E3 2008 Preview
Ubisoft was going for something a bit different when taking Shaun White
Snowboarding to the 360 console system. They wanted to have a single-player
experience but within the confines of a multiplayer world. The result is a game
in which players can snowboard down a variety of runs on four different
mountains, but everyone else they see snowboarding is, in reality, another
player.
On display at E3 in the Los Angeles Convention Center, Shaun White Snowboarding
for the 360 is an entirely different game from the Wii version. The controls
mapped to the 360 controller are intuitive, which puts the focus on the gameplay
elements, and there are 75 different challenges available in the game world. But
this is where the game takes on new dimensions – you can not only create custom
challenges, but you can challenge other players that you see to participate in
the challenges you have created.
The controls are purely analog, mapped to the thumbsticks with the left
thumbstick controlling the boarder’s upper body (for turns and such), and the
right thumbstick controlling the lower body, for spins and skills.
The customization elements are very strong, with more than 1,000 different items
that can be used (with unlockables) to customize the look of your skater. If you
nail a section of the game, you may unlock items specific to that which will
show other gamers that you’ve ripped a run. Boards will also have different
stats.
The environments are expansive, to say the least. As you make a run down the
mountainside, everything you see is likely a rideable area. The game will also
have different environmental effects.
As the developer demonstrating the game said, snowboarding has strong social
elemtns. It is about meeting up with friends on a mountain and enjoying the
afternoon. It was that social aspect that they tried to deliver with this title.
Sound was somewhat negligible due the venue setting (in other words, it was
turned down to avoid aural overloads with the other displays so close), so that
put more emphasis on the visuals. The game is still months from release, but the
visuals were crisp, and bright, with definition in the snow banks, solid
shadowing and lighting. The animation was also well done.
Hands-on time was available, and the game’s controls were easy to understand and
use. It took little effort to put the boarder into a tuck, get a lot of speed
built up, hit a jump and pull off a few tricks in the air. Some of the drops
were a bit mind-boggling, but perfectly in line with a video-game experience.
Shaun White Snowboarding will be about bragging rights to runs on certain
mountains, it will be about community and the social elements of an afternoon on
the snow, and it is about fun. These elements shine through in Ubi’s title.
Look for Shaun White Snowboarding to release around the holiday season.
