TransWorld Surf Impressions

Despite the sketchy history of the surfing game, Angel Studios seems to be on to something, with TransWorld Surf for the Xbox. The game blends a Tony Hawk-style emphasis on showmanship and skill with some unique and workable game mechanics. The result is a game that not only feels quite distinct but is also quite an eyeful.

The game has all the basics of a modern extreme sports title: 10 real-life surf spots, 13 legit pro surfers, and a good deal of genuine surf gear (including imprints like Oakley, Quicksilver, and Volcom). Backing those up is a set of convincing wave physics, an engaging control scheme, and an amusing game setting--one that's under the influence of some intriguing game rules.

TransWorld Surf's game mechanics seem to fit the theme well. You start each run paddling your board in the water, facing an upcoming swell. From there, you can either opt to paddle to it or summon a Jet Ski to get you there instantaneously. Once riding the base of the swell, you press the A button to stand up, and off you go. From there, you can choose to either weave through the outer edge of the wave or close in the pipeline--both of which would provide you with a camera view that is both suitably dramatic and welcomingly functional.

Weaving is achieved by alternately easing the left analog stick up and down. As the directions are reversed, riding the waves takes a bit of getting used to, but you'll find the groove soon enough. Weaving thus, in any event, grants you speed, which when combined with an A-executed jump, lets you perform a good variety of THPS-style tricks. The B button, meanwhile, lets you scrape the edge of a wave, summoning forth a fairly satisfying spray of salt water from the surface of the wave. And the A button, finally, lets you ride the wave's very crest, which for all intents and purposes, is the surfworld's equivalent to a grind.

Surfing is definitely a friendly, feel-good sport, without a doubt. To capture this, Angel Studios has devised a karma system for TransWorld. In effect, depending on how well you play with others, tragedies (in the form of salt water crocodiles and great white sharks) will befall you with varying frequencies. So those who are rough to their fellow surfers will more likely become bait for marine carnivores than those who tread lightly upon the sea.

Graphically, TransWorld Surf seems to be shaping up nicely. The water looks simply awesome, making some of the otherwise perfectly adequate related effects (sea sprays, rudder trails, and so on) seem staid by comparison. The player models look well enough, though they're seldom focused upon, given the game's scale. The animations, though, seem very well executed, right down to underwater wipeout routines.

We got to see a fairly wide variety of stages in the game, everything from a standard tutorial stage (complete with forgiving spin mechanics) to a fairly dark area, populated with submerged-yet-jumpable barracks off the shore.

During some of our more spectacular runs, photographers, it seemed, snapped some shots of us in the water. Collect enough such shots, and you'll be treated to an in-game TransWorld Surf spread, which serves to both push the high-profile branding and provide you with some tangible accomplishment.

We'll have more info and media on this one for you soon. TransWorld Surf is due out early next year.