Championship Pro Surfer Impressions

While video games have conquered most extreme sports, surfing has been all but forgotten by game developers. Mattel has stepped up to the plate with Billabong Pro Surfer, an arcade surfing game that promises authentic surfing action.

Championship Pro Surfer lets you choose one of the ten members of the Billabong Pro 2000 team then surf your way through any of the game's six gameplay modes. Those modes are championship, rumble, arcade, king of the waves, free surfing, and training. While details about the specifics of the game's various modes haven't been disclosed, you can expect the championship, arcade, free surfing, and training modes to offer the same type of game parameters as similarly named modes in other extreme sports games.

The game will be based on an unnamed tropical island, with ten different surfing locations. From a tropical cove to a sandy beach, each of the locations will have its own feel and will feature different wave patterns. Each of the game's surfers will have his or her own surfing style that you can enhance with the game's six custom surf boards, which add their own surfing characteristics. Mattel is claiming the game will offer true wave behavior with its custom realistic-wave-simulation technology. Not only will you have to conquer huge waves, but you'll also have to avoid obstacles such as sharks, reefs, and other surfers. While you're riding the wave, you'll want to rack up your points by executing any of the game's tricks, such as barrels, kick-outs, and aerials.

Championship Pro Surfer is being developed by Krome Studios, an avid group of surfers based in Australia. Each of the game's surfers has been modeled and animated with the assistance of Pro Surfer Richo. Interestingly, Billabong Pro Surfer for the Dreamcast will be a network-compatible game, supporting multiplayer modes with up to eight players. Surfing fans will be able to get theirs when Billabong Pro Surfer hits shelves this winter.