User Reviews (1 - 8 of 8)

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Casual Gamers - Catch a Wave; Serious Gamers - Stay on the Sand

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 18 / 19
Date: June 24, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Seeing as 'Surf's Up' is a licensed cross-platform title, most gamers would be wary of the content contained therein; as the trend goes, licensed video games = bad, cross-platform titles = worse. As is most frequently the case, these games are often designed and coded for the lowest common denominator - in this case, the PS2. The graphics are jagged and blurry at best, the voice acting minimal and repetitive, and the 'fun' rating next to nil.

Fortunately for Wii console owners, 'Surf's Up' defies (nearly) all of these less-than-pleasant expectations. The title is fun, frantic, and friendly; the controls are largely intuitive, the action non-stop, and the thrills paramount. For a casual gamer, 'Surf's Up' stands as the quintessence of a perfect summer release -- all play, no work. The in-game graphics are sufficient and (thankfully) have been significantly upgraded beyond those experienced on the PS2 version. The visuals are shiny and slick with realistic wave design and execution. Several coastlines stand ready to be rocked and to the gamer's delight, none of them are especially similar. When it comes to aquatic sports games, nothing is worse than the misery and tedium of monotony; 'Surf's Up' skillfully navigates around this all-too-common trap.

Despite all of its positive attributes, the game remains incredibly narrow in scope; experienced or hardcore gamers would be prudent to shy away from 'Surf's Up,' seeing as the title features a rather modest campaign mode (approximately three or so hours) and a deficit of immersive content. The gamer selects a penguin-of-choice, chooses a venue, and rides waves. He or she collects trick points based upon the number of skillful maneuvers he or she successfully completes. At the end of a race, his/her point total is tabulated and should it meet the pre-selected 'benchmark,' a prize is awarded. Although incredibly enjoyable, the game follows a largely linear plot progression, affording the gamer with no personal surprises or unique experiences. This isn't necessarily a flaw, seeing as one will only experience the *best* content the game has to offer but for those who enjoy free-roaming thrills, 'Surf's Up' proves incapable.

Despite all that PETA-friendly title has going for it, its $49.99 list price remains absurdly inflated; yes the game is fun and yes the design decent but considering the simplicity of the gameplay, fifty bucks stands just about twenty too high. Give the title a few months and just like the 'Ice Age 2' Wii release, 'Surf's Up' will no doubt experience a well-deserved price cut. It is only then that the game will really ride high atop the competition~

PROS -
+ Pickup and Play Design; Races are Fun, Frantic, and Fulfilling.
+ Graphics are Very Much Improved from Those Experienced on the PS2; the Title has been Wii-ified and Given Special Attention.
+ Intuitive Controls Which Feature Ache-Free Movements (no painfully wild jerks and swings).
+ Voice Acting is Solid and (Largely) Non-Repetitive; The Film's Voice Performers Reprise Their Roles.

CONS -
-- Title Lacks Adjustable Difficulty Settings; Experienced Gamers Will Likely Complete All Objectives and Beat the Game Within Three Hours.
-- Although Sufficient, Graphics Could Still Be Very Much Improved; Some Jagged Lines Witnessed & Environmental Mapping is Often Delayed (thereby causing not-too-distant objects to 'pop' on-screen)
-- Menus & Option Adjustment Screens Unresponsive; User Inputs are Frequently Missed (thankfully, this issue does not recur during in-game action).
-- Title is Wildly Overpriced; $29.99 Would More Than Fit the Bill.

Surf's Up

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 9 / 10
Date: June 02, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Surfing Penguins! I couldn't have thought of a better kids game to start the summer. Surf's Up - The Video Game, is the movie tie-in for - yes you guessed it - Surf's Up. This children friendly surfing game let's even the youngest of players perform cool (and highly unrealistic) aerial maneuvers and stunts. Teens and adults looking for a "real" surfing simulation should look elsewhere (try Transworld Surf for the Xbox). The game offers several different surf spots that are based on locations from the movie. 1-4 Players can play together using splitscreen mode and for those of you looking for a break from surfing, try Leaf Sliding on one of three different tracks. The game offers several unlock-able characters, surfboards and surf spots. Which thanks to the easy difficulty should be no problem to unlock. If you have kids or like Penguins or like Surfing or all of the above; you should give this ride a try.

Fun Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: March 26, 2008
Author: Amazon User

"Surf's Up" is so much fun....I enjoy playing it as much as my kids. And the price...you can't beat it!

One Person Fun but Not For A Group

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 16, 2008
Author: Amazon User

This game is a blast to play. Beware: your thumb my hurt for a while. The only problem I see is that it's mostly a 1 player. There is a two player mode but it is limited and all you do is race and you can't even do that on all the courses. So great fun for one person or to take turns but not a party game or a game to expect your kids to share well with.

Dude, my thumb is like killing me!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 17, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I don't know why I picked up this game for Wii, I know the dangers of games licensed after animated film titles. However, I like surfing games and "Surf's Up" was a cute film that my family enjoyed at the theater. Other reviews cite this game as being really easy and you can complete it in three hours. I find that pretty amazing as I've been playing it several hours a day over the last four days, and I'm not even close.

As another reviewer warned, your thumb, which you use to steer fast and furiously and to climb waves to perform extra tricks, will give out on you. I think I'm going to have to switch games for a few days.

The graphics are cute, the characters are as you remember from the film (even Chicken Joe) and the courses are varied and challenging.

I'm having a lot of fun with this one, I'm really glad I got it.

lot's of fun - hard to do well on

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 21, 2008
Author: Amazon User

My 9yo daughter and I, 60yo, enjoyed this game a lot- but we both had trouble advancing through the different skill levels.

I saw a review that said they went through entire thing in 5 hrs. So there must be some pretty spectacular players out there.
We aren't at that level and wish there was a way to make it more compatible with our skill level so we could play it more.

Shopaholic

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 22, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Again a birthday gift for my son and it was here before his birthday and he loves it! Well we love it

good game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 22, 2008
Author: Amazon User

good game! Great game cosidering what you can buy it for now. my kids love playing it and so do I.

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