Game Description

Professional wakeboarder Shaun Murray stars in the first Xbox game based on the competitive outdoor sport, which is similar to water skiing but with a specially designed board in lieu of skis. The game features six additional pro wakeboarders, each possessing seven individual skill ratings and a variety of signature moves. Players will travel the globe while competing in three single-player modes, visiting a total of 11 locales from the busy Hong Kong Harbor to the red rock surroundings of Lake Powell. Each area includes boats, onlookers, birds, and other scenic elements to help draw players into the action.

As with previous titles in Activision's extreme sports lineup, the goal in Wakeboarding Unleashed is to perform an assortment of spins, grabs, and flips, such as whirlybirds, elephants, and 180s, while being pulled at high speeds by a powerboat. Tricks not only increase a player's score, but they also help extend the amount of time available during a run by filling a horizontal gauge called the groove meter. Another indicator, the special meter, allows players to perform more dramatic stunts in slow motion. Scoring points with standard tricks and combos helps fill the special meter.

One-player modes include Career Mode, Free Ride, and Free Drive. Career Mode has players selecting a pro athlete and embarking on a series of challenges on each course. In between competitions, players can increase their rider's stats or earn new boards to improve their speed, edging, or trick ability. Free Ride involves practicing each course without worrying about the time-sensitive groove meter, while Free Drive has players simply driving the boat around the lakes. Two-player modes include Tug-O-War, Trick Attack, H.O.R.S.E., and Co-Op Mode.

Tug-O-War involves both players trying to outperform one another by stringing together as many tricks as possible. Each rider begins with a fixed amount of rope at the game's start, with each successful trick reducing the opponent's rope until there's nothing left to hold. Trick Attack involves competing for highest score, while H.O.R.S.E. has each player trying to duplicate the opponent's trick within a six-second time frame. Co-Op Mode has one person driving the boat while the other performs stunts to satisfy level objectives. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide

Production Credits

Company 1: Shaba Games LLC.

Designed and Developed By: Arnold Ayala, Ron Barry, Michelle Collins, Rick D'Aloisio, Sylvain Dubrofsky, Steve Ekstrom, Lorien Ferris, Chris Frenton, Brad Fulton, Keith Goreham, Bill Green, Chris Hatala, Paul Hermann, Mike Hough, Yu Ping Hu, Sean Hunt, Myriam Joire, Anthony Jules, Coro Kaufman, Ronny Kim, Zak Krefting, Paul Kwinn, Chris Ledesma, Zippy Lehnus, Alex Linde, Brandon Luyen, Jon Menzies, Ann Mikulka, David Minogue, Tamsen Mitchell, Sean Murray, Tim O'Neil, Damon Redmond, Quin Richards, Vince Riley, Adam Ruja, Chris Scholz, Leif Simonson, Ryan Smith, Darryl Starr, Mike Stephan, Tom Teuscher, Nate Van Dyke, Hal Wasserman, Scott Werner, Joseph Wong, Noah Zilberberg

Contractor: Rodger Ferris, Brett Hartshorn, Victor Huang, Patrick Kenney, Stephen Trusty, Shame Entertainment, Santa Cruz Games

Assisted By: Kim Bowen, Zellman Helmer, Caroline Horn, Elise Mundell, Samara Weiss

Professional Photographic Services: Joseph Antonetti, Rob Dillion

Helicopter Pilot: Jan Maier

Pro Wakeboarder: Shaun Murray, Parks Bonifay, Dallas Friday, Tara Hamilton, Cobe Mikacich, Darin Shapiro, Collin Wright

Company 2: Activision Publishing Inc.

