Atari announces Spring 2003 release of Transworld Surf: Next Wave for the Nintendo GameCube

Atari is bringing the franchise that redefined the surfing video game genre, TransWorld Surf, to the Nintendo GameCube this spring with the release of a completely reinvented edition of the game: TransWorld Surf: Next Wave. The GameCube title improves upon and follows up TransWorld Surf for PlayStation 2 and Xbox, which has been hailed as “the best surfing title ever.”

“The TransWorld Surf franchise broke new ground in the action sports genre with its incredible graphics and lifelike gameplay and wave physics,” said Jean-Philippe Agati, senior vice president and head of Infogrames, Inc.’s Los Angeles studio. “TransWorld Surf: Next Wave has been rebuilt from the ground using what we learned from the first two editions. The team at Angel is pushing the graphics even further, incorporating the gameplay and control enhancements developed for the PlayStation 2 and throwing in some new surprises and features that will continue the legacy of the franchise as the best surfing game available.”

Working from start to finish with TransWorld Media, publisher of the world’s most popular action sports publications, provided access to the world’s best professional surfers, the most sought–after surfing event locations and authentically licensed gear. With new hidden characters and wetsuits , a surf shop and new levels like Antarctica, TransWorld Surf: Next Wave brings gamers deeper into the world of professional surfing than anything before it.

Players assume the identity of one of 13 top-ranked surfers like Taj Burrow, Andy Irons, Shane Dorian, and many more to compete in an eleven-city tour sponsored by TransWorld Surf magazine. Locations include Pipeline (Hawaii), Teahupoo (Tahiti), Kirra Point (Australia), Todos Santos (Mexico) and the all new location, Antarctica, renowned for its frigid water and perilous ice caves. At each location, surfers must successfully complete a basic photo shoot before moving on to the competition. They will also face goal challenges such as completing trick combinations or freeing trapped dolphins from fishing nets.

TransWorld Surf: Next Wave features seven unique gameplay modes, including single-player ProTour, Free Surf and Single Session modes, as well as two-person multiplayer Free Surf, Competition, King of the Wave and Shark Attack mode. Shark Attack plays like “Tag” on the ocean -- the ultimate goal is to avoid being “it” longer than the other surfers. The game starts when all surfers pull their first trick. The scores for that trick are compared, and the surfer with the lowest score wipes out and becomes the “shark.” At the end of the event, the surfer with the least amount of time as the shark wins.

In all gameplay modes, players interact with other surfers, animals and objects including porpoises, bodyboarders, boats and more. TransWorld Surf: Next Wave also features the Karma Meter, which tracks whether players interact with objects and people politely, leading to good karma, or rudely, leading to bad karma. Keeping the meter high in the “Good Karma” area will lead to a better ride – other surfers will keep clear of the player’s path and the sharks in the surf will not attack.

Developed by the incredibly talented minds -- and hardcore surfers -- at the San Diego-based Angel Studios, TransWorld Surf: Next Wave features the most groundbreaking water technology ever seen in a video game. TransWorld Surf: Next Wave for Nintendo Gamecube will be released in Spring 2003.