A great concept, and I am a huge fan of snowboarding games, have been since I played games like Cool Boarders and 1080, so trust me when I said that I really wanted to give this game a solid 10.
What we have here is a game that does about as many things wrong as it does right. For example the environments look great and the character animations look really smooth and respondA great concept, and I am a huge fan of snowboarding games, have been since I played games like Cool Boarders and 1080, so trust me when I said that I really wanted to give this game a solid 10.
What we have here is a game that does about as many things wrong as it does right. For example the environments look great and the character animations look really smooth and respond appropriately, the snowboarding and skiing is well represented and easily the reason to get this game, even the wingsuit and paragliding is well done, and as you explore the game you can really get a sense that the developers just wanted you to be able to go out and explore sort of like you would in Skate and just find ideal lines to repeat or new spots.
Now I have played this game a lot, pretty much unlocked most of what there is to unlock, seen what there is to be seen, and progressed through the challenges. It's satisfying for that winter games itch if you are like me and also a big fan of snowboarding games. Thing is it isn't perfect... far from in fact.
To start lets talk about the snowboarding/skiing, pretty much the entire reason to buy this game. Best way to describe it is somewhere between 1080 for the N64 and Skate for the PS3/360. You sort of have that sim/arcade kind of balance that those games had and a lot of the gameplay seems to be inspired by both games. For example it has that same damage mechanic that 1080 had for landing big jumps and going over rough terrain, but here it's a bit different. What they have done here is give you what they call a "G meter." Now this g meter sort of acts like the COD recovery mechanic, where when you take damage you will hear your character react and the screen will start to go black and white until your character finally gives up or recovers after a few seconds of not taking any damage.
Sounds like a good idea right? Well I would have to agree... if it worked right. Problem is it is inconsistent, and inconsistency is a subject that generally rules my disappointment with this game. For example sometimes it will react appropriately, sometimes it seems like it doesn't react at all, and other times it seems hyper sensitive and goes off seemingly at random putting you on the verge of death when you feel like that shouldn't have happened. Now this is a problem that brings down my score in the end as it leads to a lot of frustration due to the ragdoll effects that happen when you exceed the g meter. When this happens you will literally just watch your character flip, flop, and flail around helplessly and without any attempts to regain composure as if they have gone completely unconscious. This would make sense if the character truly did go unconscious, but the problem is that apparently they don't. The game has an entirely different reaction for when you go unconscious, which is when you endure too much punishment for your character to get back up.
This is pretty bad as you will often watch your character flop around helplessly for what can seem like over half a minute at times. It can be pretty funny or entertaining if you aren't trying to do something, but when you are trying to race or need to go somewhere and your character just keeps flopping around it works like an instant death maneuver. For me this has led to a lot of frustration due to the issues with the g meter mentioned earlier, but this isn't the end of what is wrong with the snowboarding skiing, as I still need to get into the controls.
Now the controls are a real mixed bag. The scheme seems simple enough and at the best of times it is, but the problem is that feels terribly inconsistent at times to the point to where you can sometimes feel like you are merely suggesting what you want your character to do as opposed to controlling them directly. For example, take the freestyle trick controls. You use the right trigger to jump, the left analog to spin and flip, but you can only perform your spin and flip actions on the controller after you have jumped, so in other words there is no "pre-load" like you have in games like SSX. This can be fine, but it doesn't always seem to respond correctly. Sometimes you will perform the maneuver you desires, and other times you will watch your character just do nothing at all. That is right, for some reason, if the game decides you didn't move your analog stick in the spin or flip direction you wanted you will just watch your character stubbornly refuse to do anything. This also works for the jumping, which seems like it has a delay. So not only do you need to jump before you think you would, but the game doesn't even seem to allow you to jump at times as it will cancel out or not even register for some weird reason.
Anyways I think that is enough about the snowboarding and skiing. Oh, there is also some wingsuit and paragliding stuff in this game. It's alright, but I wouldn't get the game for it. Serves best as a means for exploration.
I give this game a C+, could be much better as it is… Expand
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