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Championship Surfer for PlayStation 1
In Championship Surfer for PlayStation 1, you find a good position on the wave and build speed for turns and jumps. You paddle towards a wave, stand up and steer up and down its face. The direction in which the wave breaks determines which way you need to go. Turning too early or landing badly ends a ride; a flowing line leaves room for another trick.
You choose real surfers, including Cory Lopez and Rochelle Ballard, and ride at different beaches on the fictional Waves Island. Championship has you collect points in heats, while Arcade also places obstacles in the water. Free Surf lets you practise without the same competition pressure. Grabs, sharp turns and moves above the wave give you different possibilities. Stamina matters: as it falls, difficult tricks become harder to perform.
You play alone or surf in Rumble with one other player on the same wave at the same time. That duel uses two controllers; no Multitap is needed. Rumble adds attack items that let you try to knock each other off your boards. You save progress to a memory card when the game offers the option, for example after an Arcade level. Saving a replay is a separate feature; it is not a freely chosen save point while surfing.
Region and language
Our PlayStation 1 games are PAL editions and come with a Dutch or English box, unless stated otherwise. By default, you receive the version for the European market. We note it in the product details if the region is different or the box is in another language. In almost all cases, the game is playable at least in English, and often in the other five common European languages too.
Manual
Championship Surfer for PlayStation 1 includes the manual unless the product title states otherwise. If the booklet is missing, the title says “No Manual”. This lets you see before ordering whether the game comes with a manual.
The manuals included with our games usually contain at least English and often around six European languages. The exact languages vary by edition, so Dutch is not always included. The booklet explains the controls and the main rules. You can use it to check how to control the game, which actions are available and how its different features work.
The history of Championship Surfer
Krome Studios developed Championship Surfer around a sport the Australian team already knew. Co-founders John Passfield and Steve Stamatiadis had previously worked on Mike Stewart's Pro Bodyboarding. After that project, they formed the new studio Krome with Robert Walsh in 1999. Championship Surfer followed on the American PlayStation in 2000; the European release came later. The real surfers and O'Neill presentation gave the game a recognisable connection to the surfing world.
The designers had to turn a moving wave into a playing field. Where a skateboarding game uses fixed ramps and rails, the water you can ride here keeps changing. The controls therefore tie speed to your position on the wave. A jump starts near the top, while a longer ride also requires steering back down. The stamina meter makes repeated difficult moves a decision within each wave, rather than just a sequence of button combinations.
The competitive events and playful Rumble show two sides of that design. Championship uses heats and standings; Rumble lets two surfers fight for space with items. Krome later returned to the water with Sunny Garcia Surfing on PlayStation 2. In an interview, Passfield described the progression from bodyboarding to Championship Surfer and Sunny Garcia as a completed period for the studio. This PlayStation 1 release shows its earlier work on surfing with three-dimensional waves.
Similar games for PlayStation 1
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater for PlayStation 1 also centres on building speed and landing a trick properly. There, however, you find a line between fixed ramps, rails and obstacles in a skating area. Championship Surfer makes your position on the wave determine that approach. In Tony Hawk you can return to a familiar ramp; on the water, you must consider the breaking wave and the space still available at that moment.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 for PlayStation 1 expands skateboarding with manuals that connect tricks across flat ground. Championship Surfer also asks for several moves within a flowing ride, but uses wave position and stamina as limits. Tony Hawk 2's skateparks offer fixed points for planning combinations. In surfing, your available space changes with the water, and a failed landing determines how soon that ride ends.
Cool Boarders 2 for PlayStation 1 combines snowboard descents with jumps and trick scores. The snowy course gives you a clear route downhill, and its bends stay in the same place. Championship Surfer instead has you ride sideways along a wave, without a comparable long descent. Both games demand timing at take-off and landing. In Cool Boarders 2 you choose a line through the terrain; here, you read the movement of the water.
MTV Sports: Snowboarding for PlayStation 1 likewise uses board control, jumps and different types of competition. There, races alternate with events focused on trick scores, and you can build your own park. Championship Surfer emphasises the wave and your choice of the next move on it. A custom snow course stays the same after each attempt; a ride on the water again demands a good position and enough speed at the next wave crest.
Street Skater for PlayStation 1 has you keep up speed while using ramps and rails to reach a points target. That resembles Championship Surfer's Arcade challenges, which also require a set score. The difference is the surface: Street Skater uses a route through streets and skating spots, Championship Surfer a moving wave with obstacles. Taking a bend too wide costs time on the street; on the water, a bad line can end your whole ride.
