As a
snowboarder and fan of snowboarding games, both Amped and the SSX games gave
fans of the genre two different yet engaging styles that made these games
favorites. Then along comes a game like Stoked that attempts to compete against
the big-named snowboarding games and actually does a rather decent job of
bringing us a flawed yet satisfying game for the serious snowboarding
enthusiast.
That’s
right, I said this is a satisfying game for the serious snowboarding enthusiast
because Stoked isn’t quite welcoming to the more casual gamer. This is more
obvious early in the game when you are asked to perform elaborate tricks without
being explained how they’re performed. If you have no idea what a Chicken
Salad is or a Mosquito Air is then you’ll be constantly be turning to the
instruction manual or the accompanying Grab Bible to tell you how to pull the
trick off.
You start
the game’s single-player mode by creating your own snowboarder from scratch but
don’t expect many options. From here, the game’s menu screen allows you to
customize different aspects of your snowboarder’s career as well as watch video
footage you unlock while playing the game. There are five real-life mountains to
take on but the only one available from the start is Almirante Nieto in Chile.
Of course, a few of the spots open are basically used as a tutorial but you will
find the beginning of this game is actually quite slow and it drags on for a
good portion of the game.
It isn’t
until you start getting noticed by real pros such as Travis Rice, Nicolas
Mueller as well as Annie Boulanger that you start earning Fame points as well as
receive Pro Challenges. Completing Pro Challenges is the road to becoming a pro
yourself and thus being featured on the cover of magazines such as Method
Snowboarding Magazine. You’ll also earn the right to perform a pro rider’s
unique moves such as Tadashi Fuse’s stylized Tailgrab Boned or Wolle Nyvelt’s
own One Foot Melon move. Once the media thinks you’re hot stuff, you’ll even get
Media Challenges.
Speaking of
moves, Stoked does an excellent job of including numerous grab moves, air style
shiftys (such as a Tail Bone) and Butters moves (like a no-hands Nose Ride). The
game’s controls make good use of the analog sticks and both triggers to pull off
a variety of stylized moves. Even picking up speed, jumping and grinding starts
feeling very natural the more you play. What doesn’t really work, however, is
the physics that can make for some rather clumsy and unrealistic moments.
Smacking into the back of a shack, for instance, my rider didn’t slam against it
and fall back … he bounced off it like a rubber ball and spun off screen.
Sometimes my rider would make a perfect landing but still fall flat on his face.
As I
mentioned above, the game does start off slowly but when it does pick up you’ll
be riding through various spots on each of the five mountains with the change –
later in the game – to take a helicopter in different spots and just snowboard
without worrying about objectives to complete. Whether you’re riding on Mt. Fuji
various killer spots or Mt. Shuksan’s challenging runs. The objectives start off
simple enough (earn 35,000 points in a single run) and then become a tad more
complex the more fame you acquire (perform five objectives without bailing
once). If you missed a few spots or objectives, you can always call up the
helicopter to take you back up to the starting point.
Interestingly enough, each mountain offers a diverse number of spots and the
weather plays a role in making an easy spot seem a little more challenging. At
night, for example, a blizzard might make visibility more difficult or it can
even change the wind direction. Thankfully, you have a phone you can access to
check out any weather changes. Also, the game does a rather good job of making
you feel like you’re accomplishing something. It feels great to see your rider
performing your own stylized trick on the cover of a magazine. Plus, there’s a
fun online multiplayer mode you can jump into via the phone.
Stoked isn’t
a very pretty game either, although the mountains and other environmental
details do look good afar and up close. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said
about the character models and most objects (like the helicopter, for instance)
that looks as if the game was better suited as an original Xbox game. There are
some decent effects in the game and video is delightfully crisp but this is a
game that just could have looked a lot better on the Xbox 360.
At least the
sound fares better with quite a collection of tunes from some unknown artists
that actually works well for a snowboarding game. Aside from an eclectic
soundtrack, there’s some Ok voice acting but don’t expect much from the pro
riders. It would have been great if there was more to the sound effects and
background noises than just the swooshing sound of your board and the hecklers
just waiting for you to crash and burn.
Stoked for
the Xbox 360 is actually a fun game that manages to leap over some of its flaws
that hold it back from being as great as some of the snowboarding game
favorites. While some of the more obvious problems are too difficult ignore,
it’s hard not to enjoy the things the game does right. If you’re willing to
overlook these problems, Stoked isn’t such a bad game to purchase if you like
fun snowboarding simulator.
Gameplay: 7.5
With a slow start
and poor physics, Stoked has a number of problems that makes this game feel like
a true budget title. However, the plentiful challenges, awesome trick list and
real-life mountains that are quite inviting, the game is actually fun for fans
of snowboarding games.
Graphics: 6.5
Visually
speaking, Stoked looks awful in places. The mountains and snow are easily the
best features in the game but the character animations and appearance are
horrible. The clipping problems really have no place in an Xbox 360 game.
Sound: 7.5
There are a large
number of tunes that aren’t bad at all, whether you like alternative rock,
hip-hop or techno. Unfortunately, the sound effects are very minimal in the game
and the voices in the game can get a tad repetitive.
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
The good news is
that the game doesn’t hold your hand so snowboarding veterans will feel
comfortable with the game but if you don’t know a Stalefish from a Stalefish
Tuckknee then you are out of luck. The Pro Challenges are actually challenging
too.
Concept: 7.5
There are five
mountains based on real mountains whether you always dreamed of grabbing your
board and hitting the powder in Chile or Alaska. With a healthy roster of tricks
and numerous challenges to tackle, there is plenty to do in this game. There’s
also online multiplayer fun to be had.
Multiplayer: 7.5
You can hit your
favorite mountain with up to eight other players via online via Xbox Live and
there are actually so entertaining (like the enjoyable The Ground is Lava mode).
This game is definitely more fun when playing with other gamers.
Overall: 7.5
While it’s not a
strong entry in the snowboarding genre, Stoked is actually a fun game for those
snowboarding enthusiasts willing to overlook the game’s problems. Sure, the
game does start off a bit sluggishly at first but when it picks up you’ll be
certainly enjoying these mountains. Give this one a try if you’re looking for a
more than decent snowboarding game.
