Wakeboarding Unleashed featuring Shaun Murray

Published by Activision
Developed by Shaba Games
Platform: Xbox
Released - Out Now
Price : £39.99

No other publisher has such a hold on the extreme sports genre as Activision. First of all there was the Tony Hawk's series and then we had Matt Hoffman's Pro BMX, Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarding and of course, not forgetting Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer. Whilst non of the titles that came after the Tony Hawk's series have quite equalled it's greatness, it's fair to say that they have been good titles and fans of the extreme sport in question have probably appreciated them. The same can be said for the latest title in the Activision O2 collection, Wakeboarding Unleashed featuring Shaun Murray.

I doubt whether there are many fans of wakeboarding here in the UK but it doesn't really matter because if you've bought any of the titles in the Activision O2 collection and enjoy how the game played then the chances are that you'll enjoy Wakeboarding Unleashed. Wakeboarding is similar to water skiing except that a single board is used and of course the tricks are more extreme. The wakeboarder is pulled along by a speedboat and there are various rails and slopes from which to pull tricks. You can even let go of the rope occasionally (this will give you a sudden increase in momentum in certain situations) providing you call for the rope, by pressing the L trigger, soon after to request the rope back again. This may seem a strange concept but all the basic game mechanics from the Activision O2 range are here and you'll be able to perform the usual grinds, inverts and grabs etc.

Tony Hawks Pro Skater 4 revolutionised the O2 series with a time limit only occurring when a challenge had been set. Because of the nature of the sport this format would have been nigh on impossible to use in Wakeboarding Unleashed. Instead the levels play similar to the ones in Aggressive Inline. There is no time limit as such, instead you have a groove meter that slowly empties but successful trick combinations will refill. Should this meter completely empty then your time will be up. If you don't allow it to empty though you can carry on for as long as you like.

The single player game consists of a free ride, a free drive and a career mode. Of course the career mode is what you purchase the game for and after picking one of the included wakeboarders, Shaun Murray, Parks Bonifay, Dallas Friday, Tara Hamilton, Cobe Mikacich, Darin Shapiro and Colin Wright etc., you'll take part in a tutorial and then play your way through 11 different locations including Lake Powell, Florida, Hong Kong, Venice and Springfield. You can't create your own customised wakeboarder, which is a shame but you get to give skill points to your chosen wakeboarder. The seven skill categories are Jump High, Hang Time, Turning, Air Control, Rail Balance, Carve Balance and Switch. As you progress through the game you'll earn additional skill points that can be added to a skill category of your choice. To add a little something extra to the gameplay there are boards that you can unlock that will give you extra abilities.

Just like in previous O2 games, each destination has certain objectives that must be met. These objectives are displayed before the start of a level. In addition to the standard objectives there are also groove challenges that have to be unlocked. It all feels very familiar, perhaps too familiar, despite the change of sports you definitely get a feeling of deja-vu. The 2-player mode attempts to add some variety to the game and even features a co-operative mode where one of you drives the boat and the other controls the wakeboarder. It makes a nice change but it's not a feature that you'll go back to.

Graphically it's obvious that the game was designed with the PlayStation 2 in mind. That's not to say it doesn't look good though and it's certainly up there with any title in the O2 series. The water and wake effects are particularly impressive and for that matter so is the framerate which doesn't falter. There are a couple of collision detection problems here and there but nothing to spoil the enjoyment of the game.

Wakeboarding Unleashed is fine for deaf gamers. Importantly the rather useful tutorial, that has you up and running with the game in minutes, is given exclusively in text. All objectives and groove challenges etc. are given in text. The text is very clear and easy on the eyes, even on a small TV.

Wakeboarding Unleashed is a solid addition to the O2 series. The sport may have changed but the game is perhaps a little too familiar for those who have played a few titles in the series. The next title in the Tony Hawk's series certainly promises to revitalise the O2 series but Wakeboarding Unleashed, in many ways is just more of the same. Nevertheless it's still an enjoyable game.

Overall Game Rating: 7.9/10
Whilst it all feels a little too familiar, and it's a shame you can't create a custom waveboarder, it's still a worthy addition to the Activision O2 series.

Deaf Gamers comment:
No problems for deaf gamers. All tutorial tips and objectives are shown in text.