187 Ride or Die

Pros • Decent selection of game types • Good driving controls • Fluid framerate	Cons • Comedic overuse of slang and profanity • Vehicle models could be better • Weapons feel weak
Bottom Line 187 Ride or Die tries to make a name for itself as a "playa" with gamers, but sadly comes across as more of a "poser."

It wasn't too long ago that the trend in Hip Hop music was to create a new single by sampling music from other artists. Now, it seems like the video game industry is adopting this trend by repackaging pieces of other hit games when trying to create a new experience for gamers.

Ubisoft's new car combat game, 187 Ride or Die, is just the latest example of this trend, borrowing heavily from games like Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Need for Speed Underground, and Twisted Metal. Unfortunately, Ride or Die is also an example of the whole being much less than the sum of its parts.

In Ride or Die, players take on the role of Buck, a young kid picked off the streets and recruited as a driver by local gang leader Dupree. When Dupree takes nine slugs courtesy of rival gang leader Cortez, a full-scale turf war hits the streets. Dupree gives Buck control of a crew and orders him to take to the streets and teach Cortez a lesson. The story unfolds through a series of sharp looking cutscenes, and the plot is generally well done. Things start to fall apart a bit though once the first lines of dialogue hit. Ride or Die unintentionally makes a parody of itself due to its blatant overuse of profanity and slang. At times, it seems like the developers used an old Mad Lib form for the dialogue, substituting slang in all the blanks. Within the first five minutes of the game, I was sick of hearing "homie", "gangsta", "blaze", and just about every other random urban term abused by the game.

At its best, 187 Ride or Die is a mediocre racing title. Graphically, the game looks slightly better than average in some areas, and somewhat less than average in others. The cinematics are sharp and detailed, the environments are all well done, and the framerate is pretty respectable. The other gameplay elements, however, leave a lot to be desired. Although the game includes a total of 30 different vehicles, none of them look all that impressive. After seeing what the PS2 is capable of in other arcade racing games like Burnout or Need for Speed, Ride or Die's bland car models look rough and unpolished. This is especially true with some of the sports and muscle car models, where you can actually see the seams where the textures meet.

Thankfully, the gameplay in Ride or Die fares a bit better than the graphics. If you've played any of other arcade racer on the PS2, you'll feel right at home with Ride or Die's controls. The X and Square buttons control the gas and brake respectively, while the L1 button activates your speed boost. The cars handle a bit on the loose side in order to accommodate the drifting used to acquire speed boosts. The firing controls are handled with R1 and R2 buttons, directing fire to the front or rear of the vehicle as needed. Overall, this firing mechanism works well enough, but the game's auto aim can make things difficult when other racers are grouped close together. Also, with the exception of the big guns like the rocket launcher, most of the weapons feel underpowered. In fact, the only real difference between most of the guns is their rate of fire.

Ride or Die increases its replay value by featuring a solid selection of various game types outside of the Story Mode. There's the standard speed races, a demolition derby styled "Survivor" game, and even a high speed pursuit to escape the cops, just to name a few. The game also features a solid multiplayer experience for those times when you feel like rollin' with the crew from the 'hood. Ride or Die supports up to eight players in an online game, though the number of human controlled vehicles is capped at four. The extra players squeeze in by way of a co-op gameplay, in which one player handles the driving and another handles the gunner. In co-op, the gunner mode has a lot more flexibility in range than in single-player mode and can fire in a full 360 degree range.

187 Ride or Die is one of those games that tries to make a name for itself off of the success of others. The game attempts to appeal to the masses by throwing in a little bit of everything, but fails to excel at anything. There's not a whole lot wrong with the game, but unfortunately there's just not a lot that's right with it either.

Info & Screenshots