Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip is one of the few Wii games where the Wii gets to say to the Xbox 360 and the PS3 “anything you can do I can do better”. I know that’s a bold statement, but in this case it’s true. Now by better I’m obviously not talking about graphics, although Road Trip is no slouch in that department. No, by better I’m talking about an overall better experience, a more immersive experience, and most importantly, a more fun experience. The Wii version of Shaun White Snowboarding can do things the other consoles just can’t do, and that’s what sets this version apart and even a step above the others.
Road Trip is one of the finest uses of the Wii balance board since…well, since Wii Fit. True, Rayman Raving Rabbids put the balance board to good use, but that was more of a novelty than an integrated game mechanic. In Shaun White Snowboarding, the balance board is a key component to what makes this game so much fun. As you would expect, the balance board plays the role of your virtual snowboard. However, what makes it so fun is that it’s able to emulate this role so well that you may forget at times that you’re just playing a video game. SWS: Road Trip shows just how much potential the balance board has when used properly.
When you first start the game, you’re asked to calibrate the board by standing on it. You can then set the sensitivity to high, medium or low. I found the medium setting to be the most responsive. After that, you grab your Wiimote and it’s off to the slopes. Once you get on the actual snow, it’s a simple matter of rocking back and forth on your heels and toes to steer, not unlike real snowboarding. If you lean forward on your front leg you’ll speed up, lean back and you brake. All very simple and yet surprisingly intuitive and fun once you get used to the nuances of adjusting your weight and balance on the balance board. The fun really starts when you start catching air and doing tricks. Here’s where the Wiimote comes into play. You hold down either A, B or both for different grabs while in the air, and then you lean in a direction on the board to pull off a trick. Lean forward and you’ll flip forward. Lean to the right and you’ll spin. Catch enough air, and you can start pulling off all kinds of crazy combos as you lean and adjust your weight on the balance board. Is it tricky (no pun intended)? You bet. Would it be easier just using a regular controller? Undoubtedly. Would it be as much fun with a regular controller? Not a chance. The Wii balance board and the excellent controls of SWS: Road Trip takes the snowboarding genre to the next level by making it more interactive and immersive than ever; that’s something that all the fancy high-definition polygons of the 360 and the PS3 will never be able to accomplish.
Speaking of polygons, just because the Wii isn’t as powerful as its HD brethren doesn’t mean it can’t produce good looking games, and Road Trip is yet another testament to that fact. Ubisoft wisely discarded the realistic graphical approach used for the other versions and went with a unique, stylized, cel-shaded look for Road Trip. This approach doesn’t make the game feel anymore kiddie, but rather that much more stylish. Plus, the game has some impressive particle effects in the snow, blur effects when you pick up speed, and some really nice lighting effects on the night runs. The frame rate is silky smooth and there are lots of nice little effects like snow spraying the “camera” when you wipe out. It’s a great looking game that also has great sound. The sound of your board on the snow and ice is spot on, the voice acting is competent and extracts more than a few laughs, and the music is fun without being annoying. It’s an all around solid package that makes for a really fun snowboarding game.
Road Trip isn’t without it’s flaws, however. For one, the variety of events is fairly limited, as are your choices of runs. You travel to five different countries, but they still feel pretty similar. Plus, no matter your locale, you still either be racing, trying to score the best score in a certain amount of time, or trying to collect stuff within a certain time limit. This lack of variety keeps the game from feeling fresh for very long, but it does give you the opportunity to truly master some runs. You also don’t have the option to do any character customizing which is a bit of a disappointment.
During the course of the game, you try and catch up with your buddy Shaun White who always seems to be one step in front of you as he’s constantly looking for the best, ultimate snowboarding experience. It’s almost like a Carmen San Diego Snowboarding adventure. Although you may have trouble catching up with your friend, you do find some great places to snowboard that seem fine until Shaun calls and says he’s found some place even better. I guess that’s just a reflection of how we all live life. We so busy trying to find something better, trying to see if the grass really is greener on the other side, that we never really get a chance to enjoy where we are or what we have. Of course the media is constantly telling us that we don’t have enough and although we may think we’re happy, we really can’t be without this amazing new product. Then we all have those friends who are like Shaun White in this video game; they’re always one step ahead and telling us life could be so much better if we were just where they were at, causing us to restlessly chase something that’s just out of reach. Do you ever feel like that? Do you ever feel that true satisfaction and true contentment is perpetually just out of reach? Well, maybe that’s because we’re reaching for the wrong thing. In first Timothy 6:6 Paul told Timothy that godliness with contentment is great gain (NIV). Essentially he’s telling us all that when we reach for godliness, when we reach for that relationship with an almighty and loving God we’ll find what it means to be content and we will gain through that relationship far more satisfaction than anything this world has to offer. Best of all, it’s all within our reach because Jesus Christ died on a cross and rose again from the dead. That miraculous act made it possible for us to reach God and find true contentment and satisfaction. It’s not just beyond our grasp, it’s within our grasp and it’s ours for the taking through Jesus Christ. The truth is even a simple snowboarding run can be far more satisfying with God. You can find contentment on your mountain as you simply admire the beauty God has blessed us with without wondering if it might be better somewhere else. You can no that no matter what someone else may have, or what they may urge you to chase, it isn’t any where near as wonderful or satisfying as what God has for us both now and later when we reach heaven. Sure chasing after the ultimate snowboarding experience by constantly hopping across the world may be a compelling way to play a video game, but it’s no way to play life if you truly want to find satisfaction and contentment.
It seems to me that if you can play a snowboarding video game and end up with sore legs just like you do after a real day on the slopes then that is a game worth playing. Not only do you have the potential of getting into better snowboarding shape in the comfort of your home, you can also enjoy a solid snowboarding experience no matter what season it may be. Best of all, your legs may get a work out, but you won’t feel the pain of not landing your totally wicked trick. Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip provides a fun experience that really is an experience. You can get involved and really feel like you’re snowboarding instead of just pushing buttons. Granted it’s not a perfect experience. The balance board takes some getting used to, the tricks can be tricky to pull off just right, and you may find yourself repeating events a few times over, but it’s still a whole lot of fun. Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip is one trip that’s definitely worth going on.
Score Out of 2:
Graphics: 5 – Slick looking cel-shaded visuals that perfectly fit the Wii. A smooth framerate and some nice particle and lighting effects round out a solid looking game.
Sound: 5 – Some good voice acting, a fun but not annoying soundtrack, and perfect sound effects for your board, snow, ice, wind, wipe outs and more. The perfect audible compliment to the solid graphics.
Control: 6 – One of the best uses of the Wii Balance board. It takes some getting used to, but once you adjust, it just feels right. Intuitive controls on the Wiimote help you expand your range of movement and tricks to make a really fun snowboarding experience right in your living room.
Gameplay: 4 – Pretty straight forward stuff. Score high, go fast, collect stuff. Not enough variety of events or slopes, but it’s enough to keep you occupied and you’ll focus so much on mastering the controls that the lack of variety won’t feel as severe as it could have.
Story: 4 – You try and catch up with Shaun White for the ultimate snowboarding road trip. Compelling plot it ain’t, but it serves its purpose.
Content: 6 – Aside from some vicious looking spills on the slopes, you and your good natured, goofy companions will have tons of guilt free, family friendly fun.
Overall: 5 – Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip is the definitive version of this game. It may not have the fancy graphics, but it has the best control scheme and a delightful presentation. This is one of those rare Wii games where the unique controls trump anything you’ll find on the other consoles. True it lacks some variety, and a deeper online play would be appreciated, but this is a fun game that makes good use of the Wii’s unique strengths.
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