Producer: Jeff Poffenbarger

Associate Producer: Trey Smith, Jesse Smith

Senior Producer: Brian Bright

Music Supervision: Nelson Bae, Lori Lahman, SonicFusion

Video Production & Editing: Jenny Bright

Video Footage Provided By: Bump Films

Additional Music Help: Jason Alan Brame

Company 3: Activision Studios

Executive VP, Worldwide Studios: Larry Goldberg

VP North American Studio: David Stohl

EVP Global Pub & Brand Mgmt.: Kathy Vrabeck

VP, Global Brand Mgmt: Will Kassoy

Director of Global Brand Mgmt.: David Pokress

Associate Brand Manager: Ted Chi

Manager, Corporate Communications: Ryh-Ming C. Poon

VP, Creative Services & Operations: Denise Walsh

Marketing Creative Director: Matt Stainner

Creative Services Manager: Jill Barry

Business Affairs: George Rose, Greg Deutsch, David Kay, Carolina Trujillo, Phil Terzian, Mike Larson, Danielle Kim, Pat Horan

QA Project Lead: John Rosser

QA Manager: Joe Favazza

Floor Lead: Ian Moreno

Test Team: Elliot Jackson, Derek Faraci, Sasan Helmi, Clint Baptiste, Arie Shabtai, Jason Ralya, Dave Padilla, Omari Valentine, Arthur Usher, Jef Sedivu, Jon Virtes, Max Martin, Mike Sternad, Ryan Whearty

Manager, Technical Requirements Group: Marilena Rixford

Lead, Technical Requirements Group: Siônrodriguez Y Gibson

Tester, Technical Requirements Group: Aaron Camacho, Jacob Biegel, Nicholas Weaver, Robert Lara

Manager, Customer Support: Bob McPherson

Phone Support Lead: Gary Bolduc

Email Support Lead: Michael Hill

Information and Escalation Support Lead: Rob Lim

Packaging & Manual: Ignited Minds LLC.

"Train Train" Performed By: Blackfoot

"Train Train" Written By: Shorty Medlock

"Unfair" Performed By: Pavement

"Unfair" Written By: Danny Joe Brown, David Hlubek, Banner Thomas

"Redneck School of Technology" Performed By: The Flaming Lips

"Redneck School of Technology" Written By: Wayne Coyne, Richard English, Michael Ivins

"Wave of Mutilation" Performed By: The Pixies

"Wave of Mutilation" Written By: Black Francis

"Motocycle" Performed By: Love And Rockets

"Motocycle" Written By: Daniel Ash, Kevin Haskins, David Jay

"Shake 'Em On Down" Written and Performed By: R. L. Burnside

"Who Do You Love" Performed By: George Thorogood

"Who Do You Love" Written By: Ellas McDaniel

"Who Do You Love" Performed By: The Destroyers

"It Returns" Performed By: The Greenhornes

"It Returns" Written By: Craig Fox, Patrick Keeler, Jack Lawrence

"I Wanna Be Your Dog" Performed By: The Stooges

"I Wanna Be Your Dog" Written By: James Osterberg Jr., Scott Asheton, Ron Asheton, David Alexander

"Nitroglycerine" Performed By: The Gories

"Nitroglycerine" Written By: Dan Kroha, Mick Collins

"It Aint' What You Do (It's How You Do It)" Performed By: J. Geils Band

"It Aint' What You Do (It's How You Do It)" Written By: Juke Joint Jimmy

"Mississippi Queen" Performed By: Mountain

"Mississippi Queen" Written By: Laurence Laing, Felix Pappalardi, David Rea, Leslie Weinstein

"Selling Submarines" Performed By: The Pattern

"Selling Submarines" Written By: Chris Appelgren, Andy Asp, Jason Rosenberg, Carson Bell, Scott Batiste

"Break 'Em On Down" Performed By: Soledad Brothers

"Break 'Em On Down" Written By: Johnny Walker, Ben Swank

"I-75 Boogie" Performed By: Soledad Brothers

"I-75 Boogie" Written By: Johnny Walker, Ben Swank

"Unchained" Performed By: Van Halen

"Unchained" Written By: Edward Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, Michael Anthony, David Lee Roght

"Dueling Guitars aka Dueling Banjos" Written By: Don Wilson, Bob Bogle, Joe Saraceno

"Way Down the River" Performed By: Jamie Dunlap

"Way Down the River" Written By: Jamie Dunlap, Scott Nickoley

"The Ho-Down" Written and Performed By: EVonix ~ Keith Adams, All Game Guide