By now, veteran balance boarders have either got 'buns of steel', shudder from all those daily gyrations, or a bad case of buyer's remorse and £70-worth of whacking great plastic slab hidden underneath their sofa. We like Wii Fit, it's just a little bit worthy, dull and unpleasantly reminiscent of hard work.
Regardless of which category you fall into, this is what you've been waiting for: a whole game that finds an inventive way to use the peripheral. It's by far the greatest and most excellent thing you can do with a balance board - no matter how loved or neglected yours may be - and it can even be really enjoyable even if you don't own the perfect ski/snowboard accessory.
It follows the same format as last year's Family Ski and addresses the main criticism people threw at the game, namely that it was all far too one-paced and sedate. For the sequel they've thrown in some snowboards - so you don't have to use the remote and nunchuk as ski poles while standing on the balance board - and a handful of trick-based challenges, including a half-pipe and a section of mountainside littered with rails, ramps and 'fun boxes'.
There's also a second mountain for anyone who wants faster, more challenging races. Accessible only by helicopter, rather than the lower slope's ski lifts, it takes in some giddying descents, huge leaps and bone-rattling landings.
Both mountains are seamless areas where you can roam and explore without encountering loading pauses. There are so many alternative routes, particularly through the lower resort area, you can easily make your way down to the bottom from a single starting point three or four times without re-skiing the same pistes.
The resort is more heavily populated than the expert mountain and there are several stops along the way up the slopes. If you choose to take the ski lifts rather than selecting areas via the menu screen, you can hop off to hunt for hidden items and talk to some of the local characters before heading back to the lift.
However, there's always a chance you won't make it back to the highest point, as you'll usually be offered challenges or tutorials based on whatever unique features the current area might have. Some of the slopes have sheets of tightly packed ice, bumpy moguls, trees, deep powder snow and hairpin bends, all of which test your balance board skills in different ways and probably provide just as much of a workout for your legs as Wii Fit does.
Ice work The real beauty of Family Ski & Snowboard is that it's big and varied enough for there to be loads of things to do, no matter what sort of player you are. If you don't fancy getting into the game's simplistic trick system, you don't ever have to use it. If you're only interested in setting fast times in races or slaloms, you can select them directly from the menu and ignore the whole exploration thing.
You don't even need to worry about anything that resembles a traditional game. Steer clear of the challenges and Family Ski becomes something your grandparents would probably enjoy, as long as their hips don't give out. The controls are realistic yet forgiving, so simply sliding around in the snow, admiring the sights and then getting your photo taken in front of landmarks is rewarding. A sizeable proportion of the game's audience might stick to doing just that and we wouldn't say they were missing out - it's a game for everyone.
You can invite up to three other players to follow you around, which will make the photo mode more interesting, especially with Miis. Of course, it's unlikely that everyone will have access to a balance board, but the game proves to be equally playable without it.
The remote and nunchuk double for a kind of virtual snowboard or pair of skis. Tilting one or both together digs the edges of your bits of wood into the snow, with a very fine degree of control, while twisting both hands inwards makes the character crouch and go faster.
That's all there is to it and it's testament to a non-gimmicky piece of design that we're just as happy to play this without the peripheral it's ostensibly made for. It may not be as challenging as SSX or Shaun White, but it's far more inclusive.
NGamer Staff
// Overview
Verdict
A relaxed approach to skiing and snowboarding that has loads of visual charm, very satisfying handling and a huge frozen playground to explore at your leisure.
After enjoying the previous Family Ski game, I decided I'd upgrade to the new one. I got Ł25 for the old game on eBay, so only had to pay an extra Ł5 to get the new one from Play. It came in the post this morning, and I'm pretty pleased with it.
It's the same relaxing game, you can scoot around all day with no real aim (the same way I play GTA, just with no killing). Fortunately, unlike the first game, they've added some unlockables, in the form of new equipment, so you can actually get a small sense of achievement now and then.
The race modes are more challenging, and I think they've added a few more competition modes.
The snowboards are pretty nice, and the controls satisfying. My only disappointment is that leaning back and forward on my balance board has no effect on the controls. They could have used it as an alternative way to achieve a crouched position, or maybe impact on turning. It's no simulation, so I'll forgive them.
It's certainly the best game I've played on the balance board, not that there are many to choose from :|
7/10 in my opinion, which is good, but I'd rather play Killzone 2 ;)
Totally deserving of its 8.7. Bought this along with a couple of PS3 games on friday and I'm loving it. Have the first one, but this improves on it in every way.
Not the Wii Fit style casual fodder that many would assume. A proper game and free of gimmicks. Also one of the nicer looking Wii titles. Flying up to the summit of mount Angrio by helicopter in the evening light and seeing the totally traversible slopes stretch out below is just brilliant.
I know it's all a matter of taste, but I'd much rather relax with this than play another mindless, generic shooter.
I know it'd be unlikely(could happen though). But it'd be awesome if you could play Cloud from FFVII, just as a throwback to the minigame. Just the art style made me think that.
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