Score
Gameplay:	9
Graphics:	8
Sound:	8
FunFactor:	7
PlasmaFactor:	6
Overall:	7.6

Wakeboarding Unleashed Review
July 19, 2003 by Tim Bradshaw

by Tim - July 19, 2003

Wakeboarding Unleashed is the latest sports game released by ActivisionO2 and Shaba Games. Unlike other sports games of its type such as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series, Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer, Matt Hoffman's Pro BMX, or Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder, Wakeboarding Unleashed unleashes completely new environments with the game taking place on sea rather than land.

"Hang on for your life!"

 

Starting off in Career Mode, the player can create his or her character profile from among seven professional wakeboarders. After a quick and easy tutorial to help you get started, you are immediately launched into the first level. Each level includes three different types of goals to accomplish; objectives, challenges, and gaps. Completing these goals is vital to unlocking additional levels and gaining access to new boards or improving your rider's stats. Each level contains sixteen goals and challenges, none of which are the same between two levels, creating endless fun.
In addition to the Career Mode, players can enter Free Ride mode to check out the levels that are available and practice tricks or get a feel for the run. There is also a Free Drive mode, which allows the player to drive the boat rather than ride the board.

When you finish the Career Mode or when you and your friend are bored and have nothing better to do, there are always the Two Player Modes. The four modes available are Tug-O-War, Trick Attack, H.O.R.S.E., and Co-Op Mode.
Because the rider in Wakeboarding Unleashed is attached to the boat which pulls him or her by a rope, this allows for new gameplay modes that aren't seen in other games of its genre. With Tug-O-War, the two players can compete by attempting tricks to make the other players' rope shorter until it is completely gone.
Trick Attack mode is your classic two-player mode where the two players battle on the course to get the most points before the time limit runs out. Once you have unlocked all the levels in the single player mode, you will be able to compete with your friends on all the different courses in the game.
Like in basketball, H.O.R.S.E. consists of the first player attempting a trick in a limited amount of time and the second player having to mimic that trick, or receive a letter until all five letters are spelled out. This is always fun to do, especially when those crazy once-in-a-million tricks are done that the other player wouldn't be able to copy in a lifetime.
Finally, there is Co-Op mode. This mode is neat because one player drives the boat while the other player does the tricks. This also gives meaning for the Free Drive mode in single player, so that you can make practice runs on the course with the boat by yourself before you show off to your friend how good a boat driver you really are.

Leaving other games in its wake...

 

The graphics in Wakeboarding Unleashed are truly amazing. With technology becoming more and more advanced, the scenery in Wakeboarding Unleashed is smooth and clear, with realism at its best. Pixelation in the characters and objects isn't that noticeable, although there are a few spots that the designers missed.

The details in the water are the best water graphics in any game today. The wakes are almost perfect, and the game makes you feel like you are creating your own wakeboarding movie.

Nice soundtrack!

 

The selection of music that accompanies Wakeboarding Unleashed fits perfectly with the game. There are twenty songs in the game, and the player can choose which ones he or she would like to be played.

The sound effects are equally good, and the sound is displayed almost flawlessly.

Maybe it's not for everyone.

Wakeboarding Unleashed is a very fun game to play, but it might not be for everyone. You'd have to be at least interested in playing a sports game where the sport is doing as many tricks as you can to get points and upgrades or unlock new levels. If not, then the game probably isn't for you. But who wouldn't want to see what wakeboarding is really like without having to actually go out and do it? This is the closest thing to it other than actually hundreds of dollars for lessons and really wakeboarding. Plus, with Wakeboarding Unleashed you get to learn from the pro's themselves.

What's missing?

 

The game provides endless hours of fun for someone who is bored and doesn't have anything else to do. Perhaps something Activision could have done would have been to add an online component to the game, where players could compete online via the PlayStation2 Network Adaptor. The board availability could have been expanded on, offering more than just three boards, and a feature where players could trade boards online might have added more interest.

The game has eleven levels, but after a couple weeks (or hours for those hardcore gamers) those levels will all be unlocked. Perhaps if there were a few secret levels in the game it would have made it juicier.

 

Definitely Unleashed!

With seven different riders, seven modes of play, eleven levels, the ability to upgrade seven different stats including jump height, hang time, turning, air control, rail balance, carve balance, and switch, along with being able to add two additional wakeboards to your inventory, Wakeboarding Unleashed featuring Shaun Murray is definitely one of the "must buy" sports games of the year.