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Overview
Yaris is a free sci-fi combat racing advergame developed by Backbone Entertainment (Company) and Castaway Entertainment (Company) and released digitally by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360 (Platform) (as an Xbox Live Arcade title) on October 10, 2007. It was later de-listed from the marketplace on November 4, 2008, and is no longer available to add to one's Xbox Live account.
Released to advertise Toyota's second-generation Yaris line of subcompact cars, Yaris has players controlling one of three customizable models of the Toyota Yaris as they drive through a looped course of U-shaped tubes (somewhat similar to the bonus mini-game in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Game)), attacking various obstacles with the car's attached "mechanosymbiont" laser gun (by moving a cursor around, similar to games like Panzer Dragoon (Game)) while collecting coins, power-ups, and speed boosts.
Along with a single-player campaign (with eight tracks to race on) and an upgrade system, the game also includes two-player multiplayer (both split-screen and online).
Gameplay
Either alone or with another person, players control a Toyota Yaris car that is equipped with science-fiction weaponry. Players can choose from three different Yaris models, each of which can be customized and upgraded in various ways. In each of the eight stages, players traverse a series of tubes laden with a variety of non-sequiter enemies and obstacles. These include hovercraft-riding dogs, men on bikes sporting lucha libre masks, and rocket-powered toasters.
Reception
Yaris received mostly negative reviews, gaining a score of seventeen out of a hundred on Metacritic.com. Critics cited poor gameplay mechanics and lackluster graphics and level design as key issues with the game. Mike Flacy of Video Game Talk wrote "As the title is completely free, you should ask yourself different questions related to value. For instance, “Is the title worth the 17.5 seconds it will take to download it?” That’s a tough one. You could take out the trash in that amount of time, a much more rewarding task than playing Yaris." In Games Radar's review of Yaris, Greg Sewart said "Unfortunately, there are actually no redeeming qualities to Yaris.'
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- Name
- Yaris
- Release Date
- October 10, 2007
- Platform
- Xbox 360 Games Store (Platform)
- Developer
- Publisher
- Genre
- Vehicular Combat (Genre)
Driving/Racing (Genre)
Shooter (Genre) - Theme
- Abstract (Theme)
Comedy (Theme)
Sci-Fi (Theme)