In similar fashion to Tony Hawk Pro-Skater 2, Kelly Slater's Pro Surfer earns its place here not because of technical prowess or intricate game mechanics, but purely based on the feeling. It's a subgenre generally ignored, possibly because it's something of a niche market, and possibly because it must be a nightmare to program the magic of surfing into a video game. Treyarch pulled it off though, and made it look easy. With the (compared to today's tech) limited power of the Playstation 2, they somehow recreated the unique vibe of going for a paddle and catching a couple of waves. They say only a surfer knows the feeling, and obviously no game representation will be perfect, but this is as close as we've come. Tucking into the suck of a deep barrel, making yourself as small as possible to ride that azure blue tube, and then feeling the gust of wind and spray as you're spat out of the open end when the wave collapses behind you, there's little that can compare. And Kelly Slater's Pro Surfing nailed it. For it's time, the water textures and fluid dynamics where seriously impressive, with realistic swell movements and physics which made the ocean seem alive. Tearing a cutback down the wall of a monstrous wave and curving back up to hit the lip, an arc of whitewater kissing off the board, it was moments like these which would enchant any couch-bound surfer.
Game-obsessed since the moment I could twiddle both thumbs independently. Equally enthralled by all the genres of music that your parents warned you about.
