E3 2002: Aggressive Inline preshow report

Acclaim will be demoing Aggressive Inline, the upcoming Z-Axis-developed inline-skating game, at the Electronic Entertainment Expo. Developed by the studio behind Acclaim's Dave Mirra series, the game puts players in the role of various inline superstars, as well as some fictional caricatures, and has you going through the sort of action-sports escapades you'd expect from a game of its sort. Among others, real-world professionals such as Jaren Grob, Taïg Khris, Chris Edwards, Franky Morales, Shane Yost, Matt Lindenmuth, and Sven Boekhurst will be included in the game. As far as the fantasy skaters go, players will see robots, pirates, and even schoolgirls filling up the ranks. Characters' skills will increase behind the scenes, with certain attributes--such as their grinding and air-catching abilities--developing as players perform the moves to which they pertain.

The game's operative mechanic, unlike most action-sports games, isn't an ever-ticking clock. Rather, players will have a "juice meter" that continually depletes. The only way to replenish the juice meter is by performing your moves and combos impressively, which makes for a pretty reactive system. If players do especially well, they'll enter a special state in which fire will trail their heels and their overall performance is greatly enhanced.

For more information on Aggressive Inline, check out our previous coverage of the game and check back here when the show starts for detailed hands-on impressions.