Sideway New York
- November 15, 2011
- Fuel Entertainment
Get on SteamIn Sideway New York, players navigate a graffiti-covered 3D city as Nox, solving puzzles and battling enemies in a unique 2D/3D perspective. Unlock new abilities to soar, slide, jump, and blast foes while surviving a vibrant, dangerous world influenced by your chosen color. Experience local co-op and eccentric boss battles, all set to an original soundtrack by Mr. Lif.
PC
Windows
PlayStation
Playstation 3
Reviews
- Unique and interesting art style that enhances the gameplay experience.
- Creative level design with multiple pathways and engaging platforming mechanics.
- Fun and imaginative concept that appeals to fans of classic platformers.
- Awful framerate issues and floaty, imprecise controls that hinder gameplay.
- Repetitive music and short length make the experience feel lacking.
- Frustrating enemy designs and level communication lead to confusion and annoyance.
- music33 mentions
- 30 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The game's soundtrack, featuring hip-hop artists like Mr. Lif and Akrobatik, is initially enjoyable but quickly becomes repetitive, with players noting that only a few songs are used throughout. While some fans appreciate the music, many find it tiresome and wish for more variety or additional tracks to enhance the experience. Overall, the music is a mixed bag, appealing primarily to diehard fans of the genre but potentially grating for others.
“Sideway is really more of an old school platformer 'collectathon' with a nice art style, head-boppin' rap music, and an intriguing yet a tad gimmicky 'play on the walls of a building' gameplay.”
“The music in the game surprised me a lot.”
“The soundtrack, which was prepared by Skullcandy (headphone maker) and hip hop artist Mr. Lif, is unfortunately reused a lot throughout the game, but they're good enough tunes for me to not mind too much.”
“The music will get repetitive reeeeeallly quickly.”
“The game itself isn't terrible and has a fair amount of enemy variety and player skills (a slide, swing, dive kick, etc...), but the game runs choppy as shit and the music they use, although enjoyable (I'm a big fan of the Perceptionists), seems like the game repeats the same 2 songs over and over and over.”
“A cool concept and it isn't broken, but it seems like the level designs are all pretty generic. I will still play through more of it here and there, but the choppy display and especially the repetitive music are wearing thin on me already and I haven't even made it very far into the game.”
- gameplay11 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 55 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Sideway is characterized by its unique wall-running mechanic and appealing art style, offering a nostalgic platforming experience reminiscent of old-school collectathons. However, players note issues with generic level design, framerate problems, and repetitive music, which may detract from the overall enjoyment unless one is a dedicated fan of the genre. While the game presents intriguing gameplay twists, some feel it could benefit from a more refined approach to its mechanics.
“Brilliant side scrolling puzzler with a twist on gameplay.”
“[unique, appealing style, solid 2D platforming, fun visual and gameplay twists]”
“A cool concept and it isn't broken, but it seems like the level designs are all pretty generic (putting aside the mechanic of running along whichever wall). I will still play through more of it here and there, but the choppy display and especially the repetitive music are wearing thin on me already and I haven't even made it very far into the game.”
“Sideway is really more of an old school platformer 'collectathon' with a nice art style, head-boppin' rap music, and an intriguing yet a tad gimmicky 'play on the walls of a building' gameplay.”
“For myself, despite being a fan of both hip-hop (Mr. Lif and Akrobatik / The Perceptionists, who are featured on this game's soundtrack) music and graffiti, I find it hard to recommend this unless you're a diehard fan of either and looking for a platformer with a unique mechanic and can tolerate some chunky framerate issues.”
- graphics10 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are praised for their interesting and endearing art style, which enhances the overall atmosphere and reflects the developers' dedication. While the artwork is well-received, some players express a desire for more interactive elements related to the graffiti theme, similar to games like Jet Set Radio. Overall, the visuals contribute positively to the nostalgic platforming experience.
“The first half of the game was so endearing and fun, and I can see a lot of love went into the art style and scope of the game.”
“The artwork is great and fits the game very well, creating an enjoyable atmosphere.”
“Sideway is really more of an old school platformer 'collectathon' with a nice art style, head-boppin' rap music, and an intriguing yet a tad gimmicky 'play on the walls of a building' gameplay.”
“I was hoping that with the graffiti-based art style, there would be more painting/tagging involved like Jet Set Radio.”
- story6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The story is described as plain and unexciting, which is not uncommon for platforming games; however, its brevity (only 3-4 hours) and frustrating second half detract from the overall experience, leading to a recommendation against purchasing at full price.
“The story is pretty plain.”
“However, due to the floaty controls, short story (only about 3-4 hours), and just aggravating second half, I can't recommend this at full price.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players express frustration with the grinding aspect of the game, citing tedious and repetitive processes that can lead to a desire to quit. The lack of health or magic pick-ups exacerbates the difficulty, especially when facing powerful enemies with punishing one-hit kill moves and unskippable cutscenes.
“I nearly wanted to quit when you have to go through a long tedious process to hit him, with no health or magic pick-ups. After you go through the process of hitting him each time, he does a one-hit kill move that you have to dodge, or else you have to sit through his long unskippable intro.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has been criticized for significant stability issues, with players reporting persistent bugs, such as audio looping problems that detract from the overall experience. This has led to a perception of the game as poorly developed and lacking polish.
“Seriously, I don't know if the game is just that buggy, but I only heard one track loop over and over in the hour I tried to enjoy this bland, half-assed platformer.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its excellent artwork, which complements the overall experience and contributes to an enjoyable ambiance.
“The artwork is great, fitting the game very well to create an enjoyable atmosphere.”
- character development2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Character development is highlighted by eye-catching and organic designs, enhanced by fluid animations and a smooth camera movement that follows the characters seamlessly. This attention to detail contributes to a more immersive and engaging experience.
“The character design is eye-catching and organic, with its fluid animations further complemented by the smoothness of the camera as it rotates around corners while following the character.”
