I love this game; and I hate this game. I received it as a gift almost a year after it's release and was excited to finally play it. As soon as I got it, I un-boxed the included board and fired the Wii up. After a brief period figuring out how to sync the board to the included dongle I thought I was all ready to play. Nope. Then it began. Tony Hawk popped on screen and said ''Hey man .... blah blah.... lets calibrate the board." "Ok," I innocently thought. Instructed to lie the board flat on the floor, perpendicular to the screen, I waited as Tony kept saying, "something didn't go quite right..." and "Ok here we go! Please wait for the 15 second sensor calibration before moving the board..." This continued for well over an hour, until I gave up. I then decided to go blog exploring for a fix. Turns out this isn't just my problem, a lot of people were stuck too. Similar sob stories and lots of returned boards have plagued this game it turns out. Lots of sites recommended doing some weird stuff in order to help it calibrate. I subsequently began trying each method I could find. From covering the board with a blanket to turning all other electronics (including the TV, Stereo, and cell phones) off, nothing worked. Again, after almost an hour of Tony's never ending dialogue, I was loosing hope. Then I decided to try the uncanny. The last suggestion I found recommended placing nearly dead, or fully 'dead' batteries in the board. Poof. The board calibrated right away with my old TV remote's batteries. So, after 2 and a half hours I was finally able to play the game. Now, to be fair, the game it self is GREAT. I love the graphics, the sensitivity of the board, and the tricks. The board is very accurate and feels like a real skateboard. In my opinion this is an addicting game. Lots of reviewers hate this game, and I am stuck wondering why. For the Wii, this is one of my favorite games. It is easy enough to get the average beginner started, but hard enough that it remains enjoyable after a long time. I really love this game, but cannot ignore the TERRIBLE calibration. So far, calibration has been a one time thing, and after putting new batteries in I have not had a performance issue with the board. It recommends recalibrating after long periods of time, and after playing on another Wii, but I try to avoid that. The conclusion: This is a great game, IF you can get past the bugs in the calibration process. I wouldn't pass it up if I found it in the bargain bin, which is probably why I received it almost a year after it's release. 20-40 bucks is what the hours of calibration are worth, and while your at it, you might as well look for a copy of "Ride" to play with your board; I liked that game too.
