Sep
30
Destineer Officially Announces
Stoked: Big Air Edition
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Cindy Swanson
763.231.8041 office
cswanson@destineerstudios.com
www.destineergames.com
gettingstoked.com/blog | www.gettingstoked.com | Follow Stoked on Twitter
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“IT’S TIME TO STRAP BACK IN”
– Highest Rated Xbox 360® Snowboarding Game Now Includes Racing, Even Better Controls, Two Massive New Mountains, Upgraded Visuals, and More –
September 30, 2009 – Stoked, which has the highest Metacritic score of any advanced-generation snowboarding game, is now faster, bigger, easier to control, and even more gorgeous in Stoked: Big Air Edition. New features include racing, marked trails that make it easy to find great runs, lots of park objects to use for tricks, two new mountains, better visuals, and faster and smoother riding. Stoked: Big Air Edition is priced at $39.99 and will be released exclusively for the Xbox 360 videogame system from Microsoft® on November 24, 2009.
Stoked gives players physical control of their rider through the analog sticks, which eliminates the need for players to memorize combos and gives them the ability to craft their own riding and trick styles. As players complete challenges and win events with style, they gain sponsorships, gear, and clothing from over 30 real-world brands, like Burton, Libtech, Volcom, Dakine, Nikita, and Quicksilver, and they gain profiles of their exploits in leading snowboarding magazines, such as Snowboard Magazine.
Stoked: Big Air also introduces racing for both single-player and multiplayer modes. Three types of races are included: Head to Head Through Gates, Pack Racing Through Gates, and Freestyle First to the Bottom (multiplayer only).
Players can ride with Pros in the Pro Challenges, in which they match the moves of seven different Pros, including Travis Rice, Gigi Ruf, Nicolas Muller, and Annie Boulanger. Or, they can also race against any of the Pros.
Stoked: Big Air features seamless drop-in, drop-out multiplayer. At any time, anywhere, on any mountain, players can instantly choose to free-ride with a posse of up to seven friends, or challenge them in a variety of competitive riding activities.
In addition to racing, players can compete in a variety of Big Air and Grind-fest events, compete on behalf of their sponsor to take control of a mountain in the Battle of the Brands, ride for media exposure, build a scrapbook of pictorial exploits, free-ride the mountain for high scores, and complete a variety of technical trick challenges.
Features
Key new features in Stoked: Big Air include:
Racing
Race against the world’s top riders in single-player mode or race online against up to seven other players via Xbox LIVE®. Depending on race type, you can race through gates or carve your own route fastest to the bottom.
Marked Trails
Stoked: Big Air makes it easy to find great runs on every mountain. Each mountain includes eight runs with marked and groomed trails, lots of park objects to trick off and on-screen highlighting of kickers and jumps.
Park Objects
Besides marked trails filled with lots of park objects, many mountains also have park objects spread throughout the wild.
Two Awesome New Mountains
Stoked: Big Air includes all five mountains from the original Stoked, plus two new mountains: Laax and K2. Together, these seven mountains give players over 500 square miles to explore. While every mountain has marked and groomed trails, players can also fly their helicopter to carve their own lines anywhere on any mountain.
Smoother, Faster, Easier Riding
We’ve tweaked all aspects of riding, from camera angles to animations to the sensitivity of the controls, and we’ve made Stoked: Big Air even faster, with even more Big Air opportunities.
Upgraded Visuals
Stoked: Big Air is now even more gorgeous, with a new lighting model, post effects, fog, upgraded particle effects, and more.
Real Riders, Real Pros, Real Sponsors:
Stoked: Big Air features some of the most influential professional riders and names in the sport: Travis Rice, Nicolas Mueller, Wolle Nyvelt, Annie Boulanger, Romain de Marchi, Tadashi Fuse, Gigi Rüf, and Bjorn Leines. An impressive line up of 30 authentic sponsors also appear in Stoked including: Yes, Burton, Blue Tomato, Dragon, Arcus, Von Zipper, Eleven, 686, Billabong, DaKine, Electric, LibTech, Nitro, Northwave, Oakley, Quiksilver, Ride, Hart, Rome, Salomon, TechNine, Vans, Volcom, Anon, Nikita, Raiden, Red, Roxy, Sodalicious, and VonZipper.
