Snowboarding games

[charlesr]

Ever since Cool Boarders was such a hit on the PS1, snowboarding games have been a staple part of any console's lineup.

I've tried a lot of them and put far too much time into some of them.

Cool Boarders always left me cold (see what I did there?) all the way through the series. It tried so hard and yet missed that elusive "feel". Even through to the PS2 and DC versions, I couldn't get on with them.

Nintendo really pulled through for me with 1080 on the N64. Whilst the PAL version was pretty hobbled in speed, the NTSC version fair zipped along as N64 games of the time went. The analogue stick nailed the handling perfectly and the feel of the snow was perfect most of the time, although when it went wrong, it went really badly wrong, with what looked like perfectly lined up landing resulting in a tumble.

Then came SSX and the extreme. Tricky was a perfect blend of enjoyment and thrills and while it lasted, was just superb. However, after I'd completed it, I always went back to 1080.

With the Xbox came Amped which stunned with it's grace and realism and interesting take on tricking. Somehow it should have been the perfect game for me, but the complete bias towards tricks, disregarding racing, let it down for me. Whilst I would never have marked it down for this in a review since what it set out to do, it did perfectly, for me the environment was begging for some shredding and this always left me a little disappointed. The sequel was much of a muchness, but Amped 3 really scored through the roof on the presentation even though the concept didn't change much.

The DC gave us Trickstyle. Not sure if I should mention that here... er... yeah the controls annoyed me, so I didn't give it the attention it might have deserved.

The GC also had 1080 Avalanche. Initially, I thought "This has completely cocked up 1080". But after a while I realised I couldn't stop playing it. The sheer speed was wonderful and feeling through some of the powder was perfect, even if the rider animation was rubbish, switching between fast and slow turns as if there was nothing in between. It didn't have the magic of the original, but much like Amped, really carved a niche of its own (see what I did there?) and stuck to its guns. Perfect for Time Trials as shown by the VERY competitive thread we had on this forum's online challenge folder.

I've not tried Snowboard Champion on the GBC but looking at this, I think I can give it a miss:


Bizarreness was Snowboard kids 1&2 on the N64. Essentially Mario Kart but downhill, with laps via the frantic struggle to get on the chairlift first.... Not really my thing. Why play this if you can play Mario Kart?

From what I've read on this forum and elsewhere, opinions on all these games and a fair few other snowboarding games are disparate to the extent that very few people agree with each other on all the games.

So what's your faves and what's you lows and why?

[sj33]

Lets not forget Steep Slope Sliders on the Saturn. An STV port that arrived in early 1998, so went largely ignored by everyone except the Saturn faithful. It's snowboarding's own Sega Rally - all about pure damn arcadey fun. The lack of a multiplayer is crippling... which featured in the later Chill (did that even come out?).

[Kaladron]

I LOVED 1080 Snowboarding and Snowboard Kids so much that I still haven't found anything that really surpasses them. I always found the PSX a bit too underpowered to make Cool Boarders work, and I thought SSX was more about pulling flashy tricks than actually, you know, sliding on snow. Amped and 1080: Avalanche were the closest I've come to enjoying a snowboard game in recent years but they still didn't feel quite as good as I was looking for.


I do have a copy of Shaun White's sitting on my coffee table, here, though. Haven't had chance to play it yet but maybe it'll change my mind.

[Roddie]

Absolutely loved 1080 2 on the Gamecube, probably one of my most played games last generation. Funnily enough, I'd only really picked it up because I liked the Japanese boxart for it (and it turned out the NTSC-J was the last one released and featured some improvements, so that was handy).

[Kaladron]

I like the Japanese title of 1080: Avalanche. It's "Silver Storm", which ties in nicely with Wave Race: Blue Storm.

[MonkeySteve]

1080 1 & 2 and Amped 3 are some of my favourite games ever, never mind the snowboard genre.

Amped 3 is so slick and so comprehensive. The mountains are massive and varied, as is the terrain, both man made and natural. Even though I've long since completed it, it's always nice to go back just for a muckaround (which normally turns into a proper session). However, my favourite thing about snowboard games is the racing...

...which brings me to the 1080 games. Handling and course design is pretty much immaculate. I've spent many a night hammering the same slope over and over with a mate, cutting miliseconds off the time each go. Just

Snowboard games are a staple for me, and Amped 3 aside, this gen has been pretty dismal. I'm currently enjoying Shaun White: Road Trip on Wii (leaving the other versions alone after the poor reception they've received) and it's good fun. It's fairly basic however, and I'm not sure how it will last after the novelty of the balance board control wears off.

Hopefully Stoked will reignite the genre like Skate did for skateboard games. Would love Amped 4 too, but after the poor sales of number 3, not likely. Surely the Wii is crying out for 1080...please!

[Phar]

Lets not forget Steep Slope Sliders on the Saturn. An STV port that arrived in early 1998, so went largely ignored by everyone except the Saturn faithful. It's snowboarding's own Sega Rally - all about pure damn arcadey fun. The lack of a multiplayer is crippling... which featured in the later Chill (did that even come out?).

Word, without doubt one of the best snowboarding games ever, the unofficial sequel Tricky Sliders/Trick'N Snowboarder on the Playstation improves on it though, wins extra points for featuring Resident Evil characters.

http://users.telenet.be/twin-dreams/PSone/Steep_Slope_Sliders_2.html

[hudson]

I used to spend hours just doing tricks on the half pipe in Cool Boarders 2. I loved that game.

Never tried 1080. I really must give it a looksy some day.

[doodledude]

I absolutely love 1080 Avalanche on GC, SSX 3 was very good as well, but 1080 felt more pure and less gimmicky.

[joe90]

Amped 2 is in my top 5 games...evar.. its that good. And now, SW on the 360 is getting there.. Once you get past the first board, and get some faster boards its a cracking game.. To be honest there are still issues, and its not as tight as Amped 2, but for just a session blasting down a mountain, its a cracker of a game..

[EvilBoris]

the 2 1080 games (the first on especially) and Amped 3 are my favourites.
Amped 3 was just great great fun, the presentation was fantastic too, I found lots of it genuinely funny, something that Tony Hawk's failed on every time.

[importaku]

I think i have played amped but i can't remember which one i know it was on 360, i remember there was a mode where you had to crash & rack up as much damage to your body as possible, or did i imagine it? I could have sworn it was one of the amped games. Must admit i liked the whole style of that game very fun to play.

On gamecube i preferred ssx tricky because i love the way you can bitch slap another character & cause them to crash & have your trick meter totally filled up so as you whizz off into the distance, they can see you busting off a massive trick it's like the ultimate insult

1080 was great for the sheer thrill of been chased by an avalanch as the course around you starts collapsing, it was very thrilling to play especially when the screen you was playing on was the size of the entire room wall.

[Adam]

Used to love the first 2 Cool Boarders games but after that the games went bad IMO. 1080 was great too, remember trying to pull off a 1080 spin, it was some insane button combination + analog rotation business but I had it down. Haven't baught another since SSX tricky though since I barely play consoles these days :/