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Joy Ride Turbo announced for Xbox Live Arcade

Microsoft kart racer ditches Kinect for second outing.

A sequel to critically-savaged Kinect effort Joy Ride launches on Xbox Live Arcade soon, Microsoft has announced, and this time around it's ditched the motion controls.

As detailed on its PlayXBLA blog, Joy Ride Turbo is a "controller-based" arcade racer offering "precision handling".

There's a new Stunt Park to race around in, 42 vehicles to unlock, tracks new and old to master, eight player online racing and four way local split-screen.

Turbo features three different game modes: Battle Race, Pro Race and Time Trial. See the screens below for a closer look.

A firm release date wasn't mentioned, though the announcement promised its "launch is just weeks away".

Its predecessor, initially announced as a traditional controller-only effort before later shoe-horning in Kinect controls, received a pounding from critics when it launched in November 2010.

"It's not that Joy Ride doesn't work - it works perfectly well, within its own clear limitations - it's just that it's not something you'll want to play more than once or twice, with or without a pad in your hands," read Eurogamer's 5/10 Joy Ride review.