Film companies and snowboarding publications in the game include Absinthe Films, Method Magazine, Huck Magazine, Onboard European Snowboarding Magazine, Snowboard Magazine and Snowboard Canada Magazine!
About Destineer
Destineer is a leading publisher and developer of family-friendly and casual video games for home consoles, portable digital devices, and PC and Mac computers. Destineer is dedicated to creating fun, affordable and accessible games for people of all ages. Through an international network of developers and publishing partners we continue to build on our broad product portfolio and bring the most exciting and inventive titles to the ever-growing casual market.
About Snowboard Mag
Mission Statement: Our goal is simple: to educate and to entertain; to bring you, the reader, closer to the elements which bond members of our community together. We are here to display the most cutting-edge imagery in a way which opens eyes and stretches our excitement to the world of snowboarding. For more visit snowboard-mag.com
About Bongfish
Bongfish GmbH has developed authentic licensed action-sports video games since 1999. Located in Graz, Austria, the studio specializes in recreating the ’soul & vibe’ of action sports experiences using their own proprietary technology.
About Absinthe Films
Absinthe Films established themselves as a premiere snowboard film production company with the late 90’s. Since then, owners Justin Hostynek and Patrick Armbruster have been pushing the envelope of snowboard film making the world over while remaining committed to environmental awareness and responsibility. For more information on Absinthe Films visit www.absinthe-films.com.
REVIEWS
The original Stoked reviewed significantly better than competitor Shaun White Snowboarding (Metacritic score 74 versus 60).
Official Xbox Magazine
“…Stoked is a fast, satisfying snowboarding game that fills the void for digital boarders left in the cold with past games.” GameSpot.com
“…this is a blast, and considering that this wealth of content is going for a bargain price, it’s an easy choice for boarders looking for a virtual outlet for their shredding fantasies.” GameSpot.com
“Stoked is the best option for virtual powder fiends we’ve seen in some time.” GamesRadar.com
SUBSCRIBE to Stoked’s RSS feed to purpose-built del.icio.us site – updated with on-going coverage, industry news and reaction – updated with on-going coverage, industry news and reaction
MEDIA Videos, Game Logos, Screenshots, Rider Bios
PRO RIDERS VIDEOS: 
Travis Rice | Nicolas Müller | Wolle Nyvelt | Romain De Marchi | Gigi Rüf | Tadashi Fuse | Annie Boulanger | Bjorn Lienes
SCREENSHOTS:
QUOTES, ATTRIBUTABLE TO TONY CHIODO, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF THE STOKED GAMES
“Stoked has the most revolutionary open world environments ever.”
“It’s all about defining your riding style and crafting the line that suits you.”
“Stoked leaves well-worn resorts behind and gives players absolute freedom to ride wherever they want and trick off of anything they can find in some of the most famous back-country locations the world has to offer.”
“Gameplay is focused on style and finesse, not button mashing; Destineer and Bongfish have created a game that looks and plays like a snowboarding movie.”
QUOTES, ATTRIBUTABLE TO PATRICK “Brusti” ARMBRUSTER, CO-FOUNDER OF ABSINTHE FILMS
“Developing a snowboard video game has always been a dream of mine.”
“There are endless synergies between a snowboard film production and a game developer that were just waiting to be activated.”
“Bongfish and Destineer have realized this potential, and have shown a real passion for snowboarding, and together we’ve worked to bring snowboarding luminaries from across the planet together for this project.”
Please contact Press to arrange an interview and/or for additional quotes.
Technorati Tags:
absinthe films | travis rice | stoked | snowboarding | xbox 360 | gettingstoked.com/blog | winter x games 
Aug
15
Talking Stoked with Bongfish’s Michael Putz
We sat down with Michael Putz from Bongfish to get his thoughts on Stoked, development and what the future holds for the great little snowboarding game.
Jul
09
Stoked Featured @ ISPO
Bongfish hosts Stoked DEMOS with our sponsors… and a good time was had by all
Munich, Germany
Thanks to our Sponsors, Vans, Huck Magazine, Arcus, and Libtech for hosting the kiosks. Stoked has been well received as the real snowboarding game to get this year. Also thanks to Michael and Klaus from Bongfish for making the trip to Munich to help promote.
