Shaun White Skateboarding

Just please, Ubisoft, keep the party going, and don't pile on unnecessary objectives. We just want to ride.

A different take on the skating world: wide exploration and customization of the environment make this game interesting if you're looking for something different from the usual grinds.

As enjoyable as Shaun White Skateboarding was in small bursts, the overall game doesn't really have much going for it.

Ubisoft deserves credit for its effort to create a different skating experience. Bending rails and ramps in succession feels like being on a morphing rollercoaster ride, and the shifting cityscape is a treat for the eyes. Unfortunately the rest of the game plays it safe with missions and features one could find in any other skating title.

It never hits Neversoft's golden-age standard, but it comes much closer than such a daft premise would lead you to suspect. [Dec 2010, p.95]

The creativity and daring invention of the designers should be applauded in no uncertain terms. But by the end of the game, it's clear that the studio was unable to bring its patchwork quilt of mechanics together into a coherent whole.

The ability to manipulate the world is executed well, and it really does drive the experience into a realm much more fantastic than you'd expect from a skateboarding game. We just wish the story and campaign were better conceived, and the fact that the free skate mode is locked till the end is rather disappointing.

An unexpectedly daring mix of Jet Set Radio and de Blob, that may lack in realism or plausibility but certainly not in imagination and fun.

Unfortunately, Shaun White Skateboarding doesn't really pull off all of its goals, but it's still a fascinating lateral shift for the genre.

Though it lacks the direction to make itself a pure arcade skateboarding title it has enough humour, self-awareness and interesting gameplay to be worthwhile.

Shaun should probably stick to the snow for future games.

Shaun White's foray into defrosted gameplay is silly, lacking depth, but frequently fun. [Issue#98, p.69]

Shaun White Skateboarding is actually a decent crack at doing something new with the skate genre, but it's infuriatingly slow and as we've already said, it's rare that you ever pick up a good head of steam for reeling off tricks.

Shaun White Skateboarding attempts to do something fresh and interesting with the skate genre, but ultimately fails with fudged controls and glacially-paced gameplay.

Shaun White Skateboarding is a very unique skateboarding game, with an arcade style which is much more about platforming than about sport. Skateboarding fans will have mixed feellings. But its light story, accesible control and fantasy make it an interesting option for those who know well what to expect from this title.

Were the developers to take the basic mechanics they created, keep the humor of the cutscenes, and dramatically improve the mission design, they'd have an impressive game. However, the boring missions, occasionally frustrating challenges, and lackluster multiplayer modes mean that all but the most dedicated boarding and Shaun White fans can skip this one.

Shaun White's latest appearance isn't good enough.

Quite an enjoyable skate game… if you're a total newcomer to this genre. This is neither Tony Hawk nor Shaun White Snowboading, but a weird mix of both games.

Once you're past the silly set-up, irritating characters, terrible dialogue, and the game's generally patronising tone, there's a reasonably solid - if not needlessly convoluted - skater to be found here. [Christmas 2010, p.110]

Shaun White Skateboarding bets on easy controls and some interesting and original stylistic choices, but it isn't a perfect title due to macroscopic gameplay and technical defects. Suggested only to people interested in a skateboarding game that aren't willing to deal with the more complex controls of other titles on the market.

While it doesn't do anything wrong, it's impossible to take the plot seriously. [Issue#66, p.89]

Unrewarding then, but never frustrating.

Shaun White Skateboarding is a genuinely disappointing endeavor that had potential to nab the Tony Hawk fans that simply didn't graduate to Skate.

Shaun White's latest appearance starts off with some board-flipping fun, only to squander its potential.

For huge fans of experimental gameplay, the skateboarding genre or Shaun, it still comes recommended. For everyone else, maybe catch the Flying Tomato where he's still best -- on the slopes.

There just isn't a whole lot going for Shaun White: Skateboarding. It's a game that's, at best, bland and uninspired, and stuck in the past. With the quality of skateboarding titles that are out today, this game just doesn't do enough to stand out from the crowd.

I can't help but chuckle at the irony of Shaun White Skateboarding, a game that presents an uninspired world yet its biggest failing is a total lack of inspiration. The quest objectives are hopelessly boring and the originally cool concept of shaping is restricted too heavily in single-player.

A novelty, but if you're after a sim buy Skate; if you want stunts, find Tony Hawk. [Issue#232, p.91]

Shaun White Skateboarding is incredibly average in everything it does.

Shaun White Skateboarding has the star-power, the kicking soundtrack, and the colorful world of grafitti-covered ramps, but nothing close to the attitude of real skateboarding. It's more interested in letting players fly through the air on magical rails than experience the joy of finally nailing a tough gap.

The introduction of the flow system early in the game seems innocuous at first, but it will quickly become the bane of your boarding existence. [Issue#67, p.88]

Overall, this game has a nice central premise let down by execution. For die hard fans – either of skateboarding or Orwellian nightmares – only.