1080° Snowboarding Review

System	Nintendo 64
Genre	Sports
Players	1-2
Developer	Nintendo
Publisher	Nintendo
Release Dates	JPN - February 28, 1998 USA - April 1, 1998 EUR - November 30, 1998

Overall Score

7/10

Introduction

1080° Snowboarding is a snowboard-racing title developed and produced by our beloved Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It’s one of the handful of snowboarding titles for the Nintendo 64. The title also won an Achevement Award from the Academy of Interactive Art and Sciences and sold well over a million copies. In it’s time, 1080° Snowboarding held a position as one of the best of the genre.

Gameplay (8/10)

Are you prepared to take on the slopes? 1080° Snowboarding offers a small variety of features that does give the game a feeling that it may be lacking something. There are only eight characters (three of which are unlockables), nine snowboards (one unlockable), a mere six courses, twenty-five tricks and six game modes. The fact that there are only six courses is a bit of a let-down. However, the six game modes that are integrated into each course keeps the game from becoming too repetitive.

Given the game modes, there are several objectives to complete this game. Decently enough, there is quite a bit of realism in each game mode spanning from racing, time attack, trick attack, and contest mode. The player may feel like he/she is playing something directly out of an X-Games competition.

Controlling your snowboarder is fairly easy on the Nintendo 64 controller. I like the idea of holding a specific button down to make the snowboarder stoop down to gain momentum and speed almost as if the player is playing a traditional racing game. The tricks are just that, a little “tricky,” while flying through the air. Unless you hit the ground just right, the player best prepared for a wipeout!

In all, 1080° snowboarding’s gameplay is well presented by the ever-powerful Nintendo. The only true let-down is in the lack of courses to play on. Many of the other features may overshadow this fact.

Graphics (8/10)

“Wow, that snowboarder is rendered pretty well!” I remember saying that when I first picked up this title all those years ago. In 1998, Nintendo, along with other game developers, were beginning to grasp the technology of the time to make some fairly impressive-looking video games before the new millennium. 1080° Snowboarding is one example of that. The snowboarders are indeed well designed as well as well proportioned which you didn’t find in most games of it’s time.

As well, the environments are lush and vibrant, offering a variety of graphics from snowfall to buildings that the player must dodge along each track. My personal favorite aspect of the graphics involves the snowboarder turning and gliding his hand along the snow to keep himself on the board. The snow lifts from the ground leaving a streak behind him/her. I can honestly say I’m still overall impressed with the graphics.

Sound (7/10)

There are several music tracks in 1080° Snowboarding ranging from rock to a bit of hip-hop with some lyrics as well. The player may find themselves tapping their toes to the beat while racing down the slopes. As well, there is a bit of clean-sounding voice acting from an announcer before and after each race. Don’t plan on muting your television for this one kiddies. Enjoy the tunes!

Replayability (5/10)

While there are several high-points to 1080° Snowboarding, the replayability aspect considerably suffers in the eyes of the hardcore gamer. While there are several game modes, seeing the same six tracks over and over again may not be what someone would want to do over a long period of time. If you are a true fan of snowboarding, you may want to continuously ride the same slopes attempting new feats.

Challenge (7/10)

1080° Snowboarding has a significant challenge with each racing difficulty level. As well, landing tricks may be quite a feat for some players to pull off. The unlockables are fairly rewarding so the player may find themselves getting better and better with time to get that awesome unlockable snowboard or character. Practice and precise controlling does a good gamer make!

Value (5/10)

While 1080° Snowboarding sold over a million copies and was the most realistic Snowboarding sim of it’s time, there doesn’t seem to be much discussion about this title anymore. The game certainly had it’s moment of fame, but it has not stood the test of time.

As of the date of this review, you can purchase 1080° Snowboarding used from Amazon.com for $2.29. This is a pretty great price for a good snowboarding simulation. Worth every penny.

Overall (7/10)

Probably the biggest failure in 1080° Snowboarding is the single fact that there is not enough content for the gamer to enjoy. There’s a lot of awesome aspects including the sound and graphics. The core is there, and the game is quite realistic, there’s just something missing. This is why I feel 1080 Snowboarding deserves a 7/10.

Conclusion

Concluding, Nintendo simply made a pretty great snowboarding simulation. While all the original hype has died out, 1080° Snowboarding lives in the hearts of those who enjoyed the game as well as hardcore snowboarding fans. If you enjoy the sport of snowboarding, 1080° Snowboarding is a must-play. If not, then try it anyway for several hours of enjoyment.

Screenshots