Metacritic Games

Wakeboarding Unleashed Featuring Shaun Murray (Playstation 2)

Hang on for your life in Wakeboarding Unleashed featuring Shaun Murray as you get ripped across a lake by a high-powered speedboat and trick through dangerous terrain. Feel the rush as you crash into houseboats and catch huge air in nine exotic levels with seven world-class wakeboarders. Tired already? Then drive the boat and help your friend pull off challenging technical tricks on the most realistic looking water ever. [Activision]

Activision
Extreme Sports
Players: 2
E (Everyone)
Developer: Shaba Games
Released June 3, 2003

Overall Metascore

This is a weighted, normalized average of all individual scores given by critics, on a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

83 / 100

Critic Reviews

100 GameNow
A wealth of multiplayer modes and minigame-like challenges give Murray the replay value of 10 lesser titles. [July 2003, p.58]
93 Armchair Empire
A surprisingly deep game; its many features pushes the game’s replay value up into the stratosphere.
90 Cheat Code Central
The stunts you can pull off on a wakeboard in real life are astounding but the stunts you can pull off in the virtual world are nothing short of amazing.
90 Official U.S. Playstation Magazine
Purely from a gaming standpoint, it's so brilliantly crafted, you should try it. [July 2003, p97]
90 Total Video Games
Interestingly the PS2 version appears to have the edge over the Xbox version, sporting crisper textures that seem to feature more detail. Along with the fact that the Dual-Shock 2 controller was conceived for the Tony Hawk control system, making the PS2 version the superior out of the lot.
89 Absolute Playstation
It’s a nice looking game and the controls are smooth. WU also offers more than any other game of its genre. The learning curve is pretty short making it versatile for all ages, both in single and two player modes.
89 GameSpy
With its cleverly designed levels, sweet controls, and challenging gameplay, Wakeboarding Unleashed is an excellent game that action-sports fans will love.
89 GameZone
Feels like a successor to "Aggressive Inline" in that it does many new things, but still has a classic extreme sports feel.
86 IGN
This is one of my favorite extreme sports games, despite some of the standard features missing from the game. It's challenging, it's incredibly long, and the gameplay is distinctly wakeboarding.
84 Game Over Online
Not quite Tony Hawk and not quite completely innovative, Wakeboarding Unleashed is an original take on the extreme sports genre that, despite breaking new ground in the field of wakeboarding, manages to get it right the first time.
83 TotalGames.net
A very accomplished and well presented title, which although not exactly innovative, it does have that little something extra to make it stand out from the pack.
83 Game Informer
The missions are quite ingenious and the multiplayer modes are wildly entertaining. [July 2003, p.107]
83 Play Magazine
When you get the groove, it's really quite exhilarating. [Aug 2003, p.79]
82 Electronic Gaming Monthly
This game gets no points for creativity whatsoever... That said, Murray is loads of fun and provides that twitchy instant gratification every well-implemented action-sports title should. [July 2003, p.108]
81 Operation Sports
After a few hours of gameplay it feels as though I’ve done this all before. Maybe it’s the whole trick system (again, nice additions with the co-op mode and rope mechanics), or the fact that it’s the same old "complete objectives to open new locations to reach competitions" thing that we’ve been doing since August of 1999.
80 PSX Nation
Control is dead-on perfect, and the gameplay is so polished and fun that it compensates for the somewhat lackluster graphics/sounds and the absence of customizable options.
80 GamePro
Has enough variations to satisfy extreme sports fans, and 11 levels, countless goals, and highly replayable two-player modes are sure to keep you busy for a long time. Still, if you’re a gamer jaded by the genre, the game lacks the level of innovation that would have left a lasting impression.
80 Cincinnati Enquirer
Perseverance will pay off, but mastering this game can be frustrating.
80 PSM Magazine
Just a hair shy of greatness. It's got some rough edges, but the idea of having to rely on a boat for propulsion is truly innovative. [July 2003, p.24]
80 Yahoo! Games
Wakeboarding Unleashed may have a few rough edges, but it is a franchise that is destined for greatness. Incredibly playable and lots of fun
75 Game Revolution
Interesting rope dynamics, solid control and creative levels make up for the redundant goals and challenges, leading to a worthwhile dip in the water.
75 Gaming Age
May not bring much new to the table for the genre, but the new additions offer enough of a twist to keep the game interesting.
73 GameSpot
The game's real goals aren't exciting enough to carry the game, so once you've unlocked enough levels to be satisfied and gotten the hang of the controls, there really isn't a whole lot more to see. Fans of the genre will be left wanting more.

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