First wave tanks now this!
The World Surf League alongside partner Jeep are pleased to announce the release of a brand new virtual reality project today called Jeep Sessions: A Journey in 360. Skimming quickly through, it appears the participant (player?) once fitted with an immersive VR device, chooses to either join Jordy Smith or Malia Manuel to… wait. I’m sorry. I’m not very good at summarizing press releases.
Here, read some select passages real quick and then we’ll discuss.
Jeep® Sessions: A Surfing Journey in 360° follows WSL Championship Tour surfers Jordy Smith and Malia Manuel as each embarks on a Jeep brand adventure to find the best waves. The project can be viewed in both a 360° video and an interactive VR experience. The VR application enables users to select their journey through “gaze-based interactions,” where the user’s eyes become the controller within the 360° visuals.
“Our project goal was to push the boundaries of VR technology to show what a surf trip feels like from the first-person perspective,” said Steele, Rapid VR co-director. “I’m excited to share this. It’s pretty incredible knowing my mom can now experience riding a 20-foot wave.”
Fans have the option to choose to explore in Smith’s all-new 2018 Jeep Wrangler or Manuel’s Jeep Renegade. Filmed on the island of Oahu, both the Jeep Wrangler and Renegade demonstrated the Jeep brand’s legendary 4×4 capability and stylish design in an off-road adventure through forest terrain and beautiful beaches.
“I love that everyone can go on whichever adventure they want in this VR experience,” said Manuel. “It’s a win-win for the viewer visually whether they go with me in the Jeep Renegade, or Jordy in the Jeep Wrangler, as we go off-roading to explore the beautiful scenery in Hawaii and find these amazing waves to share with the world.”
Within the app experience, viewers also have several points of choice presented by Sunny Garcia, Hawaiian surfing royalty who has scoured every inch of the island, which affect the narrative and result in different endings, including an option where all the featured surfers share waves together.
Mmmm. I have a few questions.
What if you stare at Jordy Smith’s nipples the entire time vis a vis the “gaze-based interaction?” Is this allowed?
Would you like for your mom to experience riding a 20-foot wave?
Exploring the island of Oahu with Jordy in his Jeep Wrangler can you go anywhere? Like, Ewa Beach? Can you try to buy ice? Do locals chase you?
Did Malia Manuel really say, It’s a win-win for the viewer visually whether they go with me in the Jeep Renegade, or Jordy in the Jeep Wrangler, as we go off-roading to explore the beautiful scenery in Hawaii and find these amazing waves to share with the world.” Or was that written in the press office afterwards?
The journey is narrated by Joe Turpel and you can/should watch while thinking about my questions and coming up with some of your own.
Rating 7.8
The Verdict
ESRB is E for everyone. While missing the much vaunted M (mature 17+) or Adults Only, the game seems to get off on a goofy footing.
Surf Journey is a wide-open playground with all the necessary ingredients for causing a real VR surf experience: WSL’s Joe Turpel and his announcer voice. While the variety of breaks is thin, only what the Mecca has got. It has tempermental wildlife, cool locals. Although the Hawaii local AI is imppeccable. Astute friendliness of Town and Country. If you cross anyone on or off the beach, its a real treat with the real beat downs. And if you happen to get lucky and bust a move and win your first fight with a black short, a group of them show up. Even down to the Aunties, Kekai, and chickens, even traffic during busy times is emulated.
If you go full GTA and end up with 4 stars, you can catch Hawaii Five Oh. But the national guard quickly shows up, so your favorite detectives won’t stick around.
Loads of enemies and allies, temperamental wildlife, and plenty of explosions. Amidst all the insanity it manages to tell a serious story with respectable characters and a powerful ending, though it’s not the most memorable in the surfing. The successful transition from exotic locales to more exotic locales is word up bomb.
Cooking section of the game is interesting with ingredients section. Yes you can learn hwo to make your own kalua pig. Those buggers are hard without the easter egg (spoiler below), so the best way to to surf near a cliff and sometimes a large boar or sow will spawn and fall into the sea. A few punches and board hits (if you have normal construction, the board will be near unridable if you weaponize it).
