However, the most annoying part of the controls is that you have to press “X” every time you land a trick. If you don’t press “X”, you will land awkwardly and you won’t score as many points. I thought pressing “X” every time you land a trick was annoying and pointless because you don’t have to do that kind of thing in any other skateboarding game. Sometimes I would end up bailing because I would forget about pressing “X”.
Grinding in OlliOlli is easier to execute as different directions make your skate do different tricks. You can do all sorts of different grinds such as boardslides, 50-50 and the like. One thing I would not is that the moves are lacking if you are into more different disciplines of skateboarding. I like vert skating and it’s sad to see that OlliOlli features no vert skating moves whatsoever. You cannot even do flat land tricks like manuals too. I guess OlliOlli is only for fans of street style of skating as you can only perform grinds and flip tricks.
In terms of graphics, OlliOlli is very simple and does not push the capabilities of the PS Vita whatsoever. It’s surprising the game is a PS Vita exclusive because it’s a title that could have easily been released on smartphones instead. The game also lacks any touch screen controls either which is weird considering most PS Vita exclusive games use the touch screens for a more innovative experience.
Another thing that I didn’t like about OlliOlli is that I felt the game itself looked too small. The main skater you are controlling (who looks like Nyjah Houston) is very small and it’s sometimes hard to see him. There was one level that was set in the snow and you had to look carefully on the ground to make sure he didn’t skate on any snow or else he would bail. I often found myself squinting playing this game because everything looked too small for my liking. I feel the game could have been slightly easier to play had the character models and levels been larger in size.
Overall, OlliOlli is a fun skateboarding title for the PS Vita but it is far from perfect. The graphics are too small for their own good and the difficulty can be too hard at times. Not to mention the controls take a while for you to master and the game does not feature other skateboarding moves. Still, it is enjoyable in short bursts and once you have mastered the complex controls fully.
[Editor’s Note: OlliOlli was reviewed on the PS Vita platform. The game was provided to us by the publisher for review purposes.]