Jun
28
Interview: Absinthe’s Justin Hostynek
There are few names as legendary in the pantheon of snowboard films as Justin Hostynek. Hostynek’s career stretches back to the early 90’s when films like Anthem, Color, and The Gift set the course for a library that has grown to include some of the most groundbreaking titles of today with Absinthe, the company he launched in 1998 with its debut Blackbox. (more…)
Mar
04
gamesradar.com gives Stoked a 8/10!
…offering a compelling, substantial simulation of the sport – Stoked is the best option for virtual powder fiends we’ve seen in some time. Full Review
Feb
25
OXM gives Stoked 7.5/10
Stoked recieved a very positive review in the latest issue of Official Xbox Magazine. Our favorite quote: “Smokes that Shaun White game….and costs $20 less.”
Check out the online review HERE
Whatever snowboarding games have taught you to expect…don’t expect that from Stoked. That means no candy-colored snow, no adrenaline meters, and definitely no well-groomed runs jammed with jumps and rails. Stoked zeroes in on one thing: landing tricks in the backcountry. It comes off as a little too laser-focused and a lot too technical, but if you’re at all interested in snowboarding games, we guarantee it’ll impress you, too.
Our favorite feature took us a little while to notice: the weather. And thanks, but we’re not dopey enough to be excited about simply boarding through a blizzard. In Stoked, the five big mountains constantly change — one time you might plow through deep, plush powder, but if the sun’s been blazing for a bit, that same run might be mined with bare rock and dirt the next time you try it. You can even chopper back up to the summit (a painlessly quick process; there’s very little commuting here) and follow the path you carved on your last run…unless it’s snowing so hard that your trail got covered up.
So Stoked’s slopes are big, pretty, and damn cool to explore, but it’s the gameplay that matters, and here Stoked might lose some of you. The trick controls feel great, and working the controller to execute twists, flips, and slides feels natural pretty quickly. But the game is all about boarding to a certain spot and either beating a high score or landing a series of specific tricks. If you blow it, don’t expect mercy — success or surrender are your only options. The minimal in-game help (only grabs are detailed) and heavy use of jargon means you’d better know what a 50- 50 or a Switch Frontflip is…or you’ll be pausing to RTFM or Google your way to enlightenment.
Once you crest what can be a steep learning curve, you’ll start plowing through the dozens of challenges that dot every nook, but here’s where that “laser-focused” part might start chapping your hide. We found ourselves really wishing for a race, a boardercross, or even just a boring ol’ slalom to give us a breather from the tricks, tricks, and more tricks.
Fortunately, terrific multiplayer can be that break. Eight players meet up on the mountain and invite each other to events (including races!) that can be started anywhere. Our favorite: a cool competition called The Ground Is Lava, where the only way to keep your board from melting is by staying in the air.
We saved the best for last: Stoked is priced at a sweet, sweet $40. So even if a tricks-splosion isn’t your personal boarding nirvana, there’s enough great stuff in this game that you’d be crazy to not check it out.
Feb
19
Stoked Goes Gold!
Grab Your Gear and Hit the Mountain!
Destineer Announces ‘Stoked’ for Xbox 360 has Gone Gold!
MINNEAPOLIS, MN, February 18, 2009 – Get ready to ride! Destineer and developer Bongfish have announced that Stoked, the open-world, backcountry snowboarding video game exclusively for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, has gone gold and will be shipping on February 24. Developed in conjunction with world-renowned snowboarding movie creator Absinthe Films, Stoked offers five huge, open-world mountains, dynamic and changing weather patterns, the participation of X Games champion Travis Rice as well as some of the most respected names in the snowboarding community worldwide.
Feb
17
Game Informer Gives Scores 7.5/10
Another very positive review rolling in from Game Informer. Stoked scored a 7.5 and a 7.75 in a second opinion. Our favorite quotes: “Bongfish has taken steps in the right direction for setting the new standard for snowboard titles…and in the end, gives Shaun White a snowball to the face.”
