First Impressions: Be careful or you’ll get all pruney.
Surfing games have been the red-headed step-child of the industry since, well, ever. The number of decent games that have captured the spirit of the sport can be counted on one… no wait, can they even be counted? But Infogrames is looking to change all of that with the release of TransWorld Surf, coming soon to an Xbox near you.
The game will boast 13 of today’s top surfers, each ready to tackle the waves in nine different locations spread throughout the world. The locations are actual hotspots for surfing, ranging from Huntington Beach in California to Kirra Point, Austrailia, even to Costa Rica, each with its own unique scenery, and wave breaks.
It is these breakers that look to set TransWorld Surf apart from other surfing games before it. With each location throughout the world having different environmental factors affecting how the water moves, such a task may seem impossible. The game is being placed on Xbox, a console with the greatest power in videogames. That power has allowed the developer to finally code some realistic waves. And these waves will not only be different from location to location, but the time of day and weather will also affect how the waves break.
And if you wipe out, you may want to make sure you get back on your board, because the environments are fully interactive as well. That means sharks. You better hope your Karma meter is up to snuff if you do land in the water. The higher your Karma, the less chance you have of having bad things happen to you. No, we are not making this up. Hmm… maybe you shouldn’t have cut off that other boarder back there.
In single player mode, the game will have Pro Surf, which acts as career mode, Free Surf, and Single Session. Free Surf, as its name implies gives players the chance to take on the waves without the pressures of competition. A Single Session has you going for the highest score in a single location. But it is in Pro Surf where the meat and potatoes of the single player game lie. It leads you across the globe as you complete the goals in all 9 locations as you achieve a number one ranking in the surf contest circuit. The goals include executing tricks for photographers.
Multiplayer modes include King of The Waves, Free Ride, and Competition. Competition and Free Ride will have players competing for points in a single location, but it is King of The Waves that most players will want to explore with friends. Here, you earn trick points, and knock your competition into the water intentionally.
