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There was a time when you could sift through an avalanche of snowboarding titles on consoles, but the genre is no longer as highly regarded. This, of course, is somewhat puzzling given the technological superiority of modern platforms to deliver more realistic physics, weather effects, and environments. While Shaun White Snowboarding failed to connect with large audiences, Stoked hopes to thaw out the genre's icy reception with huge mountains, distinctive controls, and dynamic weather. Will snowboarding fans find Stoked exhilarating, or are the developers simply high?

It's Tricky

Stoked is focused on the art of the aerial stunt rather than the adrenaline-fueled races as found in the SSX series. After creating a male or female rider, you'll take an amusing helicopter ride to one of eight initial drop-off points on a snowcapped mountain. You'll gradually unlock five mountains in total, where you can explore the terrain or compete in various events indicated by flags. Each drop-off point offers multiple events to complete, which primarily involve performing a series of specific stunts or reaching a point milestone. Successfully fulfill the point or trick requirements and you'll earn fame. The more fame you earn, the more events you'll gradually unlock, including sponsorships for new gear options and showdowns against eight professional riders.

Wide-Open Spaces

One of Stoked's biggest assets is its dynamic environment. You'll notice that each run on a particular mountain isn't quite the same as the last, with variable weather conditions, snow density, and the ability to ride just about anywhere you want instead of following a straight and narrow path. You may find that one particular stretch is sheer ice, while before it was covered with snow. Since the wind conditions and times of day also change, certain routes may become more difficult to go through at any given point. This sense of variability gives Stoked a higher degree of replay than similar titles.

Hucker vs. Styler

The controls are also notable for making use of both analog sticks, with left- and right-handed grabs mapped to the shoulder buttons. An ollie, for instance, involves a quick flick up with the right analog stick, from either a standing or a crouched position. Once in the air, you can use the left analog stick to flip or spin, with the option to pre-wind spins for quicker rotations. An interesting design choice is the inclusion of two riding styles: hucker and styler. For those not well versed in snowboarding lingo, "hucker" is a showboating technique of stringing together as many stunts as possible, while the "styler" method involves cleaner, more deliberate moves on the slopes. The idea is to focus on one specific style in order to reap the benefits of specialization, which come in the form of bonuses to certain moves.

Stoked bumbles and stumbles in its lack of friendliness towards those who may not intuitively know the difference between an "indy tuck-knee tweaked" and an "iguana boned." The latter sounds particularly unsettling. You'll have to perform such tricks without the benefit of on-screen controls. This means frequent glances at the instruction manual (a helpful poster of the controls is also included) or the in-game "grab bible" to figure out which analog stick should be pointed where, or which trigger needs to be held when. It's frustrating, to say the least. A bigger problem is the responsiveness of the controls, which are marred by slight delays. You can perform the exact same motions on a particular run and come up with entirely different results. Without helpful feedback, you don't know why you lost (or gained) points.

Mountain High or Sigh?

Stoked also doesn't win you over with its repetitive objectives, which feel like you're stuck in a glorified game of Simon Says for the first six or so hours of play. Even when you challenge a professional rider, you don't race them down the mountain: instead you have to outscore them while completing a linear list of tricks. More variety would have been welcome, but you can take some comfort in knowing the game becomes more entertaining as one's fame increases. You'll eventually earn a camera to take pictures of the scenery, open up more gear, and even unlock a pilot's license so you can drop yourself off anywhere on the mountain. Unfortunately, you have to slog through a crazy amount of similar events to get there, so consider yourself warned.

While Stoked's problems keep it from reaching the summit of snowboarding games, its lower retail price and lack of competition help its cause. There's an impressive amount of content in Stoked, from multiplayer point challenge events to dynamic weather conditions that keep the mountains fresh after multiple runs. Stoked's strong points are overshadowed by a few key design missteps, with the most glaring issue being its slow, repetitive career progression when it should be hitting the slopes at breakneck speed. 

Article Written By: Scott Alan Marriott