Free Avatar racing game Joy Ride is coming to XBLA, in the fashion of a Korean MMO.
One of the more unusual announcements for the Xbox 360 today was the release of Avatar-supported racing game Joy Ride.
It would be easy to dismiss amid the flurry of Natal tech demos and Facebook upgrades to Xbox Live, but consider the features:
The game will be issued as a free download playable online for all Xbox Live Gold members. Following the popular model of Korean MMOs, even though the base game is free, players will be able to pay to download new tracks, game modes and avatar items, according to Microsoft's press release. Players will be able to share tracks and game modes.
Microsoft also notes that the game will allow players to "jump, flip and trick your way through the Stunt Park as you work with the whole community to unlock rewards." Looks like there might be some sort of community-goal-oriented design a la Noby Noby Boy.
The game is developed by Big Park, a studio recently acquired by Microsoft Game Studios.