MTV Sports: Snowboarding

• Release Date: October 25, 1999
• Genre: Sports
• Style: Snowboarding
• Similar Games: Cool Boarders (PlayStation), Cool Boarders 2 (PlayStation), Cool Boarders 3 (PlayStation), 1080° Snowboarding (Nintendo 64)

Game Description

MTV Sports: Snowboarding is a 3D snowboarding game for the Sony Playstation. This CD-ROM features fast, real-life mountain runs and plenty of licensed music tracks for you to listen to while playing.

This game is littered with modes, features, music and options for you to tamper with. The modes of play are Qualifying, MTV Challenge, Head-to-Head and Training. The Training mode lets you sharpen your skills before taking on any computer-controlled players so that you can go into events knowing how to race and pull-off tricks. The Qualifying mode lets you race on the four courses, U.S.A, New Zealand, Norway and Japan, and then add up the totals for each of the courses and provide a total.

You need to reach 20,000 trick points for the four levels combined. One level might let you get up to 8,000 points, while another might hold you to 3,000. You must work hard for the points in these events as tricks are all that count. Once you've completed the Qualifying, the MTV Challenge awaits. Here you must go through the courses, in multiple runs, against the computer where you must beat them to the finish line or take them to town on the tricks sections. Head-to-head lets you and a friend, or foe, race each other on any of the courses so you can declare your own, true champion.

There are many racers in the game, including Mitch the fast and well-balanced Canadian, Calvin who is very young but talented and Anna who is graceful

and accurate in her landings. There are six characters in total, each with strengths and weaknesses for you to discover. Once you've selected a player, you can also choose their board that will be used. Lib Tech, K2 and Forum boards are all available to

be used, among others. You must pick one with the right balance and design for optimum performance.

Another feature that is included in this game is a create-a-park option that will allow you to make your own courses, with jumps, logs, trees and mountains. You can make it a high-speed course or one where the air-time is unparalleled.

Also, as you go crusing down the runs on your board you can listen to licensed music tracks by groups like Fear Factory, Joi and Blink 182. Get ready for a real MTV experience!

Roots & Influences

Games like Cool Boarders for the Playstation were very influential to this title, because the trick mechanics and such are very similar. Also, 1080 Snowboarding's graphics look very similar to this game's visuals.

Review: Overall

THQ and Radical Entertainment present MTV Sports: Snowboarding for the PlayStation. This fast-paced snowboarding title combines a slick appearance, a great soundtrack by real bands and many features to create a truly excellent gaming experience that is even better than other similar games, such as 1080 Snowboarding for the Nintendo 64.

Once you pop in the CD-ROM, you will be treated to a full-motion video of some great snowboarding tricks, stunts and spills, all accompanied by one of Blink 182's songs for this title. This pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the game, because the rest is nothing short of excellent. From a great soundtrack, tons of features and respectable visuals, this game seems to have it all.

You will be able to participate in several game modes such as Training, Qualifying, MTV Challenge and head-to head matches with your friends. Training mode and head-to-head are fairly self-explanatory, but the Qualifying mode needs a few remarks. It requires you to race down four different tracks, U.S.A,. Norway, Japan and New Zealand, and do as many tricks and stunts as you can. Then, a total for each course will be tallied and you try and reach 20,000 points. This isn't an easy task and will take some practice.

Once you've completed the Qualifying mode, the MTV Challenge will be unlocked, where you can go against computer-controlled players in a series of heats and races where speed and tricks are necessary for victory. An added feature to the game is a create-a-park option so that you can build your own course with all of the slopes, hills, trees, ramps and turns for you and your opponents to navigate. This seemed somewhat rushed and thrown-in to me, but it was nice to have all the same.

Once you pick a boarder, a board must also be selected. You must choose between several different brand names such as Lib Tech, K2 andFoursquare. Each board has a different design, style and balance to it so you must find the right one for the proper racer. From here on, controlling your snowboarder isn't too bad, but you will have to learn how tricks work. They are probably the one hard thing there is to learn, but you'll soon be riding pipes, doing monster spins and grabbing some big air off the jumps in Japan. Sometimes aiming your racer can be a bit tough, but it isn't usually a major problem.

Presentation aspects in this game are also top-notch and help put it above many other snowboarding titles like Cool Boarders and 1080 Snowboarding. The racers and courses look great and really seem smooth in their appearance. Details aren't always crisp, but you do definitely get the feel of the area your in. Framerates are also phenomenal, with little slowdown occurring.

In the audio department, there is plenty to talk about. The sound effects start things off here and are very admirable indeed. They show that the SFX guys really took time into recording falls, crashes and snow-sloshing sounds for proper use in this title. The main attraction in this department though is the AWESOME soundtrack by bands like Blink 182, Face to Face, Ministry and H20. The songs are all done professionally and add to the gaming experience deeply. Many of the songs accompany the speedy feeling in the game perfectly. There was not one song I didn't like for this game.

The gameplay is also the shining soul in this game, next to the soundtrack. The amount of fun I had cruising down the slopes was great, it wasn't at all what I was expecting. This is the first game of this genre to really capture the air-time and speed that comes along with snowboarding. Radical Entertainment should be commended for the atmosphere and illusion of speed they implemented in this game. First rate work in this section.

You will find yourself coming back to play this game many times just for the speed and atmosphere it delivers. There's nothing more satisfying then getting some huge air and then pulling-off a hot stunt to boot. The soundtrack really seems to top-off the game as well. While there are a couple flaws in the game like shortage of courses and a bit of pixelization, these points are mute compared to the overall presence this game has.

Review: Enjoyment

I had a lot of fun with this game. It really captures the element of big air time and speed on these courses.

Review: Graphics

Great looking courses and boarders, with no real fogging like you see in 1080 Snowboarding, but there are still a few flat textures and pixelated backgrounds.

Review: Sound

Great sound effects that are really convincing, plus an AWESOME soundtrack by bands such as Blink 182.

Review: Replay Value

Several modes of play, 2-player support and a create-a-park feature all help out here.

Review: Documentation

Manual is good and has plenty of instruction and explanation of the game's features and mechanics.

Production Credits

---

Copyright © 2012 All Media Guide, LLC. Content provided by All Game Guide ®, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC. All rights reserved.

---