I love to get my hands on a product for review, but this review was a little different. After a little setup, my hands hardly touch it. That’s because we’re talking about the Thrustmaster T-Freestyle NW.
It’s just like a skateboard deck and it attaches to your Wii Balance Board to give you more of a feeling of being on an actual skateboard than just the Balance Board. I brought it home and hooked it up, hoping to finally do better than my wife at the skateboard challenge.
Thrustmaster T-Freestyle Setup And Removal
Getting the T-Freestyle set up and ready to use was incredibly easy. You just flip the board over, set the Balance Board on top of it (also upside down) and secure it with the two plastic board clamps to the two handles on the bottom of the Balance Board. Removing it again is almost as easy as reversing the above steps, but it requires a little more effort. Because it’s so securely fastened, it’s hard to remove by hand, but the instructions suggest using a pencil or something similar to pry it loose. That sounds odd, but it was pretty easy.
It Feels like a Skateboard
After seeing all the tiny steering wheels and tennis rackets and learning to accept a small plastic baseball bat, I was thrilled to see that the Thrustmaster is not only made of genuine maple like real boards, but it really was shaped and sized like a real board. Positioning on it was far better than on the Wii Balance Board and it just felt like there was more room. Balance was a bit of a challenge because it acted like a real board, leaning back and forth more than the Balance Board, but that’s a good thing, even if it takes some getting used to.
One problem I had with all this realism was my want to kick the tail of the board down to “ollie”. In my younger years, I skated all the time, so being on a board, I wanted to do the tricks in the game like I was on a real board. That’s something else that will take some getting used to. You also don’t want to play on this with socks on and no shoes. Trust me. I first jumped on with my socks and no shoes and slid off at the first loss of balance. Additionally, the board has a safety stopper on each end to prevent you from tipping it over if you get too crazy.
An aspect clearly forgotten in many Wii sports add-ons is aesthetics. If you ever had a skateboard, you know there’s a ton of deck designs to choose from and the look of your board is important. Rather than just stick with a plain, one-color device, Thrustmaster took the time to paint a cool skull design on their board, and I like that.
Game Play And Conclusions
At the beginning of this review, I mentioned hoping that the Thrustmaster T-Freestyle would help me beat my wife’s score in Wii skateboarding. Well, it didn’t. Although game play was easier and more realistic, you’ll still need your own skill to get the high scores. Still, it did feel better to be on an actual board and it felt more real. The balance issue I mentioned actually made some game play harder, which I suspect will get better over time.
For the purchase price of $20-$30 or so (depending on where you buy), it’s well worth the money. If you’re going to play any skateboarding or snowboarding games on the Wii a lot, this is a no-brainer.
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