Wii

Surf's Up

Surf's Up has everything I wanted to see in a movie game, or any game for that matter. Easy to learn. Simple control schemes allow anyone to pull off cool moves. And, it has a rewarding gameplay. I find myself actually wanting to go back to make sure I have beaten every goal and collected every penguin icon. Usually if I can get by without it, I will just let it pass by. Anyway, man, totally hook yourself up with this one and ride.

The graphics aren't spectacular, but the icebergs and tropical islands provide for attractive scenery. Since some stages take place in Antarctica, this is one surfing title you can even enjoy during the winter! The single-player mode offers a nice tutorial, and lets you gradually unlock new locations, boards, music, and humorous characters (which include a skinny, featherless chicken). The vertical split-screen mode is superb, serving up some really intense head-to-head action while providing a decent view for both players. There's even a "leaf sliding" mini-game that could almost stand on its own. So is there anything wrong with this game? Well, that little squid you use to navigate the menus isn't the most responsive thing in the world, and, well, it's a game about surfing penguins! Surf's Up didn't get much press and is easy to overlook, but those who give it a shot will be pleasantly surprised.

Like the more mature games in the genre, Surf’s Up! also has unlockable content and new items to purchase. It’s for kids, so it’s not difficult to unlock most of the stuff in a few hours of play, but this isn’t one of those games that’s aimed at me, at the older, core gamer. On that point I could rip Surf’s Up! a new bellybutton, but what would be the use when the kids like it? No use.

Although not such a major problem, another aspect of the game that disappoints is that there is just not much to it. Once you have got to grips with the basic control scheme and level structure, there really isn’t a lot more to do. This means that you can pretty rapidly progress through the game and extract the majority of the fun. There really isn’t much more value to be found. This is counteracted somewhat by some fun multiplayer modes, but this never really delivers the sort of value needed for a GBP 40 game purchase.

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.

Surfs up will almost certainly be a hit with the younger gamer, especially if they enjoyed the movie. For the more seasoned gamer, Surf’s Up might not heed enough of a challenge considering the main game can easily be beaten in a couple of hours. Never the less Ubisoft’s Surf’s Up is a nice game and certainly worth a look for those of you who like talking penguins and stoned chickens.

Surfing games haven't exactly saturated the market, so Surf's Up is actually something interesting to play. Still, its simplicity and lack of depth means a very shallow gaming experience. Various gameplay errors make it feel like a rushed job, and despite the ability to unlock bits of content, there's not much more than half a dozen hours of gameplay to get through. With all of the game's faults, it's obvious that only real fans of the film will buy such a title. When it comes to a quick rental, Surf's Up qualifies.

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.

Wer die Filmvorlage mochte, darf sich auch mit der Videospielumsetzung von „Könige der Wellen“ vergnügen – allerdings nur für äußerst kurze Zeit. Das liegt vor allem an der mäßigen Langzeitmotivation, die nach gut 4-5 Stunden so dermaßen in den Keller rutscht, dass selbst Anfänger zu diesem Zeitpunkt alles im Spiel gesehen haben. Eines ist jedoch sicher: Die knallbunten Wellenritte am Südpol machen während dieser Zeit mächtig Laune, zumal die Präsentation den Charme der Kinofilmvorlage einfängt. Gerade jüngere Spieler werden dank des unkomplizierten Spieleinstiegs helle Freude an dem Sportspiel haben.