The VR and controls could use some work. Especially the driving sequences. Surfing is very intuitive and easy to understand. The main focus is the camera angle, sometimes the camera goes wonky and you see white water, or it’s following closely in a barrel, and you get the water photographer’s view instead and screw up getting spit out.
A DLC is planned with much more, including hydro planing surfing, SUP, Wind surfing, kite surfing, and jet ski. Even allowing controls of the hang gliding and para gliding parts. Possible new islands and locations are rumored but you’ll hear from us once the official info is dropped.
I really liked the easter egg. *spoiler don’t read below* part.
You get Bodhi or Neo, and check out the entire line of glock pistols, spring armory rifles, benelli shotguns, and even hoyt recurve or compoud bows. I liked the cold steel blades,Tony Swatton’s Eli machete, and Hattori Hanzo’s finest.
This also allows gore check box and warnning rating of A, with the included Hotel’s and Happy endings. And also popular alcholic ads and beverages are avaiable through out the game, so a reply is a must. Plus drunk surfing depletes surfers and the life bar . . . but is fun nonetheless.
The zombie and shootout sections were ok. Vehicular combat was meh at best. You could only shoot at non friendly jeeps and the terrorist in their 1980’s trucks and VW Bus (watch out for the RPG guy out of the top). The Delorean from the famous time travel movie can be found if you can drive at 88 mph for 88 seconds. If there was more fluidity and selection.
The game had flight options but it was just for the ride and the player cannot control anything. A big boo, but rumer is DLC will alleviate that.
Melee and hand to hand is pretty good with emphasis on street fighting or joel-jitsu, remisicing Batman’s Arkham Asylum. Other fighting style are rumored to come with a DLC in the future, along with more board types and even possible California expansion. Shooting is on par with GTA 5.
7.8
OmL you got crazy time on your hands
Guy is way to reasonable to be here……. COCAINE!
Really bummed this didn’t continue on back to Malia’s room
Your lucky I don’t have an icepick near me. I wouldn’t harm turpel,I would just jam it in my ears
You know, I don’t recall many breaks / beaches on Oahu you needed 4WDs to access. It’s not like Australia.
So they’re gonna wank around on the back fields of the Kualoa ranch for an afternoon, then drive to a public beach, churn 100m down the sand, park, then go surf with everyone else who’s left their car up on the road 30 seconds walk away. Nice. I’m fukn sold.
I hope they don’t get too many beach towels and knitted string bikinis wrapped round the differential.
Maybe there’ll be a hidden ‘Easter Egg’ when they do wheel spins on the burial place of the now-executed Ambassador for Stoke and Leisure.
The pool and VR are no surprise given the head of the whole shit show doesn’t surf. Sophie has said she wants to engage anyone with a passing interest in surfing. I wait for the day her interest (pay check) passes and she joins the growing Queue of The Clueless who have taken surfing on the short road to Dystopia
“Within the app experience, viewers also have several points of choice presented by Sunny Garcia”
Sunny: Can I file a 1040-EZ or do I need to do the full 1040?
It’ll only last a week get paid in cash up front after explaining “your a Christian” then take off with the weeks pay with out doing any work.
Bravo !!
2 things. He’s on a pang,hurry up and sue channel islands? Second, he seems like a in shape fat slob. Sterling Spencer had video of the fucker making his girlfriend drag his boards up like 2 flights of stairs. Which I think is hilarious and would totally do to all my ex’s, but this chick was hot,I only date oxen who can take lids off jars and carry me home when the rum hits the diazepam in my system.
JS is splitsville with Chanel Aliens, mang He been riding Hawaiian kine plus udders off and on for some time with CI stickers on them. He might still ride CI at times but wants to spread wings, hopefully to help his loving father just a little.
Ahhhh……. I won’t say it’s time to quit …. but maybe time for a break…. I feel bile in my throat …
I’m close to quitting again too. This is awful. Unless the jeeps crash. That could be fun to watch.
My brain/soul hurts…
Really? Or virtually?
Or figuratively?
Both!!
Virtually the best reality for Jordy’s WCT future will be Virtual Reality.