At the Namco Bandai pre-TGS event in Tokyo GameSpy had a chance to see the company's new installment in the WeSki series, and it uses the Wii Balance Board. Producer Masaya Kobayashi showed them the improved skiing, that was already included in the first game, and introduced the new snowboarding feature. As they were told, We Ski World: Ski and Snowboard focuses on leisure, instead of making players face hard challenges.
The development team wants them to enjoy the feeling of being in a ski resort, even if they don't know a lot about winter sports. The game was also tested by Namco Bandai on a group of six year-olds to ensure that it can be played and appreciated by younger gamers. With this in mind, it's easy to see how WeSki & Snowboard has been designed to appeal to a casual audience that will likely benefit from the enhanced multiplayer features.
NL writes: "Back in May 2008, Namco Bandai released the first third-party game to incorporate Nintendo's Wii Balance Board. Though the game was a huge hit for Namco Bandai when it came to sales, it was received rather poorly by many game critics. Many cited the game as being too simple and the lack of any real challenge made it feel like a chore."
ZeroTolerance of ZTGD writes: When Nintendo released its balance board peripheral last year everyone thought it would see loads of support from third-party developers. Unfortunately very few have taken advantage of the unique controller thus making it a generally wasted opportunity for Nintendo. Namco Bandai was one of the first to support the peripheral with last year's We Ski, a simple and addictive title that made great use of both the motion controls and the balance board to create one of the most entertaining experiences on the console. Less than a year later the team returns with We Ski & Snowboard, which is essentially a beefed-up iteration of the abovementioned title with just enough new to make it worth a second look.
Pros
+ Relaxing experience
+ Two new venues
+ Controls are still solid
Cons
- Trick system feels tedious
- Not goal-oriented
- Snowboarding and skiing feel very similar
NWR writes: "Namco is back with the second iteration of their casual skiing game, We Ski & Snowboard. As was the first title, We Ski and Snowboard is geared towards sports entertainment that the whole family can share and enjoy. The game will feature enhanced maneuvering as well as interactive environments and NPC's."
