Go, SpongeBob, go!Who skates on the asphalt and surfs in the sea? SpongeBob SquarePants! Fresh off appearances in Nicktoons MLB, the quirky cartoon star and his pal Patrick return to the 360 in SpongeBob’s Surf & Skate Roadtrip, which lets you tackle land and water descents alike via Kinect.
In each variation, you’ll stand sideways as though atop a real surf or skateboard, moving your front foot to steer the board around hazards, through coins and destructible objects, and onto ramps and rails. With a dozen levels (split equally between the sports) and seven challenges on each — such as passing through a certain number of gates or collecting icons to keep the clock from ticking down — there’s a fair bit to try here, and it’s all simple, silly fun.
In splitscreen competitive mode (not shown), you can slow down and distract your opponent using gesture-based attacks.Admittedly, it doesn’t feel like you’re doing a whole lot. Much like in the peripheral-based Tony Hawk: Ride, you can’t help but want a bit more control over the board and the on-rails action; and while the Kinect controls here are suitable, they lack subtlety and precision. Moreover, the story mode delivers very little structure or narrative, and you’ll spend way too much time in menus locating new events to play.
We wish THQ had squeezed more out of the formula, like offering more than two playable characters and a more gratifying campaign progression, but Surf & Skate Roadtrip remains a decent Kinect pick for a few hours of amusement, especially for young SpongeBob fans.
PUBLISHER: THQ • DEVELOPER: Blitz Games • ESRB: Everyone • MULTIPLAYER: 2 in splitscreen competitive mode • ACHIEVEMENTS: Tricky • COST: $50
+ Fast, fun, and silly board-based action.
– Kinect controls work but lack finesse.
– Menu-heavy layout becomes tiresome.
? Wait, the show has more than two characters, right?
