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Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip Review for Nintendo Wii

Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip Review for Nintendo Wii

Porting 360 and PS3 titles over to the Wii is tricky business. Graphically, the Wii simply cannot match the power of its Microsoft and Sony counterparts. Likewise, trying to emulate traditional controls on the revolutionary Wii Remote is a recipe for disaster.

Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip screenshot

That’s why third-party developers must create titles from the ground up specifically for Wii. Thankfully, Ubisoft Montreal has done just that with Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip for Wii. The stylized cartoon presentation, compatibility with the Wii Balance Board, intuitive use of the Wii Remote, forgiving, casual gameplay, and fully fleshed out multiplayer features emphasize the simple gaming pleasures to be found on Nintendo’s console.

Road Trip is a highly accessible and enjoyable title for Wii owners. The premise of the game revolves around a tight knit group of snowboarders, which soon grows to incorporate new friends, hot on the tail of the wily Shaun White. This ‘Road Trip’ will take players around the globe, from the Canadian Rockies to the Chilean Andes, and even all the way to the slopes of Japan. Players will choose both a rider and camera man, each with their own skills and stat bonuses. Along the way, players will best time, point, and collection goals of varying difficulty, accumulate mementos, and open up tickets to new events strewn across the varied mountains. As more friends become available, players will have to switch between the various crew members in order to utilize their unique abilities to more efficiently pass the challenges. Accumulating points in the Respect meter will allow you to activate each rider’s special skills. This career mode can be played as a single-player or can be gone through with a friend in some split-screen action.

Road Trip is fully compatible with the Wii Balance Board and utilizes a combination of the board and Wii Remote. The use of the Balance Board is both intuitive and responsive. Plus, it adds a significant amount of challenge. Not surprisingly, the Balance Board does a fine job of mimicking an actual snowboard; players will find a level of immersion by using this setup that is unmatched by any other previous game. Carving sharp turns in conjunction with the B button, hopping obstacles and launching off hits by pressing down on the board with your feet, and pulling off grabs, grinds, and flips with a combination of the A, B, and A+B buttons along with pressure sensitive inputs on the board is quite instinctive and an engaging experience overall. The only downside I found was that I experienced some neck strain and toe cramping after prolonged use. Also, there is a learning curve involved that may be challenging for non-boarders and truly casual gamers. That’s not a bad thing by any means, as more committed gamers will find this to be the setup of choice.

Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip screenshot

Graciously, for the uninitiated and couch potatoes, Ubisoft has also made an equally compelling scheme with a simpler, more streamlined single-Wii Remote approach (no Nunchuk). Players can sit back and relax while still enjoying the game via motion controls. The Wii Remote is held in one hand horizontally on a plane with the IR camera pointed toward the screen. Players carve turns by gently titling the remote left and right. Turns can be made tighter by depressing the B trigger. If you want to hold a tuck, simply hold down A. Performing Ollies is done by jerking the Wii Remote vertically. Once airborne, players will perform grabs and tricks by titling the remote and holding down the desired face button to modify and link combos. This setup is decidedly more user-friendly and I was impressed by just how much fun it actually is to use. Going into the review, I figured the Balance Board was going to be the only way to go. After playing it, I can safely say that both control setups are equally solid.

One thing players will notice right away is that this game has been severely Nerfed for children and casual gamers. Pulling off grinds, maintaining balance (even after hitting tress), and landing truly gnarly air combos is extremely easy. The game will compensate for sloppy execution by keeping your rider on their feet. It’s not that you can’t fall, it’s just that the game does all it can to keep you boarding. This has the effect of keeping pacing very high, but also limits the challenge factor. Thankfully, players are still rewarded with point bonuses and multipliers for landing perfectly and executing tricks proficiently. What’s more, every run you open will have a two-part goal system that rewards casual players with a Dare objective and challenges core players with a Respect objective. Conquering the Dare portion will tick the level as finished and earn you the right to advance to the next portion of the slope. If you best the Respect portion, you will earn a second check mark as well as mementos for your superior skills. That means both casual and core gamers alike will find a lot of fun in this title; the casual crowd won’t get bogged down, and the core has a something to shoot for.

Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip screenshot

In addition to the Road Trip, up to four players can participate in competitive multiplayer modes. Of course, the Wii only supports one Balance Board, so players will have to take turns using the controller during split-screen play. As such, it is a bit easier to instead participate in the Hotseat mode, which simply has players taking turns. Unfortunately, some of the multiplayer fun is diminished by doing so. Nevertheless, it’s still fun to share with friends regardless of which mode you choose.

Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip screenshot

Graphics in Road Trip really play to the Wii’s strengths. The realistic slopes and boarders found in the 360 and PS3 versions have been eschewed for a stylized, cartoon look. Still, the overall visuals are quite pleasing on the eye. I especially liked just how distinct each mountain environment looked and played out. Also, simple effects like glowing Respect skills, snow-covered riders after wipeouts, smooth animations, camera glitches, and bits of snow flying up to obscure the camera lens all complement the action nicely. I was also impressed by the lack of jaggies; this led to a smooth and rounded out look.

On the other hand, sound is somewhat of a mixed bag. I really enjoyed the set list throughout the game, including groups such as Blue Oyster Cult, Kasabian, the Draytones, and Audioslave. But, I felt that the rockin’ themes became very repetitive. However, a touch of the 1 button allows you to skip ahead through the available tracks. This is a great feature, but frequently I found myself tapping it inadvertently. That means I had to cycle back through and listen to the song from the beginning, while still trying to pull off combos and nail grinds. Additionally, the hoots and cheers from your inspired cameraman are nice, and Shaun White’s voice mails are humorous though a bit trite and clichéd. All in all, the aural presentation fits the package nicely.

If you’re looking for a sports title that captures the challenge of the Tony Hawk Pro Skater days, you’ll be disappointed with Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip for Wii. This is a very forgiving title that makes cruising down virtual slopes with friends a joy. Fortunately, it emphasizes the strengths of the Wii without completely dumbing down the final product. As such, a wide range of players should enjoy this whimsical tour through the boarding world.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 3.9 Graphics
The stylized, cartoon look and the varied environments were pleasing on the eye if not completely inspiring. Nevertheless, kudos goes to the dev team for playing to the Wii’s strengths. 4.1 Control
Both the Wii Remote and Remote and Balance Board combo are very intuitive and offer distinct challenges, and the Balance Board offers an unmatched level of immersion. However, the controls never attain Tony Hawk Pro Skater perfection. 3.7 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The set list is varied and enjoyable, though the songs do get repetitive. The voice over work, while appropriate, is clichéd. 3.9

Play Value
This game should appeal to wide range of Wii owners. The single-player is fun yet very short, but the local multiplayer features nicely round out the experience.

3.9 Overall Rating – Good
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.

Game Features:

  • Hit the Slopes with the Wii Balance Board: Get yourself into the game like never before by using the Balance Board to control your rider. Control your jumps and tricks with the intuitiveness and fun of having a snowboard in your own living room.
  • Exclusive World Tour: Everybody loves a road trip! You and your crew travel the world to participate in a variety of the fun and exciting events to become a world-renowned athlete. Hit the half-pipe competitions, race down the mountains, or just do some free-riding – there’s plenty of boarding action to satisfy all your needs.
  • Round the Globe with Shaun White: Ubisoft worked in close contact with Shaun White in order to infuse the experience with the most authentic elements of his riding style, personality and sense of humor. Shaun will act as a good-natured friend and mentor to the player, hooking him up with the right friends to conquer challenges together, introduce him to new locales, or simply be around to share in a laugh.
  • Play Together: Engage in a seamlessly integrated multiplayer experience for two to four players in both cooperative and competitive gameplay.
  • Get Your Own Crew: In the world of snowboarding, it pays to have friends on your side. Your crew of friends will always be there to help you by offering you unique abilities to improve both your riding and keeping you grounded with friendly pranks; filming all the antics along the way.
  • Dare to Be the Best: Undertaking Dares from your friends will lead you to snowboard in a variety of events such as Slopestyles, Big Airs, Half Pipes, Rail Jams, Slaloms, Bordercross and Downhill events. You can even chill in the backcountry with your friends and enjoy riding at your own pace.

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