This craptastic little video game came out in 1987, the same year as the god awful T&C Surf Designs offering. While the surfing portion of California Games was a slight step up from the T&C gorilla in hat and glasses mess, the game control was still a decade and a half away from becoming worthy of multiple plays.
Where T&C Surf Designs’ game excelled was the skateboarding section, while the surfing portion was virtually unplayable. By comparison, nearly all of California Games’ sections are easily controllable, fun to play, and have excellent replay value. I remember playing the hacky sack section as nauseum. Yes… the hacky sack portion. Beyond the lameness of foot juggling a cloth ball, the game offered sections such as skateboarding, BMXing, roller skating and frisbee. Making California proud, one game at a time.
Where the surf portion failed was the lack of dynamic controls that weren’t yet on offer when the game was made. It’s no Kelly Slater Pro Surfer, but in its time, it served well to keep a younger me occupied for hours on end when I couldn’t be in the water.
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