It's hard to blame most gamers for not being able to play Sidhe (pronounced "she") Interactive's refreshingly innovative racer/platformer/puzzler GripShift (PS3, PSP, X360). Playing the upcoming Xbox 360 version of the game with Sidhe's Mario Wynands and Jos Ruffel was, sadly, my introduction to the game as well. The Wellington, New Zealand-based studio's product has seen a release on the two least popular platforms--first the PSP soon after its launch and then the PlayStation 3 via Sony's PlayStation Network. With the game's arrival on Xbox Live Arcade, the title will hopefully earn the recognition it most certainly deserves.

For those unfamiliar with GripShift's amalgamation of gameplay genres, it's probably most similar to Nadeo's TrackMania series of PC games. A more appropriate parallel can be drawn between GripShift and Sega's Super Monkey Ball series, replacing the sphere-encased simians with floaty, nitrous-equipped cars. Each of the 120 main Challenge levels starts with a camera flyover, showing you the layout and letting you plan your route. Each stage also has multiple objectives, with the first requiring the player to simply reach the gate at the end of the course. Other objectives include collecting a certain number of stars or finding a hidden GripShift token. Read more »

GripShift, the kart racing-slash-platforming title from independent New Zealand-based developer Sidhe Interactive, will soon appear as one of the Xbox 360's downloadable Xbox Live Arcade titles.

The game was originally released on PSP in 2005, with a PlayStation 3 version arriving via the online PlayStation Store earlier this year. The Xbox Live Arcade edition, which features new single-player courses and a new deathmatch multiplayer mode, is said to arrive within the year. Read more »