Jan
23
Travis Rice Wins Big Air Gold at X Games
Travis Rice takes X 13 Big Air crown with an awesome double back 1080
Travis Rice is enjoying some payback. Payback to Torstein Horgmo after losing to him last year at the X 12 Big Air. Payback to Mikkel Bang after losing to him last year at the Munich Air & Style. Or maybe just call it a good hearted comeback after Rice had a near-fatal encounter during Slopestyle practice. VIDEO
Jan
10
Games Radar Multiplayer Hands-On
Set to fill the void left in the wake of a certain red-headed rider’s mediocre entry
By now you may be aware of Stoked’s plan to approach snowboarding from the SKATE perspective – piling on a hefty dose of reality instead of the increasingly physics-ignoring SSX series. We recently sat down and plowed through several of the game’s mountains, exploring numerous launch points over the course of a meaty play session. Full Story
Jan
10
Great Destructoid Preview
Ultimately, what I liked most was Stoked’s unique online mode. Being one phone call away (literally) from multiplayer gaming, and the shared LIVE-connected continuity with the weather, time, and dynamic amongst players really blew my mind. I mean, see that rock covered in snow that an hour ago was bare? Well, it was bare for every other LIVE-enabled player an hour ago, and it’s covered in snow for everybody else now, too. Damn. With details like the solid integration of real-world shops, boarders, mountains, and gear — as well as an already impressive soundtrack (especially for Euro-trash fans) — Stoked has my attention.
Dec
23
Stoked Multiplayer Hands-On
Sunny or not, the weather can’t prevent us from tearing up the slopes in Destineer’s upcoming Stoked.
If you’re a snowboarder, the weather will determine whether you want to suit up and head outside or chill by the fireplace sipping hot cocoa. In Stoked, you can experience fresh powder from the comfort of your own couch and carve your way down the steep, tree-ridden mountainside anytime you want. A helicopter will drop you on top of some of the world’s most breathtaking summits, where you can either soak it all in by taking pictures or strap in and take the plunge through the magnificent backcountry. Full Story
Nov
17
Stoked Preview
Stoked is full of solid ideas, core riders and industry defining sponsors. If you’re looking to do some indoor shredding, spare your couch and take off the snowboard and look for Stoked this December on Xbox 360 instead. Full Story
Oct
16
Five Reasons to be Stoked
Great sports stories start with the little guy, the underdog. Wouldn’t you rather root for the ragtag bunch of misfits than the rich kids at the camp across the lake? Well, it’s the same with competing sports games. Sure, huge companies can pay big bucks to get some red-headed guy to talk about hitting powder, but we have a soft spot for the recently announced Stoked, the other brand-new snowboarding game coming out this year.
Here are five exciting reasons why you should care more about it than Shaun White’s title. Full Story
Oct
10
Stoked Featured in Huck Magazine
Check out the great interview with Ced Funches, the Director of Creative Marketing on Stoked in this month’s Huck Magazine.
Snowboarding games have been doing the rounds on consoles since the days of 16bits and Sonic the Hedgehog. Legendary games like Cool Boarders, 1080 Snowboarding and the awesome Amped series have allowed global joystick bashers to nail that perfect switch-corked-900-to-crooked-nosepress-to-triple-backflip time and time again. Impressive stuff, but try that in real life and the closest you’ll get is spine-snap-faceplant-to-hospital-ward. Finally, though, there is hope. That hope is Stoked, a brand-new snowboarding game for Xbox 360 that promises to do to the genre what Skate did for skateboarding. Full Interview
Oct
06
Stoked First-Look Preview
Snowboarding goes realistic with weather forecasts, backcountry terrain, and helicopter drops.
When Amped decided to go flashy and over-the-top with its third installment, things began to look grim for the realistic action sports genre. At that point, the Tony Hawk series still had plenty of momentum as it continued to grow more eccentric with each passing year, and it seemed like anyone hoping for an action sports game with more of an eye on realism than extreme style was out of luck. But then Skate came along and breathed life into the genre, leaving the door wide open for games that aimed to offer an authentic representation of their board sport of choice. Following in its footsteps is Stoked, a game that’s aiming to do for the mountains what Skate did for the sidewalks. Full Story
Sep
26
Stoked First-Look Preview
Stoked definitely puts its focus on realism and stylish riding instead of fakie 1080 stalefishing over the Golden Gate Bridge… Full Story
Sep
17
PAX 2008 Stoked Preview
Destineer will deliver Stoked, featuring dynamic weather conditions and day cycles. An area that is rocky in the morning may be covered with snow by the afternoon. The developers want the player to be able to choose what type of rider they’ll be: the “hucker,” who goes for quantity of tricks over quality, or the “stylish rider,” who pulls off fewer feats but performs them with better execution. Full Story
