Review :: Wakeboarding HD

TikGames decided to try their hand in an extreme sport that has really only been dealt with once or twice in the video game world, Wakeboarding. Ever heard of a memorable, great wakeboarding game? Me neither. Hit the jump to see if Wakeboarding HD makes the grade.

Wakeboarding HD is a quirky, arcadey take on the sport of Wakeboarding. You’ll spend your time pulling off ridiculous stunts, dodging numerous shark attacks, and launching over obstacles. In order to complete a level, you will usually be presented with three tasks to complete throughout the level. After you beat a level, the game progresses through a ‘world’ map until you reach the end. It’s a fairly short experience, but what’s offered here is actually pretty fun.

The gameplay is good. Nothing more, nothing less. Racking up points and dodging sharks can be really fun when it works well, which is 80% of the time. Unfortunately, Wakeboarding HD becomes pretty repetitive as the experience moves on. There are problems that seem minor, but ultimately end up costing you big time in some objectives. When falling off the board, you’ll be respawned about 20 feet further than where you fell off. If you were trying to collect a certain number of stars for example and you end up falling off your board before a big group of stars, looks like you’ll be missing most to all of them.

The controls are somewhat hit or miss, but mostly hit. You’ll use the L stick to move, using L2 and R2 to make sharp turns. All of the face buttons are used to launch off the wake of the boat pulling you in order to pull off a stunt. For the most part, the controls are responsive and offer up quite an enjoyable experience. There will be instances where sharp turns end up just a bit too sharp, and can end up completely throwing off an objective on a level, which will result in you having to restart the level in order to complete it. Although frustrating, it doesn’t entirely harm the overall experience.

Graphically, Wakeboarding HD actually looks really good for a downloadable title. The frame rate stays constant at all times, and I’m yet to see any screen tearing or aliasing of any sort. The colors are extremely vibrant and go along with the tropical theme of the game well. Visually, my only complaint with the game is that the character models are pretty poor. The sound is suitable but forgettable, not much to be mentioned here.

As for multiplayer, just don’t bother. It just doesn’t work the way it should, and is pretty disappointing.

Despite all it’s problems, Wakeboarding HD is overall a fun game. There is enjoyment to be had here for the right audience, but I just can’t recommend it as a whole. Sadly, that’s mostly because of it’s hefty 15$ price tag. If it were an outstanding experience, sure. But it isn’t. If you really want a wakeboarding game, definitely wait until the price drops.

6.9/10

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