Before I got put Stoked: Big Air Edition in the 360 last week, the last snowboard game I played was SSX Tricky for the GameCube. Boy, snowboarding games have come a long way in 8 years. Granted SSX was fun, but nothing like Stoked.
I have to admit, I haven’t played the original
Stoked, released back in February. But Cyril gave it a solid
review, and so far I’d have to say that not only are the positives Cyril pointed out still there, but the designers from
Bongfish and publisher
Destineer have taken the time to fill in the holes that seem to have been the only real downfall of the first game. As I look across just the first mountain I found tons of challenges including the newly added racing and a bunch of what can only be called “playground equipment” for the player to race on.
While I have really enjoyed the game so far, one thing I can say is that the controls are certainly very deep. The number of different combination moves you can pull off on the board is sort of mindboggling. I still wind up face first in the snow (or rocks, or buildings) quite often because I have yet to master timing of some of the more complex, and therefore higher scoring, moves. But man, when you pull off those moves, especially off a high cliff, it’s pretty impressive.
I understand the first version lacked marked trails, which the Big Air Edition now has. I can’t see playing this game initially without the marked courses. It gives you guidance towards some of the good sized jumps on your way down the mountain. There are definitely some well hidden jumps that outdo the marked ones, and finding them is part of the challenge.
Then there’s the weather and game clock which really add to the challenges. If you’re trying to complete a bunch of challenges on the mountain, you can run out of daylight. And when the weather is bad, it’s a lot harder to pull of aerial tricks, or to get enough speed in really deep snow or against strong wind.
I still have only scratched the surface of Stoked: Big Air Edition but so far I’m having fun, and it looks like it definitely built upon the initial release.
