Rolling PS2

Good to see that this game finally made it to retail - it was a pleasant surprise to all of us here at HQ. Another surprise jumped out at us while flicking through the manual. Forgive our ignorance, but we were not aware of Jenna Downing: Jenna, if we ever spot you in a bar or cafe in our neck of the woods, we'll buy you a glass of pop for sure. We know where you live - 'cos we live there too! The biggest thrill, however, was the burst of distortion at the start of the intro movie. Detroit's finest export since Iggy and the Stooges, The Von Bondies on the soundtrack. We like Rolling already! If you're one of the multitude who has exhausted all the possibilities that the Tony Hawk series can offer, have a look at this. Rolling forsakes the plank and gives you some snazzy footwear to slip into. Real rolling made its mark back in 1991, when a movement began that would push inline skating into areas that were traditionally reserved for skateboarders. Skaters like Arlo Eisenberg and Chris Edwards adapted both their style and their skates to ride vert ramps, or to do grinds on rails and ledges. The noughties have seen a resurgence in inline skating's popularity, coming after a lower-than-low profile throughout the majority of the 1990's (thanks to the non-involvement of major sponsors chasing after the next big thing). Inevitably, videogames began to trickle through - Aggressive Inline and Ubi Soft's laughable Xbladez spring to mind - and rescued from the wreckage of now-defunct publisher Rage, here's Rolling for PlayStation 2. It's doubtful that you'll twist a knee or smash your head open playing this, but it'll make you fingers and thumbs sore for sure. It's difficult not to mention Tony Hawk when writing about Rolling. The control method for the PS2 version will be very familiar to Pro Skater fans, and the kinds of challenges faced by your chosen skater, and the rewards for overcoming them - better skates, cooler sunglasses, baggier pants and all that - are nothing we've not seen before. But this is not