I was a big fan of Shaba Games' Grind Session, the father of this game. Amidst the scooter craze, it's hard not to feel like Razor Freestyle Scooter is just a shameless ploy to milk kids out of even more of their parents' hard-earned money. But, if you can get over that, you'll find a really nice game here. Okay, I'd probably rather play Grind Session, but I don't ride a scooter, either... :)

The graphics definitely give away the GS engine, and Shaba's nice level-design comes through in spades. The levels have plenty of substance to them, including a schoolpark-themed level with plenty of stuff my teacher would never have let me grind on. Trick animations are cool, if a little less awesome than the big-kid skating games. But, for any proud owner, watching fly little anime-styled characters go hog-wild on a scooter is guaranteed to thrill. Parents may not be as thrilled with the hardcore, sometimes-punk soundtrack, but it's not for them, is it?

To sum up Razor Freestyle Scooter, I'd tell anyone it's a good game, but there's not enough to it!! Coolness abounds in each level, but there aren't more than 3 levels with real freestyle design. The story behind the action involves some kidnapped scooter-kids, taken by a giant robot character. You - out to save the day - have to ride like crazy to earn the right to save your friends and beat Norton, the robot. Instead of just opening more levels, you also open challenges that if completed, can rescue your other scooter-pals from Norton's clutches.

To start off, everything runs on a timer, which I found frustrating. Even when you go back after opening a level to try and earn more points, the clock ticks away, and I rarely felt like I really had the time to get my stuff on. Sure, there's a Practice Mode, but clearing some objectives under the clock is almost more luck than skill. Objectives can be earning high-score, pulling off certain combos, or gathering objects. The objects in Razor Freestyle Scooter happen to be scooter wheels, and of course they're always in impossible places. After the main levels, each new course is a challenge to rescue one of the hidden scooters. Set in Norton's 'sky fortress,' these challenge levels are all precision. Instead of points or tricks, the challenge is to gather all the tires scattered through the level before time runs out. Succeed, and another rider rejoins the ranks.

Tricks can actually push the timer back, and freestyle levels offer tons of likely targets. Grinding, stalls and sick jumps are all here. Learning each level is tough, and getting the rhythm needed to find all the wheels is especially tricky. Two-Player Mode is really just trading off to play levels you opened or unlocked in One-Player. Fun, but not the real appeal of Razor Freestyle Scooter. Each of the little characters controls about the same, and after choosing which one you want to play, choosing what color scooter to ride is about the hardest decision you'll have until the level-timer starts ticking.

Anyone who's played Tony Hawk or Grind Session will be tired of Razor Freestyle Scooter real quick. It's not that anything's wrong with the formula, but Razor Freestyle Scooter hit the shelf without enough pavement to keep most skater and scooter fans excited for long. It really is like a GS add-on for kids with scooters on the brain, and although that's not bad in itself, the lack of variety makes Razor Freestyle Scooter too light for the more frequent gamer. Control isn't as smooth as I remember GS being, and the timer definitely feels like an effort to stretch out the game.

I almost think Shaba could have simplified the trick list even more for this game. As it is, we have grinding and stalls, along with different types of jumping tricks. First, the holdable trick, which earns points based on how high and how long you spring it. An example would be a grab or method. Then, the non-holdable trick, which is a one-timer like no hands, no feet, or a flip. These can be combined or executed in sequence, and obviously mix with the holdable tricks. Working the analog stick into this game goes well, and stick-movement combined with the Circle or Square button makes the tricks go 'round. As for other controls, Razor Freestyle Scooter uses Free Look, but I miss the 'trick-vision' Shaba used in Grind Session where specific sequences light up and show you how to hit them right in Free Look. Maybe SCEA kept that code... :/ Braking and speed are easy enough to handle, along with a quick turn for keeping momentum in a 180 on the ground.

Trick scoring is pretty humbling, and pulling big-point combos comes with practice. Learning moves does come, but learning levels is key to success. These are big areas, full of little details like breakable glass and sky-high grind pipes to new areas. Challenge levels are tough because you actually fall off and start over, either from bad jumps or coming short on a grind. When grinding, a balance meter shows how close you are to center, a feature I don't find the analog stick very useful for, but a necessary evil for adding realism to those 600 foot grinds...

Nobody could fault Shaba or Crave for wanting to cash-in on the scooter frenzy, and the only thing disappointing about Razor Freestyle Scooter is that there isn't more of it. Don't even think about it if you haven't played Tony Hawk, Grind Session or Street Sk8ter, but kids can have fun and not be overwhelmed. As a title for young gamers, Razor Freestyle Scooter does fine, and comparing it to Tony Hawk is like comparing a bicycle with training wheels to your neighbor's Harley. We all liked training wheels once...