My joints hurt just watching.

I don't understand why there aren't more Wii titles using the balance board in more interesting ways than to regularly chastise you for those potato chips. Last year's Skate It, a spin off of the Skate series in which the balance board became your deck, was a step in the right direction, and was quite well received, so naturally we're starting to see more iterations on the same theme, including the recently announced Skate City Heroes. If the game's slightly cutesy look and inclusion of combat are anything to go by, we're looking at some more along the lines of an action-adventure title than a serious simulation, but maybe the controls will be scaled down to match, meaning less opportunities to sprain your ankle mastering a difficult trick system. Ouch.

There's a plot, too; your goal as one of the titular Skate City Heroes is to rescue your skating buddy, who doesn't seem to have a name, from your arch-nemesis, who does, and it is "Virus". I'm not sure what his nemesis activities actually involve besides kidnapping your nameless but very dear friends - possibly hanging around the skate park and sniggering every time you stack it? Regardless, you'll need to impress him with your skating prowess before he'll release whatshisname, so it's a good thing that's actually what we want to do.


Armed only with your board and a grappling laser - oh how I hope it is the Nunchuck - you'll spend most of your time zipping around a futuristic city, with hover cars, light rail systems, incredibly tall skyscrapers and high-technology factories some of the settings for your mad skills. There are six playable characters, each with their own skill sets, and a range of different attack moves to deal with aggressors as you journey, fulfilling missions or obsessing over side quests and mini games. Four player multiplayer modes have been announced although what these modes entail, whether they'll be local or online, and whether you need four balance boards to proceed has not been confirmed - just like Skate City Heroes' release date.