Early in the Wii’s life, Activision
released the first motion-controlled Tony Hawk game: Downhill Jam. It was an
exciting and entirely different style for the Tony Hawk franchise, and gave way
to much promise – and years of anticipation – that these kinds of
racing-inspired, motion-based gaming experiences would continue.
But it wasn’t until Shaun White
Snowboarding: Road Trip arrived that the experience finally did. Combining a
host of likable outdoor locations with intuitive motion controls and high replay
value, Shaun White Snowboarding was an instant hit.
Now that 2009 is coming to a close,
Activision has taken the Tony Hawk series in yet another direction, this time
bringing a new skateboard controller (and a new Tony Hawk game) to all three
consoles. Ubisoft, on the other hand, is playing it safe with Shaun White
Snowboarding: World Stage, a Wii-exclusive sequel that was made to please the
existing fan base.
Aside from the presentation, which
has transformed the career mode menu into a 2D, almost cel-shaded arena of
clickable options, World Stage is very similar to the original. The courses are
new, but since they’re covered in snow and featuring similar patterns of rails
and ramps, don’t feel bad if you mistake them for older offerings.
World Stage proudly touts its
support of the two leading Wii peripherals – the MotionPlus and the Balance
Board – on the front of the box. While that notice means you’ll be able to play
through the game using the Balance Board, the box fails to clarify that its
MotionPlus support has absolutely nothing to do with playing the game. From an
advertising standpoint, that makes it look as though the MotionPlus logo was put
on the box solely to excite potential buyers. Whether or not that’s the case,
Ubisoft would have been wiser to promote the reason why it is being used: to
allow us to design our own stunts.
On paper, the idea sounds
impractical – why would you need a motion-enhancing device to create a new
stunt? Well, let’s all pause for a moment and picture ourselves as tiny Wii
remotes sliding across the snow. If we hit a ramp, what might we do? Would we
stand still and crash? I wouldn’t advise it; our batteries would surely get wet.
But if we wanted to show off a bit, we’d probably spin around in all directions,
twisting and turning like the Flying Tomato this game was named after.
That’s where the MotionPlus becomes
an essential addition – without it, the mode isn’t even accessible because you
wouldn’t be able to twist and turn in real-time. But with it attached, every
move you make is pulled into the game. Thus, virtually any cool trick you can
imagine is possible. The only catch is that you have to straighten your boarder
before landing so that he doesn’t crash. Land successfully (even a sub-par
landing counts) and the game will automatically turn your crazy motions into an
easy-to-execute stunt that can be performed again and again with nothing more
than flicks (of the Wii remote) and button taps.
Take these stunts into the main game
to compete in dozens of challenges. Using the Wii remote is simple and
intuitive; with a mixture of light tilts, minor flicks and holds or taps of the
A and B buttons, players can sail across the snow with ease. The game speed is
fast and the frame rate is consistent, never giving the player a chance to tire
of or become frustrated by the competitions.
It takes a bit more skill to get
into the Balance Board controls, which are solid but still depend on the Wii
remote (the developers haven’t figured out a way to go board-only…yet). Luckily,
your feet will do most of the work, as you’ll need to position yourself on
various parts of the board – and shift your weight accordingly – to move and
perform each stunt. The remote is used to dictate which trick you wish to
execute; since the Nunchuk is not a part of the World Stage experience, you only
have to worry about holding the A and/or B buttons.
There are tons of boarders to
control, and while most of them mean very little to me (I enjoy the Shaun White
Snowboarding series as a fan of great snowboarding games, not as a diehard fan
of the real-life sport), their stats – speed, jump, grip, landing and mass – are
something that everyone will notice.
Shaun White Snowboarding: World
Stage is every bit the sequel fans of the original had hoped for. The new stunt
creation system is excellent (and makes the MotionPlus worth buying if you don’t
already have one), the controls are great – they should be since they came
straight from the original – and the replay value is fairly high. Multiplayer is
confined to offline-only split-screen content, but if you have some local
friends that are into snowboarding games, this feature should be real treat.
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Gameplay: 8.3
Excellent motion-based snowboarding bliss with hours of competitions and
potentially limitless options in creating your own stunts.
Graphics: 6.0
We’re really starting to see the Wii’s graphical limitations. World Stage
isn’t a bad game, but don’t be surprised if you feel like you’ve just picked up
a bargain game from your retailer’s clearance section.
Sound: 5.0
Lame sounds, voices and music are all you’ll get from World Stage.
Difficulty: Easy/Medium
This mainstream-friendly snowboarding game won’t give much of a challenge
the hardcore 1080 Degrees Snowboarding crowd. (That crowd still is out there and
actively seeking an unofficial successor to their favorite game…right?)
Concept: 7.0
Conceptually, World Stage isn’t all that different from Road Trip. The new
stunt creator deserves a lot of attention though; it may not turn the whole game
into something innovative, but it is a can’t-miss feature.
Multiplayer: 7.0
Offline-only (the "Wi-Fi" hype on the box applies only to leaderboards), but
the co-op and competitive options are cool nonetheless.
Overall: 8.0
With existing content that is still great and a new stunt creation feature
that is awesome and amazing, Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage is a great
sequel to a really great game.
