TransWorld Surf - Xbox

Transworld Surf is the first surfing game available for Microsoft’s Xbox console. It’s a good idea to forget the other surfing titles you may have played and try to keep an open mind about this one. Transworld Surf tries to harness the graphical power of the Xbox and focus that energy into gameplay. It is easily the most impressive surfing title yet, on any console. If you’re a beach bum, then this is one game that shouldn’t pass you by.

Transworld injects plenty of fresh ideas into the genre, courtesy of the inclusion of mission-based level objectives and the karma meter. In each level there are several tasks for you to complete that range from finding and scaring five birds, to riding difficult waves in their entirety to the beach, to landing a set number of air tricks in a run. Some of these objectives can be bizarre but at least they add a little diversity to a game that desperately needs it.

The karma meter is a little strange. Karma can change random gameplay factors and is affected by interaction with other game objects such as other surfers, body-boarders and dolphins. How you play the game actually changes the gameplay!

One of the hardest aspects to get right in a surfing game is the waves. The look and feel of the game revolves around this one main feature. The randomness, length, and difficulty of the wave all need to be calculated in real time. This is where processor power counts and the Xbox delivers. The waves in this game are scarily real. At any point, you can call in the Jet Ski to drop you at any wave you like, which is a nice touch.

With officially licensed riders, products, and locations complementing fresh ideas and superb graphics, Transworld Surf is one of the best surfing games available. Recommended for hardcore sports game fans and surfers.
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