Sound: 3
Gameplay: 4
Replay Value: 1
Reviewer's Tilt: 5
Overall: 5.0
Reviewed by Chris
There are certain factors that games rely on to become very successful. First of all, it must have good graphics to keep the console junkies pleased. It must also have some cool gameplay that is unlike any other game out there. And finally, it must be fun. Halo is a prime example of all three of these rules. Transworld Surf is not.
I am not comparing Halo to Tranworld Surf, after all, they are two completely different genres. In fact, Halo is the last game I think of when I play this game. Hell, there haven't even been any good surfing games, ever. I think that I could honestly say that this is the best surfing game ever made, but what would that be saying? I've played a few surfing games, all of them on the PS1. I played the godawful Surf Riders, and that was one of the worst games I've ever had the chance of playing.Transworld Surf is an easy game to learn, unlike most surfing games. But it just fails to become a mere rental.
You basically ride waves...and pull off a few tricks. In different locales around the world, with some bland scenery and some good pixel-shaded water. There you go, doing different tricks, grabs and combos. Nothing relatively exciting to talk about. Before you write me dirty hate mail, I'm going to say that I think surfing is an excellent sport. It takes some skill to do these kinds of moves, heck it takes skills just to balance yourself on a surfboard. But I just don't think that this type of sport should be made into a video game. It's just plain wrong. Surfing games just don't work, wouldn't you rather be surfing in real life? Those of you who have always wanted to surf but never had the chance of doing so, well, this game could provide you with some background information, I guess, and maybe serve as a simulator. But even die-hard surfers may find this game lacking, and would probably rather get wet themselves.
The graphics, well there's not much to talk about here. I wasn't crazy about how the waves looked, I think that they were very cheap looking. The physics of the waves are nice, especially when you're underwater, and the pixel-shaded water is something to drop your jaw over, but the background scenery probably won't win you over. There are some big flaws and glitches, and the water droplets on the camera is just trying too damn hard!
The music....is something I don't want to talk about. Some horrible punk rock bands with some ugly voice work and sound effects. The ocean does not sounds like the ocean and the waves don't sound like waves. There's really nothing to talk about here, either.
As you can see, I wasn't impressed with Transworld Surf. For me, it was just another Xbox launch title, hardly comparing to other launch titles such as Halo, Project Gotham Racing or even Oddworld. If you really are curious about this game, or if you are a surfing fan, it's a rental at best. Everyone else stay away from this game, you may find yourself deeply disappointed with it. --Chris Currey