Genre: Sports
Developer: Bongfish
Publisher: Destineer
Players: 1-8
Retail Price: $40
Availability: Xbox 360
Stoked: Big Air Edition is the follow up to the original Stoked released earlier this year. The new title is not so much a sequel, but rather the first game with a fresh coat of paint. All of the original content is still intact with the addition of two new mountains, a new race mode, and some additional gameplay improvements. The new title feels like it cuts out a lot of the problems with the first release, but the big question has to be: is it worth your while to pick up this title if you already grabbed the original earlier this year?
There isn’t really a quick and easy answer to that one, but Stoked does still provides the most realistic representation of snowboarding you’ll find in a video game, so if you haven’t played the original you should definitely give Big Air Edition a go. The realistic representation the game provides tends to becomes one of the best and worst aspects of the game. On one hand you’ll have a ton of fun carving down the mountain at breakneck speeds, but on the other it’s going to take a while before you get to some of the more fun content. Although the learning curve is steep, it is completely worth the effort if you are looking for a great snowboarding sim. The sense of speed you feel from riding down the mountain creates an awesome tension that will keep you on your toes as you barrel down the mountain, and pulling off those perfect tricks on the way down makes the experience all the more rewarding.
The game conveys an excellent sense of speed
Big Air Edition does make some unique changes that alter the experience enough from the original entry to help it stand on its own. One of those changes is the overall speed of the game while you are snowboarding down the mountain. If you are attempting to board down the trail as fast as you can, you’ll really feel the sense of speed they are trying to convey. This is a huge deal when playing in the new races that have been added into the game. Now in addition to all of the other trick spots that exist on each of the trails, there are also races available in which you can either take on the computer’s best time, or the best time of whoever is at the top of the leaderboard. You don’t race against an actual person, but rather the ghost of their time on the course. I found this to be the most interesting and exciting new addition, and it’s where I spent most of my time with the new entry.
One thing that hasn’t changed is the relatively steep learning curve associated with the game. It’s going to be more than a few minutes before you are racing down the mountain at breakneck speeds, pulling off crazy tricks. You’ll get the same basic tutorial as you did in the first iteration, and progression through the game happens through the same process. As you ride down each of the mountains there is an overall set of goals to accomplish, like gaining a certain number of points for performing tricks or not falling as you make your way down. There are also numerous points on each of the trails that offer you the opportunity to beat a certain high score or hit a specific sequence of tricks. Upon completion of these goals you are provided with influence points, which are your ticket to opening up sponsor and media challenges.
That's a really long way down
One of the only unfortunate aspects of Stoked, besides the difficultly being a hurdle, is that at times the game doesn’t really feel like it moves forward. You’ll end up playing a ton of challenges before some of the more exciting venues open, and be prepared to drop more than a couple hours before you even get a chance at Big Air Edition’s two new mountains. The gameplay is incredibly fun, but at times it doesn’t feel like you are making any significant progress. Unlike Stoked, though, the new title does do a good job in speeding up the slower parts of the game by giving you access to the trail specific challenges from the main menu so you don’t have to go through the trouble of finding them all, and the new races are great for helping you build up your influence points.
The weather system is still a huge factor in the new game and provides one of the one of the major pieces that really helps set Stoked apart from the crowd. Weather changes as you snowboard down each of the mountains, and some challenges are only made possible by enough snow falling in a certain area. In addition to weather changes, the day and night cycle also has a huge impact on the game. One of my most satisfying experiences came from finishing off one of the overall score challenges while snowboarding down the mountain at night in a snowstorm, which is also a tense situation as it’s almost impossible to see what’s happening.
So all in all, is it worth the purchase the second time around… possibly. If you were really into the original Stoked, you’ll find enough new content to keep you entertained for a while, but at the same time, you’ve probably experienced most of what the game has to offer. If this is your first time jumping into the series, you shouldn’t be disappointed since this is one of the best snowboarding sims to come along. Once you really get going in the game, you’ll find an enormous assortment of trails to check out, as well as great set of controls that you can use to pull off some amazing tricks.
