The sequel has dropped, OlliOlli 2 : Welcome to Olliwood is finally here…  and it’s been driving me mental for the past week.

Before I start writing a review, I generally try to spend about a week playing it so that I get the full experience.
It has been a tumultuous week playing/reviewing OlliOlli 2, filled with laughs,  shouts of joy and screams of agonising pain…

The game looks stunning, and being a console game it looks bloody marvellous on my Sony Bravia 50″ screen. Unlike it’s predecessor which was styled in pixel art, OlliOll2 is all clean lined vector, giving it a pristine look that really translates well to larger screens. It really is a beautiful game.

But like with many beautiful women, there is a bite.
The game is difficult. But it’s difficulty is determined by how you choose to play it. You see, there is a robust trick system which temps you to get air time, then swirl your D-Pad this way and that, before plating a perfect landing. The more adventurous you are with these tricks to sooner you will be sliding on your face.

Even if keeping aerial tricks to a minimum, the game is still mercilessly cruel with creative level design that is sure to make you squirm. I’m certain the game’s level designers at Roll7 had an absolute lol party when putting this game together.

Get ready to fail and fall and fail…. It’s a complete rage replay mechanic, but thankfully it’s really quick to replay at the touch of a button with minimal load time involved.

But like many endeavours in life, from pain eventually comes pleasure, and once you master this baby, you will be grinding across volcanoes like a boss.

The game is good, but I personally prefer a difficulty curve that lets me feel like I’m godly every now and then. Sometimes with OlliOlli 2, it just feels like the game is just kidney punching you in the corner of a boxing ring. I like a challenge as much as the next guy, but dance with me a bit first, let me feel like I’m in the lead and not just holding on by the skin of teeth.

If raging is your thing you will love OlliOlli 2, available now on PSN and Xbox Live