Shaun White Snowboarding doesn't quite carve up the competition.
The paper thin plot behind Shaun White Snowboarding sees you trying to prove your worth to the ginger-haired Shaun White where you'll need to compete in a variety of challenges and collect a number of coins (yes, we are being serious) to unlock greater abilities in order to get your shot at the man himself.
The game sets you loose on four massive mountains spanning locations across the USA, Europe and Japan, each one chock full of coins to collect, challenges to tackle and plenty of jumps and rails for you to muck about on if free-styling is your thing. There are a number of different types of missions to complete, each requiring you to utilise a different set of skills. Some of these objectives will have you tackling a slalom course or racking up trick points on a half pipe while others will require you to collect a certain number of icons or racing down the mountain where not only do you have to arrive in the allotted time, you also have to contest with your opponents throwing snowballs into your mush.
Not quite what mum had in mind when she wanted you to ride the school bus.
Taking a leaf out of Skate's book, SWS's control scheme puts a large focus on the analog sticks and triggers to pull off moves. The right stick allows you to perform a variety of grabs, while the right trigger is used to perform jumps and tweaks. While the control system is quite fluid, the learning curve is way too easy - especially when compared to the robust Flickit system that was introduced in Skate. To get any real difficulty in your trick making, you'll need to add flips and spins to your repertoire as standard aerial moves are way too simple to pull off. While we are all for an easy to use control system, being able to completely master the complexities of a sports title within the first hour of play takes a lot away from the game.
While the control scheme isn't completely on song, one thing that SWS does fantastically is provide you with a great playground atmosphere. With a minimal focus on storyline and challenges, the main goal is to chill out and play on the mountain and SWS lets you play from the highest peak, right down to the base of the mountain. As with the real deal, each section of the mountain provides players with a very different experience. At the peak, there are lots of nooks and crannies for you to navigate and plenty of opportunities to get some big air. As you proceed down the mountain, you'll hit the forest area where there are lots of trees to dodge and things to grind. As you ride towards the base of the mountain, you'll come across the park section which is where the man made obstacles live - giving you a chance to show off your skills on the half pipe or grinding up a series of well placed rails. Another neat feature that the game possesses is the ability to ride the chair lift back up to the peak of the mountain, allowing gamers to really interact with the game world, and with the ability to jump off at any time, players can find an unexplored section of the mountain and instantly jump into action.
Riding the rails has never been easier.
This concept of open-world exploration is not a new idea to gaming as a whole, but it really does suit the style of the game, though ultimately the shallow gameplay mechanics make landing tricks too easy, meaning that you'll soon tire of general exploration of your snowy playground, instead getting stuck into the game's challenges in order to be tested.
A series of challenges are peppered all over every mountain, with each completed challenge getting you one step closer to duking it out with Shaun White. Challenges can be completed singularly or with a bunch of friends online - in actuality the whole title can be played online - and playing with a group of friends is definitely more fun. Attempting a challenge is as simple as making your way over to the challenge marker and getting into it. If you've got a buddy that you'd like to join, it's as simple as inviting them to the challenge and waiting for them to accept your invitation. As explained earlier, there are a number of objectives to complete, but after a couple of hours, what earlier felt like variety now feels like the same objective rehashed over and over again - soon taking what seemed like a compelling title and sending it plummeting back into the realm of the ordinary.
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Yet, the biggest slap in the face is that the game goes from pitching itself as a realistic simulation, does an about face with gimmicky coin collecting allowing you to unlock super human abilities (such as big air and super speed abilities) making you feel like you've jumped into an arcade title like SSX. Ultimately, SWS is like a kid that doesn't know what they want to be when they grow up - instead being a jack of all trades rather than mastering one style of gaming, which is the heart of what holds this game back from being an absolutely brilliant piece of action-sports.
As an audio/visual package, there is a lot to like about SWS. The graphics are crisp and clean - much like the real mountains that the game is trying to emulate. Meanwhile the gameplay itself is smooth, even in online mode where you can be playing with up to fifteen other human players. Aurally, the game provides an eclectic mix of songs on the soundtrack featuring artists such as; Modest Mouse, Run DMC and Goldfinger, giving players a good mix of old school jams and fresh hits to carve up the snow to.
Confusingly caught between the world of arcade and simulation, Shaun White Snowboarding provides a competent look at the snowboarding genre that will draw your attention for a couple of hours, but it won't compel you to stay on the mountain for the long haul.
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