced on November 10, 2008 and released on June 2, 2010. An unofficial sequel to the 2006 video game Snoopy vs. the Red Baron, it features a similar World War I setting. Snoopy is tasked with defeating several members of the Flying Circus, a special flight squadron in the Luftstreitkräfte, and its commander, Manfred von Richthofen, also known as the Red Baron.
Days of Thunder is a stock car racing video game produced by Paramount Digital Entertainment and developed by Piranha Games for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was released in February 2011 and is a spin-off of the 1990 film Days of Thunder in which the player is a rookie driver coached by Rowdy Burns, the antagonist from the film. The game received very little critical feedback; those that did review the game had generally negative commentary. Reviewers felt that the cars handled unrealistically, but one reviewer noted that some issues could be fixed with a patch.
Unbound Saga is a 2.5D side-scrolling beat 'em up video game developed and published by Vogster Entertainment and also a one-shot comic book published by Dark Horse Comics. It was released July 16, 2009 for the PlayStation Portable via the PlayStation Network, and on December 1, 2010, for the Xbox 360 via Xbox Live Arcade.
Forza Horizon is a 2012 racing video game developed by Playground Games and published by Microsoft Studios for the Xbox 360 on 23 October 2012. The game is the fifth installment of the Forza series, having originally spun-off from Turn 10 Studios-developed Forza Motorsport titles. Taking place during the fictitious Horizon Festival, a street racing event, the player's aim is to progress via winning races, while also increasing their popularity level by performing stunts and activities. Unlike previous games in the Forza series, Forza Horizon takes place in an open world that players can explore.
Joy Ride Turbo is a kart racing game developed by BigPark and published by Microsoft Studios for the Xbox 360. The sequel to Kinect Joy Ride, the player controls their avatar as they drive vehicles in a combat racing tournament. Unlike its predecessor, Joy Ride Turbo does not use the Kinect peripheral. Originally outed via a rating on the Australian Classification Board on April 11, 2012, it was unveiled by Microsoft Studios on April 27 and released on May 23, 2012. It was later added as one of the first 100 titles on the Xbox One backwards compatibility list on November 9, 2015.
Charlie Murder is a beat 'em up video game developed by Ska Studios and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360 and Ska Studios for Microsoft Windows. First revealed in January 2010 for Xbox Live Indie Games, the studio announced in May 2010 that the game would undergo a "complete overhaul" and be published in 2012 through Xbox Live Arcade for the Xbox 360. Charlie Murder was eventually released on 14 August 2013 to positive reviews, with critics praising the game's soundtrack and hand-illustrated visuals. Versions for Microsoft Windows, Linux, and macOS were released on May 12, 2017 via Steam.