While the release of InXile's Line Rider 2: Unbound was much anticipated by fans of the beta flash versions, some are disappointed with the results.
Players of the flash versions of Line Rider, created in September 2006 by Boštjan Čadež, known on the internet as Fsk eagerly anticipated the releases of Line Rider 2: Unbound on the PC, Nintendo Wii, and DS when it was announced in December of 2006 that InXile Entertainment had obtained console rights for the game. However, it was not until Fall of 2008 that this project was realized, and the games finally did appear on the market. Yet despite the long wait, and the great anticipation of the game, some players of the game are disappointed by InXile Entertainment's product, criticising its childish storyline and sound effects.
While the PC version of Unbound added many new features, line types, and gameplay modes, the trackmakers who focused exclusively on creating tracks with complex tricks and manipulation of the physics engine were largely dissatisfied with Unbound's tweaked phsyics, which made many of the more difficult tricks in the flash beta versions easier for less experienced players, and some of the capabilities of the flash versions were removed completely. While it is now possible to erase portions of drawn line segments, it is not possible to completely erase the line now, except by the undo tool. The hotkeys have largely been remapped, further adding to the confusion.
As for scenery, InXile has added a variety of line thicknesses, with the ability to color lines as the player wishes. However, once drawn, a line's color cannot be modified further, causing some inconveniences, and furthermore, there is no brush tool, meaning even scenery must be done using either the line tool, pencil tool, customizable stamp, or bucket fill. While this is an improvement over the flash beta versions, these tools are still very rudimentary, with many expecting the control of some image editing programs such as Photoshop.
Techdawg, a very well known trackmaker took part in the game's creation, designing all 40 levels of the story mode, and releasing a 4-part preview prior to the release of the game, with each featuring the different line types, and containing a small track. The below is the 4th part of his preview.
Unbound is available for $20 dollars, yet many players will continue to play the flash versions, which are free. While I myself own a copy of Unbound, I find that it does not require quite as much skill as the originals, and I will continue to play the flash versions.
