11-Sep-2002 This looks more Beastie Boys than Beach Boys. Good. This looks more Beastie Boys than Beach Boys. Good.
Pity surfing. It started the whole extreme sports craze back in the '50s, but due to the rather sploshy nature of the sport, videogames couldn't make a decent copy of it. Until now.
This is the summer that surfing slowly establishes itself as a decent, respectable subject for extreme sports videogames. At the top of the list is Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer. It's published by Activision and is part of the same brand as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, but it's not made by the Hawk's developers, Neversoft. Instead, Treyarch are responsible. They made Spider-Man on PS2, so they know all about fast-moving, dangerous stunts in difficult-to-reproduce environments.
And it shows. The wave effects are stunning, and the famous surfers like Kelly Slater, Nathan Fletcher and Tom Carroll are all looking great. Treyarch have emphasised the unpredictable nature of water tricks. The waves are liable to change form at any time, and you have to keep an eye on the water as you bust your massive stunts.
The trick system may have echoes of Hawk's with grabs and big air, but instead of the endless grinding you have the option to get inside a barrel and pull off dangerous stunts in it while keeping balanced. Real-world locations include Australia, Hawaii, Spain and Tahiti, so it should be almost as good as going on holiday...
Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer is out at the end of September, so we'll tell you if it's a wet dream or a wet blanket very soon.
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