Joy Ride Message Board

So uh, you guys remember Kinect Joy Ride, that launch-window Kinect kart racing title from November of 2010? Well, developer BigPark is making a sequel: Joy Ride Turbo. As you can surmise from the peculiar lack of the word "Kinect" in the title, Joy Ride Turbo will, in fact, not be a Kinect game when it launches in the coming weeks.

The game will launch as an XBLA title, rather than a full retail release like its predecessor. It features Battle Race, Pro Race and Time Trial modes, as well as a new "Stunt Park," which allows players to drive over cliffs and out of cannons at (presumably) very high speeds.

Exploring the park yields new rides (42 in total), upgrades, as well as coins and trophies of unknown significance. Local multiplayer is supported for up to four players, with races capping out at eight drivers online. Steal a glance at some aerial automotive avatar acrobatics in the gallery below.

A live-action simulation of playing Kinect Joy Ride.

#review Combine racing video games with air guitar and you've got Kinect Joy Ride, a game that just might be the closest we get to a Wii Sports of the Kinect launch. More »

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Just when Joy Ride seemed kaput, it's been confirmed as a title for Microsoft's Kinect (the official name of Project Natal). The social racer was recently removed from Xbox.com, though Microsoft assured us that "BigPark's vision" was still slated for 2010. Apparently BigPark's vision involves adding Kinect motion controls, with USA Today revealing that the game will have players "hold an imaginary steering wheel" and use their bodies "to execute jumps and tricks." No further details were given, though it seems likely we'll hear more as E3 builds up steam later this week.

It appears that Joy Ride has been wiped as cleanly as possible from Xbox.com. Its game page is missing, and even the link to it from MS's E3 page has been removed. Joystiq contacted Microsoft for clarification and a spokesperson responded, "We're excited to bring BigPark's vision to life in 2010. However, we have nothing further to announce at this time." We followed up, specifically asking if "BigPark's vision" was still Joy Ride, if the game was currently in development and if it'd be shown at E3. The company has yet to respond to the request for clarification.

The latest on Joy Ride's status after it missed its 2009 launch was that it was going to be released sometime in 2010. Microsoft purchased Joy Ride developer BigPark last year and announced the kart racer with Avatar support at E3 2009. We'll update if Microsoft decides to let us see what's going on under the hood.

[Thanks, Pibs]

Reports suggest the free ride is no longer free.