PlayStation 3

Surf's Up

Könige der Wellen ist kein Spiel, das man unbedingt gespielt haben muss. Aber für junge Fans der Kinovorlage und Gelegenheitsspieler bietet die Leinwandadaption unkomplizierten Spielspaß mit motivierender Extrahatz. Der Preis ist ebenfalls fair und die Präsentation kann sich durchaus sehen und hören lassen. Für geübte Spieler sind die meisten Herausforderungen jedoch zu einfach, während die statische Wellenphysik und das simple Tricksystem früher oder später für Abnutzungserscheinungen sorgen.

It's just not worth the full price of admission for anyone who isn't a big fan of the movie, simply because there isn't anywhere near enough content and depth to warrant the $60 price tag. We do recommend it as a Christmas gift for most any child who enjoyed the film, though; the game should be lower in price by then.

Surf's Up deserves a bit of credit for turning in something that isn't just a cakewalk action platformer that does a lousy job of retelling the film's story. Sure, it would have been nice if the developers had included any story to speak of, but from a gameplay perspective, the surfing-on-rails mechanic works better than you'd expect and provides periodic moments of legitimate fun. It won't appeal much to older players, and regardless of which platform you pick it up on, it's not worth its overly expensive price tag, given the barren amount of content the game offers up. But for younger kids who dug the movie, you'll get everything you need out of Surf's Up over the course of a rental period.

I had fun with Surf's Up, but I didn't pay $50 for it. The gameplay is simple but enjoyable and kids in love with the movie are sure to have a good time with the game, but the fact remains that this is a bloated price tag on a barebones game. Ubisoft tosses a few movie clips and unlockables on this disc, but Surf's Up can't live up to its price tag.

Let there be no doubt, Surf's Up is strictly for kids in love with the movie. The redundancy of the gameplay will certainly help to break one's obsession with all things penguin in a weekend. Definitely a rental.