We Ski takes up to four players down a virtual mountain while taking full advantage of the Wii’s motion controls. In fact, We Ski even allows one lucky player to utilize the Wii Balance Board in order to carve their turns. As you might have already guessed, We Ski is a family-friendly title. As such, it probably won’t appeal to a lot of core gamers. Nevertheless, Namco Bandai did a very nice job of bringing the glory of the mountains to the confines of your living room. We Ski is the perfect complement to WiiFit and will greatly appeal to anyone who purchased that title.
We Ski is a simple game consisting of one idyllic mountain resort with 13 runs which cover terrain of varying difficulty. Happy Ski Resort, or HSR, is full of groomed cruisers, mogul fields, steep pistes, and big air hits. The runs and vistas at HSR are nicely conceptualized and beautifully rendered. However, don’t daydream for too long or you’ll end up running into one of the many skiing enthusiasts that fill the resort. Thankfully, there aren’t too many random skiers to tarnish the experience, but there are enough that the mountain does seem to come alive. Along the way you’ll have the opportunity to meet many of them and challenge them to races, run errands for them, or even go on mountain-wide scavenger hunts.
However, before your ski vacation can start, you and your friends will have to register your characters through the Registration menu. Registration allows you to import your favorite Miis or customize one of the characters provided by the game. If you select a Mii as your avatar, you won’t be able to change facial features such as goggles and hats, but you will still be able to tweak the outfits and equipment. After getting your characters settled, it is best to head over to the Ski School to learn the ins and outs of both the basic controls and the more advanced maneuvers. This tutorial is very complete and will get anyone ready for the game in about 20 minutes.
After blowing through the minutia, players are given two modes of play from which to choose. Ski Race is a straightforward mode that allows one to four players to select between three competitive racing types known as Race (fastest one down), Slalom (best time through the gates), and Moguls (best overall grade on the course).
In Freestyle, players can either ski during the day or night, freely roam the entire mountain, participate in various racing events, or take on any of the myriad challenges found scattered throughout the slopes. This is the main mode of play, and subsequently, will see the majority of play time. The various runs are laid out like courses and players will find challenges on all 13 of them. I enjoyed the distinct character of each course, and I especially liked the open feel of the mountain. Players can quickly access any section of the mountain via the mini-map, or they can take their time, follow the vertical drop, and hit the strategically-placed quad chairlifts.
Freestyle mode is more than just cruising around. It also has players acquire Star Points for winning CPU races, slalom time trials, and mogul competitions. Additionally, beating trick and turn challenges, completing rescue and lost skier missions, and even just skiing really well on each course will net you SP. Accumulating SP will open up a bunch of equipment and other goodies in the Registration menu to further customize your look.
Essentially, the better you ski the more points you will earn and the higher ranks you will achieve. Ski Ranking is tied to each individual profile and is made up of both letter grades for specific course sections and Pin Rank. Players will only get the coveted rank of S+ on a course by going fast, maintaining good balance, and pulling off sweet tricks. Ideally, players will get an S+ rank on every course and accumulate enough Star Points to obtain the tenth Pin Rank, which is a long and challenging process indeed.
Unfortunately, these challenges and missions get tiresome after a while, and I longed for additional mountains to open up. Alas, players are stuck skiing the same 13 runs over and over. Furthermore, pulling off tricks such as 360s, flips, Daffies, Spread Eagles, Rodeos, and the like are all really fun, but you can only execute them on specific jumps sparsely scattered throughout the mountain. I wanted to be able to pull off grabs and tricks all over the place, and sadly, that’s not an option.
The sounds and graphics are very good. The musical theme is a little bit grating, but the occasional classic Namco beats and the PA announcer make up for it. As previously mentioned, the mountain and its vistas are beautifully rendered and the character art is humorous and interesting. The little skiers with whom you’ll interact look like a cross between Shin Chan and Fraggles. I also enjoyed the equipment and outfit selection. In fact, I even had the very effeminate, in-game photographer snap a picture of my Mii for your viewing pleasure. I’m not exactly sure why he kept calling me “sweetie,” but it could have been due to my tight-fitting 80s unisuit, or maybe it was my clashing leopard-skin mittens. In any case, I struck a pose I’m sure he’ll want to keep in his wallet!
I would be remiss if I didn’t discuss just how good the controls are. Whether using the Wii Remote and Nunchuk or combining them with the Wii Balance Board, We Ski feels great! I cruised around the mountain for about an hour with just hand-controlled components and was surprised at just how good the controls were. After that, I decided to break out the Wii Balance Board and was thrilled to find out that the experience became exponentially better!
Doubtless, if you pick up this title without picking up a Wii Balance Board you’ll definitely be missing out. However, the game is still fun and easily controlled even if you can’t shell out the cash for the entire rig. Interestingly enough, the game is only compatible with one Balance Board at a time. This thwarts a lot of the fun that otherwise could have been had with multiple players. I don’t think this is the developer’s fault though. I’m pretty sure that this is a problem with the peripheral itself. Hopefully, this issue will be solved in the future because the Wii Balance Board is a quality product that could revolutionize several alternative sports titles.
Along that line of thought, I can’t wait for the next edition of 1080° to come out! Simply by flipping the Balance Board parallel rather than perpendicular to the player will completely revitalize that franchise. The fact that I’m dreaming of the possibilities of a great 1080° title says a lot about some of We Ski’s downfalls. Even though We Ski is pretty fun, it will not speak to the majority of core gamers. Things like not being able to pull tricks wherever you want, hitting powder-laden tree runs, cruising back country bowls, or having a substantial career mode to lavish over make this title feel shallow. Even still, I think this is a great game for families and players that don’t mind some lighthearted fun.
RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 4.0 Graphics
The runs and vistas are very nicely rendered. 4.5 Control
The game controls great regardless of whether you use the Wii Balance Board or not. However, those who can’t afford to purchase the entire rig will miss out on a lot of the fun. 3.0 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
I enjoyed the occasional classic Namco tune in the background, but sounds and music were definitely not a priority during development. 3.2
Play Value
The solid controls make the game enjoyable, but the lack of depth and repetitive courses get tiresome.
3.5 Overall Rating – Good
Not an average. See Rating legend above for a final score breakdown.
Game Features: