Read or watch any review of Zeppelin's isometric street-racing Neighbours game published in 1991 and you'll immediately be battered over the bonce with the notion that the genre choice was the craziest slathering of nutty paste on toast, dished up on the wrong side of Planet Looney Bin. What they
don't trouble themselves to explain is what would be more suitable. A World War II shoot 'em up? Shuttle simulator set in outer space? How about a stealthy first-person shooter starring Kylie Minogue armed with a monkey wrench and oil canisters? Perhaps a point and click adventure that hones in on the life and times of, say, Harold Bishop? You could help him serve sandwiches in the coffee shop, in his downtime learning how to play the trombone with the Salvation Army while waiting for arthritis to make claws of the musical maestro's digits.
What we were actually treated to is a skateboarding arcade simulator in which we play as Scott Robinson, pitted against some of Ramsay Streets most memorable residents riding various forms of idiosyncratically relevant transport, set against the backdrop of a selection of recognisable locations. It's alright as an action-oriented, ten-minute distraction, crammed full of Aussie stereotypes designed to appeal to Brits who know no better. No doubt ticking all of Grundy TV's approval criteria, it's visually appealing, styled according to a cute, cartoony aesthetic, non-violent, includes a smattering of Neighbours' most famous cast and displays all the obligatory license holder's badges.
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