Sideway: New York

Sideway: New York is a refreshing take on one of the industry's oldest genres. Things can get frustrating (boss fights) and the music (unfortunately) gets really repetitive, but the overall gameplay experience is definitely one worth experiencing. It's just too bad that the cooperative gameplay isn't anywhere near as refined as the single player mode.

You've never really seen a game like Sideway: New York before, which is the biggest compliment I can bestow for SOE's latest.

Altogether, Sideway's disparate parts add up to a fresh, creative take on a classic journey. [Holiday 2011, p.84]

Sideway: New York is a charming side-scrolling platformer.

As a ten dollar DLG, I can say that there's enough about Sideway that's unique and ably designed for it to do well, despite the Skyrims and Modern Warfares of this season.

Yes the game is too short, clocking in at around 4 hours to complete, but sometimes it is not about length and instead about the pure fun you have. I found myself sitting there with a friend and just raving over and over about how beautiful and fun this game was, as we were moving from wall, to roof, to bridge, as only a piece of graffiti could do.

The game's main failing is its short length, mostly because it's so fun while it lasts.

Its unique approach to such a saturated genre should be celebrated, and while it's not the perfect game by any stretch of the imagination, it certainly novel. And not novel in a "this game is unique, but garbage" sort of way. No, friends -- quite the opposite.

Sideway: New York is available for download for $9.99 on PSN and is well worth a look. While it's probably going to be derided as an easier version of Super Meat Boy or a less intellectual Braid, the truth is that Sideway: New York carves its own identity and deserves consideration among the best regarded downloadable platformers.

It's a fairly short game, with only 16 levels, but there are several hidden areas and bonuses that make going back worthwhile.

Unlike anything you'll have ever played. For this fact alone, it's worth a look. Even if the platforming itself is floaty, and later levels fail to inspire the same 'wow' reaction that early ones do, this is an interesting addition to the PSN.

Sideway: New York is packed with lavish details that make it as fun to look at as it is to play.

Controls are awkwardly mapped and the music is unbearably repetitive, but exploration is rewarded and the mechanic is neat enough to keep you playing. [Christmas 2011, p.104]

With its distinctive and unique approach to gender, Sideway: New York is a nice side-scrolling platformer with a new interesting 3D concept. Even though the combat may not be the best and the checkpoint system makes the longevity of the game not memorable.

Sideway: New York could have been something really cool, with some fresh ideas and a cool setting. But the developers didn't tap the potential of the game. The controls are tricky to handle, the co-op mode is a no-go and the story is pretty weird. On the other hand, there are some pretty cool things like the bossfights, the different points of view and the cool spray and grafitti setting.

I may sound a little harsh on the game, but Sideway: New York is not bad by any stretch. It does have some annoying parts, but the art style and constantly changing perspective is something you don't see every day. For the most part, the game is enjoyable.

Sideways: New York separates itself with it gravity tricks and keen aesthetics, but comes charging back to the pack with its mediocre gameplay and slightly repetitive content. There's a lot of nice glitz here but not much substance.

Anyone remember Marc Ecko's Getting Up or the ridiculous dance game B-Boy? Sideway: New York shares the same urban lifestyle-roots, and combines it with fairly original platforming action. [Nov 2011, p.98]

Sadly, once the conceptual veneer peels away, you'll be left only with hollow rattle of an empty aerosol can.

The cel-shaded graphical style and kid-friendly characters keep the game from delving into morbidity and the message, overall, is one of positivity and joy. Nox and his friends aren't hoodlums, they're just young artists caught up in a dangerous situation. It's just a shame the game's frustrating design makes it so hard for you to help them.

Sideway comes across feeling more like one of the me-too Mario clones of the NES era despite its unique, singular look and perspective-shifting style. The platforming is nowhere near as tight or as taxing as in Super Meat Boy and it lacks the dynamism and genre synthesis of Outland. It's not even as compelling or innovative as IOS examples such as Mos Speedrun or League of Evil

The setting, urban art theme, and gravity-shifting mechanics give Sideway: New York plenty of opportunities to stand out, but it squanders all of them. Instead, Nox navigates bland levels and takes out repetitive bosses with a set of generic powers. With so much potential, it's remarkable that Sideway ended up being so ordinary. Unfortunately, that's the only remarkable thing about it.