I have some really bad news for nearly everyone in Canada, it’s about to get really, really cold. Winter is fast approaching and while some enjoy this time of year, there are others who would rather just stay inside where it’s nice and warm. For those who want to have some winter fun but don’t feel like spending it in the cold, Ubisoft’s latest entry in their Shaun White series of Snowboarding games, Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage is now out for the Wii. This follow up will satisfy most snowboarding fans and its easy pick up and play nature is great for newcomers as well.
Gameplay
World Stage puts you in the role of a group of Shaun’s friends, each vying for a shot at the big time. You will start off ranked dead last and must compete in various events to reach the top five. Once there, you get the chance to take part in the World Stage Team events. Shaun’s friends have varying skill levels that will come in handy in the different events. There are more than 10 different events that you can take part in from simple Slalom and Eliminator races to Half-pipe challenges and Trick events.
As well as selecting one racer to compete with, you have the ability to choose a friend who can aid you with the game’s boost. Each character has a special ability which can be quite beneficial. For example, if you need a speed boost you will select the friend who can help you with that.
There are two ways of playing through Shaun White. If you own the Wii Balance board you can control the game by leaning forwards or back and side to side but for the most part, it’s best to stick to the Wii Remote. The controls with the Wii Remote are extremely simple and easy to pick up. Tilting the remote left and right will move your rider while using the A button to Tuck for speed and the B button to carve in tight turn areas.
To perform tricks, all you need to do is flick the Wii Remote up to Ollie and move the Wii Remote in different directions for tricks. For more advanced tricks, simply press the A, B or both together then tilt the controller in various directions to get higher scores. Though the controls are simple to pick up, getting the best tricks can sometimes cause frustration due to the fact that you need to time your movements very well. This is more evident for those using the Wii-Motion Plus. You have more precision but if you don’t tilt the Remote properly you can easily bail on a trick.
The story mode will consume a lot of your time but it is a bit too easy for most people. In order to progress through the story, you need to reach milestone rankings. There is a time frame the game wants you to get there within but even if you don’t, there is no penalty. If you don’t reach rank 25 within 7 weeks, just keep at it until you do as the time frame will just reset. The only place you can’t replay events is on the World Stage. With that, you can just do the same events as many times as you want until you get 1st place and the maximum points to improve your rank.
There are two other downsides to the Story mode. The first is that Shaun White is relegated to a cameo performance. You will only play as him in transition events between ranking statuses (eg. Going from Beginner to Intermediate) and after you’ve completed the story. The other is that there is no create a player option. For the latter, it would have been nice to play as a created character that is part of the team rather than switching characters for different racers. Since every character is already used as part of the Friends boost, this could have been done easily. Mind you, neither of these hamper the overall enjoyment of the game, but a bit more variety in this regard would have been nice.
Graphics and Sound
There are 9 different venues with 26 slopes in the game. You will take to the slopes in countries like Sweden, Japan, Chile and even Great Britain, and each one has its fair share of great courses. All of the courses are designed well and each has a lot of flair to them. Nearly every aspect of the courses is well designed and executed, that is, except for the crowd designs which seem too generic. All the racers have a nice cartoon style that looks great on the Wii. There is also a great sense of speed while racing and when your racer bails in the snow they get covered in powder. An added touch to the snow effects is that once you get moving again, your quick speed will have you looking spiffy clean.
The game’s soundtrack offers an interesting mix of more recent tunes and classic hits. You will have songs from Interpol mixed in with some Styx and Kiss. Surprisingly, the soundtrack is strong and works well on every level. There isn’t a single song that sounds out of place. You might not particularly like certain bands but you will never wonder why a particular tune is playing. During the game’s cut-scenes there is a fair amount of dialogue between Shaun’s friends. The group is a large collection of people from different parts of the world and each has their own unique character. It’s not ground breaking, but younger gamers will enjoy this.
Value
For the most part, the core story mode only takes about 4 hours to go from 100 to the top 5 and winning the World Stage. Even with what seems like a short time frame, there are a lot of collectables and achievements to unlock. The collectables include new boards and clothing and even stickers to place on your board. Every course has certain achievements to unlock which will entice perfectionists to go out there and do their absolute best on each venue.
An interesting addition is the game’s Trick Machine. Here you can replace default tricks with your own creations. This mode is alright but all it has you doing is selecting a motion, doing it and then adding a name to your trick. There is no real sense that you’re creating something unique. Again, some might find this interesting, but others will bypass it all together.
Lastly, while there is no online component to the game, the local multiplayer is still fairly competent. As well as battling it out competitively, up to four friends can co-operatively play through story mode. Your points are pooled together making certain events even more of a breeze to play through.
Conclusion
For those looking for a fast and fun snowboarding game on the Wii, Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage is the game to play. The wonderful course designs and various events are more than enough to keep you coming back for more. While the short length of the Story mode may let down some, if you can get some friends over to play with you, you will quickly lose track of the time.
I can remember many Christmas mornings from my childhood spent excitedly flipping through the pages of a new book. This was unusual because as a young child, books and clothes were the only gifts I would dread receiving. However, the Christmas morning books that excited me so much were something special. Granted, they weren’t literary classics, but back then,... 
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