Skating game big surprise

Skateboarding? Skateboarding? Isn't this Shaun White dude better known for snowboarding? He sure is.

Shaun White Skateboarding
For: PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, PC
From: Ubisoft

In fact, the baggy-panted man they call The Flying Tomato is one of the all time great snowboarders, and a Winter Olympic gold medallist.

There have been previous Shaun White Snowboarding games but this is the great ginga's first foray into the board on wheels.

To my utter surprise, the game is actually very good.

Skatie types might even say it is dope.

Comparisons will obviously immediately have to be made with the long-running Tony Hawk series and EA's relatively recent Skate series.

Tony Hawk set the early standard but has faded rather badly in recent years.

And the Skate games, to me, seemed to make a bright start but then get too complicated.

Shaun White threatens to make an early mistake by hiding a skateboarding game inside some sort of futuristic storyline.

The idea is that a shady group called The Ministry is in charge, forcing everybody to conform and live inside a (literally) grey world.

Only through the creativity and expression of skateboarding can the city you live in come alive again.

I know, I know.

That just sounds awful.

But the gameplay is so enjoyable you forgive the devisers of this cringe-worthy concept.

Simple controls are mapped to each analog stick to control your skater - you have to create a dude rather than be White, which is a little disappointing - and the tricks he can pull.

The movements are smooth and the tricks, at least the basic ones, are a doddle.

More can be unlocked, as can dozens of items of funky streetwear.

There's a much gentler difficulty curve than in other skateboarding games.

I particularly rate the fact you hardly ever fall off.

Skating freely around a cityscape is nothing new but the game offers innovation in the form of ramps that basically build themselves when you skate on to them, and pipes that transport you through the air in an outrageous but enjoyable break from reality.

A "flow" meter judges how prolifically and effectively you are pulling off moves and tricks, and comes into play for specific tasks.

A gamer like me wants to pick up a skateboarding title and have fun.

Quick, accessible fun.

Shaun White Skateboarding does the trick.

 

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