Release: November 16, 2008
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
Publisher: Ubisoft
Genre: Alternative Sports
Ubisoft created Shaun White Snowboarding: Roadtrip for the Xbox 360, Wii and Playstation 3. I have both a Wii and a 360 but I wanted to get the game for the Wii for one simple reason, you have the option to use the Wii Balance Board. I really wanted to play a game that required the balance board other than Wii Fit but didn’t require the use of my butt…
Game navigation and play is pretty self-explanatory. You’re able to travel to five different continents and board down several courses. Each course has a couple of different goals you must fulfill. Some are time based, some are trick based and you must obtain a certain amount of points to advance. If you meet the goals in certain courses, you’re awarded a ride ticket which unlocks other courses and mountains. Occasionally you’re also ‘rewarded’ mementos and emails. I place rewarded in quotes because they’re really more annoying than rewarding. Especially the emails, they’re utterly pointless. You’ll get a few calls from Shaun White himself along the way but all these extras just seem to delay what you really want to be doing- boarding down the courses.
In the beginning you have the choice of of being one of two characters, Gordon or Jasmine. The player that you do not pick automatically becomes your cameraman. New characters become unlocked as you progress through the game and travel to new places. Different characters perform better in various areas like speed, grip, tricks and landing. The player you choose as a cameraman will give your boarder a boost in one ability. I really like and appreciate that there are two playable female characters.
One of the first things I liked about Shaun White Snowboarding was the graphics. They’re uniquely stylized and fit the feel of the game well. Each character has a unique look. To tell the truth I found the cinematic scenes cute and sometimes even funny. Another great aspect of the game I noticed right away was the music. Blue Oyster Cult’s Don’t Fear the Reaper begins playing when you enter the van and meet Gordon and Jasmine. Other artists featured include Run DMC, Social Distortion, Anti-Flag, Audioslave, Corrosion of Conformity, Three Days Grace and Loverboy. It’s a great game soundtrack and I’m glad Ubisoft used existing songs rather than composing new music that probably wouldn’t go along with snowboarding anyway.
Shaun White Snowboarding for the Nintendo Wii can also be played with the Wii Remote. If you have the balance board though, you’ll find it infinitely more interactive and gratifying than using the remote. Using the balance board also requires use of the remote to grip and pull tricks. Leaning back or forward controls your speed. Tricks are done by holding down A, B or both and placing pressure in different areas on the board. Your legs get a bit of a workout in the process. Sadly, the courses lack much difference overall so you end up doing many of the same moves and tricks over and over.
This game is good to play with multiple people, especially since the Wii balance board doesn’t care that weight changes between different players, unlike Wii Fit. This game does have a multiplayer mode but I would play one person at a time however as using the balance board is much more fun. Bottom line, if you own a Wii balance board and want another game to use it with, Shaun White Snowboarding is a great choice.
Popularity: 10% [?]
4 comments