Developer: Playbrains / Fuel Entertainment
Publisher: Sony Online Entertainment
System: PlayStation 3
Rating Guide: How I Review Games

I have one word that will sum up this review if you want to simply stop reading right now to find out if Sideway: New York is worth your time.  That one word is WOW.  I’m not sure what to say about this game because it’s really unlike anything I’ve played before.  It’s a refreshing challenge that challenges your different points of view.  What do I mean by that?  Read on my paint sprayin’ friend!

Sideway: New York is a platformer unlike any other you’ve played.  You take on the role of Nox, a graffiti artist from New York.  On one strange day you mistakenly tag over someone else’s art.  That someone else turns out to be some cyber villain named Spray (fitting name eh).  Spray then zaps you into an alternate reality where you become the graffiti … you are the spray paint.  And that is where the fun in the game begins.

The game literally turns you sideways, frontwards and all other kinds of ways.  You are constantly changing your point of view as you travel across walls and end up having to jump up which turns your view completely.  It’s almost like you’re in a Rubik’s Cube world.  You remember trying to get all colors on the Rubik’s Cube don’t you?  One minute you’re going along in a straight line and then the next you’re going up and backwards.

Sideway: New York is such a trippy game to play.  You’re essentially painting your way through levels and onto different walls, rooftops and ledges.  You’re trying to stop Spray from entering your world and at the same time making it back and saving your own world.  You get to pick up different types of power-ups and upgrades to help you along the way.  One of the coolest is actually spray painting new platforms to jump onto.  It gets tricky trust me.  I died quite a few times … so much in fact that the well placed checkpoints became my best friend.

The game is a twisted affair that was simply mind bottling.  It’s frustrating at parts when you don’t know which way to jump or what to spray paint in order to move forward but the cool beats and action help ease that frustration.  The enemies in the game range from little blobs to bigger eyeball looking things.  You can punch ‘em or slide through ‘em to defeat ‘em and move on.  Nothing ends up being too much of a challenge for Nox and his assortment of skills.  You can even team up with a friend to enjoy the crazy world which amps up the fun even more.

Visually, the game looks really good.  It’s a rich and colorful world filled with some crazy art splattered about the city.  If you’ve played games like Jet Set Radio, then you’ll be really familiar with the style.  The level design isn’t as lively as it could be when you consider the theme.  I would’ve liked some animated backdrops but one can’t be too picky.  If you’re a hip-hop fan, you’ll love the soundtrack.  As you play the game you’ll be bumping your head to the beats in the background while you make your way to the finish.  The artistic style mixed with the banging beats makes it a wild ride.  And it’s kid friendly so even little Nox can play.  I enjoyed the style and urban feel of the game quite a bit.

The PlayStation Network is seriously revving up its exclusive lineup.  Sideway: New York is a refreshing spin on the monotony of platform gaming.  It is an energy boost to an otherwise dull life of simply hitting the X button.  Like Paul Wall said … I’m sittin’ sideways!

And in a day when nearly all of the Xbox Live Arcade titles are dropping in at $15, the PlayStation Network delivers another strong game at $10.  It’s cheaper and it rivals some of the best on XBLA.

8.5
“Standout”