Microsoft"s official XBLA site recently announced Joy Ride Turbo, a sequel to the Kinect-based racing game released in 2010. Unlike the original game, Joy Ride Turbo will be controlled via the Xbox 360"s standard controller, not Kinect. The game is being developed by BigPark, a Microsoft-owned studio which also developed the original game and co-developed Kinect Sports: Season Two.
According to Microsoft"s announcement on the Play XBLA website, Turbo will feature an improved "Stunt Park," an open world environment which features special obstacles that players can enjoy to unlock new cars, car parts, coins and trophies. The game will also include three gameplay modes: Battle Race, Pro Race and Time Trial. Additional features confirmed by Microsoft are as follows:
- Race your friends in local 4-player split-screen or compete with up to 8 on Xbox LIVE.
- Knock out your competitors and take the race lead with rockets, mines, dynamite drops and more.
- Explore the new Stunt Park to gather all of the collectibles and showoff your skills.
- Find and collect car parts to unlock vehicles, each with unique speed and handling characteristics, giving you an edge in your next race.
- Achieve racing leaderboard fame in 3 modes of play: Battle Race, Pro Race & Time Trial.
The original Joy Ride was released on Nov. 4, 2010, in North America as part of Kinect"s launch lineup. When the game was first announced at E3 2009, it was planned as an XBLA release itself, and was to be released for free to Xbox Live Gold members.