Released: 19980315 Publisher: Atlus Software Developer: Racdym Genre: Extreme Sports

Review by: Viper

The first snow boarding game for the N64 sure isn't the game that everyone had expected. The ultra cute characters with big, bandaged noses, take over the snow boarding scene in Atlus' Snow Board Kids. In the first few tracks the game seems to be a typical race down the mountain with goofy looking characters and a few added extras. Don't be fooled. Snow Board Kids is a wacky title and it shows in the later tracks, but it proves to offer hours of exciting playtime. In battle mode you pick from a group of five 10 and 11 year old kids that each have different abilities. Then you choose one of the six tracks (not including the extra tracks) and you're off to selecting a board. There are three classes of boards and from within the classes there are three levels for each class. You start out with the level 1 board of each class, but must purchase the 2nd and 3rd levels of each class. Each class performs differently, the Free style class is a slow board but has great control, it is the best for doing tricks. The All-around board is moderate in all categories and is great for beginners. Finally, the Alpine board is very fast but does not corner very well. Once you've selected your board it's to the mountain. On the mountain you will find, jumps, trees, coins and shops. When you run over a shop (a little jack-in-the-box looking figure) 100 coins will be deducted from your supply and you will purchase an item or a weapon depending on the color of the shop, blue and red respectively. You get coins by picking them up off the course or by doing tricks, harder tricks are worth more, naturally. Once you reach the bottom of the mountain, if there is another lap, you ride the ski lift back to the top, and go at it again. Battle mode isn't the only way to play though. You can hone in on paticular skills in the skill mode. Practice your speed, shot, or tricks in skill mode. And for all you time racers there is a time attack mode as well.

Snow Board Kids offers "Diddy Kong Racing like" cute graphics. The characters with their over sized hair, heads, and noses are definitely not what you expect to see on your ski vacation. Even though the game has a cute appearance, the cuteness doesn't deduct from the quality of the graphics much. The tracks have some detail and the backgrounds will set the mood desired for each track, whether it be mountains, a village, or even a Disney Land look-alike. The polygon boarders, despite their deformed look, perform well. When doing tricks the animation is fluid and you can tell which part of the board he/she is grabbing. Also when going down the mountain the character leans toe or heel depending on which way you turn, even when you squat before a jump it all looks natural and fluid. In four player mode the game is fast but the detail takes a big hit.

The control layout is ingenious. It's very easy to control the snow boarder and to perform the variety of tricks. There is a training mode that will get you started. Depending on which character you choose navigating the mountain fun in itself. (I felt that Tommy Parsy didn't corner very good at all to be enjoyable) Then there are the star making tricks. Each trick performed (except basic board grabs) hurls your character into the air spinning with a star trail, very cute eh? I would have liked to see more than 4 base tricks but the ability to grab on four different parts of the board using the C buttons makes the bland 4 tricks turn into many more, but they don't look a whole lot different. Each character has their own "special" trick but is activated by the same sequence for each character, it just looks different depending on who you are. The variety of weapons found in the shops, range from a basic projectile the slaps your opponent and knocks them down, to a parachute tha launches and attaches it self to your enemy throwing them into the air where they watch everyone pass them up as they slowly float back down to earth. The weapons give the game a fun Mario Kart feel, this feature will make Snow Board Kids stand out from the other snowboarding games. The other modes of play allow you to specialize in certain skills and make extra money without having to compete in a whole race against others. The trick mode with it's halfpipe and jumps cleary stands out from the other modes. You are given three minutes to complete the track which leaves a lot of time to spend on mastering your tricks on the halfpipe, once you get the level 3 freestyle board you'll even be able to perform special tricks off the halfpipe wall. Speed mode takes you to three of the six courses in search of getting the fastest time down the mountain while picking up speed fans, which accelerate your player faster and make your Rumble Pak rumble. Also, the shot mode pits you and your trigger finger against twenty stationary snowmen strategically placed along the track, your goal is to hit them all with the best accuracy possible.

The music is dull, Japanese, midi, but it does fit the deformed and cute characters. The sound effects are good, the sound of your board on the snow, and the exclamations of the characters as they complete a good trick are what you'd expect to hear out of a ten year old's mouth. This game definetely doesn't excel in the sound category, at least the sounds and music fit the game without being annoying.

I felt this game was a good debut snow boarding game on the N64. It didn't excel in graphics or sound but didn't need to, the idea and play control made up for it and made the game entertaining for hours on end. The quest to make enough money to buy the best board in each category adds to the replay value, believe me the level 3 boards are worth your time and effort to get your paws on. It's fun to compete against your friends in the multi player races but it is also an eye sore due to the lack of detail. Rumble Pak support is used well and not overdone, the fans initiate a rumble but it doesn't last throughout the whole duration of the fan, which would probably drain your batteries. If you're looking for a snow board game that has game play like Mario Kart then this is the game for you but if it's more realistic snow board action you want, wait for 1080º Snow boarding from Nintendo.

- We have 1 review for Snowboard Kids (1 Staff, 0 Member)