Shaun White Snowboarding: World Stage Hands-On

Snowboarding games seem to be making a comeback as of late. Although we're still awaiting the next SSX game from EA, last year saw the release of Stoked on the Xbox 360 and not one but two separate Shaun White licensed games. Today at E3 2009, we had a chance to check out the latest Shaun White game for the Wii: World Stage.

Who's Making This Game: World Stage is being developed by Ubisoft, which debuted the new snowboarding series last year on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii. No sequel has yet to be announced for the 360/PS3, but World Stage is set to drop on the Wii later this year.

What the Game Looks Like: World Stage has a similar cartoonish look as its predecessor on the Wii, Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip. There are exaggerated character models, including some recurring characters from the previous game, some new faces, and of course, the "Flying Tomato" Shaun White himself. One significant change is the game's hub, which is now an airport lounge (in keeping with the world-travel theme). You move your Wii Remote around to select different items in the lounge to take you to various events. World Stage has a nice speedy feel to it on the mountain, in part because of a conscious effort on behalf of the developers to make the trails slightly more narrow and streamlined.

What There Is to Do: Plenty. There were three events to check out: trick attack (slide down the hill, pulling tricks for points at every jump); halfpipe (chain together as many tricks as you can on the pipe before you reach the end); and "boardercross" (a straight-up sprint to the finish line). The game will also have a Free Ride mode for those who don't feel like competing and would rather make it down the hill at their own pace.

How the Game Is Played: On the show floor, the only way to play the game is with the Wii Balance Board, which also happens to be the best part of the game. As in the previous Shaun White for the Wii, the leaning controls on the board are responsive and easy to learn, even if you've never been on a real board. You lean forward to gain speed, backward to slow down, and left or right to turn. To jump, you simply lift upward at the lip of a jump, and you can pull tricks by pressing buttons on the Wii Remote.

What They Say: Shaun White continues the original game's focus on a lighthearted story and realistic controls, and the seamless offline cooperative play will give you new ways to experience the game with your friends.

What We Say: Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip was unquestionably superior to its PS3/360 brethren. We're still not convinced that playing any game by standing for long stretches of time is a great idea, but there's no doubt that, once the board hits the snow, World Stage feels just right.