| Free Running | |
|---|---|
| Developers | Rebellion Developments(PS2, Wii) Core Design(PSP) |
| Publishers | Ubisoft, Reef Entertainment, Graffiti Entertainment |
| Composer | Martin Iveson |
| Platforms | Microsoft Windows,PlayStation 2,PlayStation Portable,Wii |
| Release | Wii,Windows |
| Genres | Sports,platforming |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
Free Running is a 2007video game for thePlayStation 2,PlayStation Portable,Wii andMicrosoft Windows, developed byRebellion Developments andCore Design and published byUbisoft,[2] Reef Entertainment, and Graffiti Entertainment. ANintendo DS version was planned, but cancelled.[3] The game was originally due for release in 2005 but was delayed due to apathy from its original publisher, Eidos.[4][5]
Free Running is afreerunningsports game, with mechanics similar to those found in skateboarding titles such as theTony Hawk's series.[2] The objective of the game is a representation offreerunning, and players must demonstrate speed alongside flamboyance.[2] The player is required to navigate their character through an urban environment by climbing, leaping, wall-running and other acrobatic maneuvers. Points are earned by performing combinations of such moves, and completing mini-challenges such as checkpoint races.Sébastien Foucan, the inventor of freerunning, is your mentor and guides you through the game's tutorial in the PS2 version.[6] He was removed in later ports. The Wii port is played with either theWii Remote and Nunchuk or theClassic Controller.
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | (PSP) 65/100[7] (PS2) 61/100[8] (Wii) 51/100[9] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Edge | 7/10[10] |
| Eurogamer | 5/10[2] |
| GamesMaster | 75%[11] |
| PlayStation Official Magazine – UK | 6/10[12] (OPS2) 5/10[13] |
| PSM3 | 70%[14] |
| VideoGamer.com | 5/10[15] |
| The Sydney Morning Herald |
The game received "mixed" reviews on all platforms according to thereview aggregation websiteMetacritic.[8][7][9]Eurogamer criticized the PlayStation 2 version's stiff controls and camera, leading to unease in performing tricks and combinations. It did not compare favourably to the fluid movement inPrince of Persia: The Sands of Time andCrackdown – titles that were deemed to be better free running games thanFree Running.[2]
Free Running is a noble effort to apply the platform game template to a seemingly appropriate real world pastime, but it's hamstrung from the start by gameplay that is neither agile nor fluid enough to deliver an engaging experience, and by a concept that is considerably less unique on a joypad as it is in reality.