Introduction: On first appearances, Surf's Up appears to be another cash-in platform game designed to appeal to the Wii's unassuming masses. Add to this the fact that it is based on a film licence and it really sounds like a recipe for disaster. Happily though, Surfs Up is actually a pretty competent rendition of a platform game. This is largely because the developers have had the common sense to leave the film plot behind and focus on producing a decent game.

GamePlay: The game draws on its licence through the various art assets and characters available in the film. These are put to good use to deliver a game that although distinct stands pretty well alongside the movie going experience. Whilst Surf's Up isn't going to win any awards this year or break any boundaries, what it does do it does pretty well. Many other film licensed games could learn a thing or two from this, as this proves to be a pretty compelling way to work with a wider media franchise.

The game consists of a series of levels that are pre-mapped out. You travel through each of them on a pre-determined course, on rails, so to speak. This restrictive approach takes a bit of getting used to, although given some time are it all starts to make more sense. As you progress through each environment your task is to guide your chosen surfer past the various obstacles that litter the game's courses. Along the way you are chased down by wave upon wave (the water rather than alien kind). These enable you to mix up the action with a reasonable trick system. This is essentially all about timing. Hit the trick just right and you will execute a pretty impressive move, hit it at the wrong time and you will come crashing down. Once you are launched into the air you can then pull a variety of other moves to beef up your score and fill the trick meter. The meter is then available to be spent on speed boosts through the rest of the level.

On top of all this, you will need to guide your surfer dude through a series of gates and aim to collect power ups. You even get to pull off a skateboard style grind here and there. Once you manage to finish the stage and accrue enough points you can progress to the next level.

Control: This is a game that exists on a variety of platforms, so we hadn't held our breath for the Wii controls. But as it turns out these are none too shabby. This is largely because they haven't gone overboard ('scuse the pun) with the motion sensing. Where it is used, to engage a speed boost, is simple to trigger and works reliably. It was however odd that they saw fit to provide a slightly dumbed down experience on the Wii, with the removal of a trick type. This thankfully doesn't detract from the game as a whole, and the Wii version can easily stand alongside the other versions with its head held high.

Graphics: Although the Wii version is obviously not as pretty as the more heavy weight presentation of the 360 and PS3, it still holds its own on the presentation front. The game is by no means hampered by the graphics; there are even one or two moments when the Wii version actually looks pretty impressive. Whilst I would have like to seen a more stylised art style that would be better suited to the Wii's lower horsepower, what we have got is certainly proficient.

Sound & Music: Surf's Up certainly benefits from being a movie tie in as it has access to the voice work and sound effects from the film. Whilst not wearing these credentials on its sleeve, the game puts these various assets to good use. Pair this with the soundtrack which again takes advantage of investment in the movie's music and you have a pretty impressive sonic outing.

Final Comments: The main down side of the game is the lack of consistency. Sometimes it just seems to have decided it is time for you to fail a trick of level, and it become almost impossible to progress. Other times the same trick becomes incredibly easy to hit. You are left rather frustrated at times, as it become baffling what exactly has happened to cause you to fail a particular element. The game is particularly unpredictable when it wants to magnetize you toward a rail to slide or have you miss it altogether. You can also end up wrecking into a few more rocks or other immovable objects than you'd prefer due to character movement not being quick enough or the sometimes strange physics pushing you toward an object even though you were turning in the opposite direction. These issues don't break the game but they certainly dampen the experience.

Although not such a major problem, another aspect of the game that disappoints is that there is just not much to it. Once you have got to grips with the basic control scheme and level structure, there really isn't a lot more to do. This means that you can pretty rapidly progress through the game and extract the majority of the fun. There really isn't much more value to be found. This is counteracted somewhat by some fun multiplayer modes, but this never really delivers the sort of value needed for a GBP 40 game purchase.

Pro: Sensible use of both the film tie in and the Wii's gesture controls.
Con: Limited depth in the gameplay and slightly easy for more seasoned players.
Final Score: 6.8

Reviewed by: Douglas Andrews