Publisher - Nintendo
Developer - Nintendo
Platform - N64
Type - Racing
Score - 9/10
Do we recommend 1080 Degrees
Snowboarding? Yes. If that's all
you wanted to know then you can
stop reading right now. Did we give
the game a perfect score? No.
Nintendo has done a magnificent
job with 1080, once again proving
that nobody can make games for
the 64-bit console like it can, but
the title still has a few problems
(minor though they may be) that
can't be overlooked.
History
The Facts
*Six courses, including:
Crystal Lake, Crystal Peak,
Golden Forest, Mountain
Village, Dragon Cave and
Deadly Fall
Gameplay
Oddly enough, this game is actually
quite hard and unforgiving. Tricks
must be performed precisely and
landings timed just right or a
potentially impressive stunt could
lead to a board-breaking disaster.
Players control their choice of
boarder with the analog stick as
he/she races down the slopes.
Holding and then releasing the A
button performs a jump. The
Z-trigger is an intricate part of
landing a jump correctly and if not
pressed and held at exactly the right
time riders may crash. Various
tricks, including methods, 180 and
360 airs, tweaks, and one-footers
can be performed using a
combination of the B button, analog
stick and R button. For example,
spinning the analog stick in a full
360 and then pressing the R button
while in the air will result in a 360
degree spin. Of course, each stunt
(or crash) is enhanced with the use
of Nintendo's Rumble Pak.
Gameplay Modes
Time attack
Trick attack
Match race
Contest mode
Practice mode
Riders and boards
There are five normal riders in the
game, including: Ricky Winterborn,
Akari Hayami, Rob Haywood,
Dion Blaster and Kensuke
Kimachi. Each rider has their
strengths and weaknesses. For
example, Dion Blaster is extremely
fast, but is also prone to crashing.
Ricky Winterborn, on the other
hand, has wonderful technique, but
isn't all that quick. In addition to the
five regular riders, there are also
three hidden, bonus characters: the
crystal boarder, metal boarder and
panda boarder.
There are also eight custom Lamar
snowboards in addition to one
hidden penguin board (Miyamoto's
trademark returns). Like the riders,
each board offers its own benefits
and downfalls. Some boards offer
greater speed with terrible flex,
whereas others deliver just the
opposite. The trick is combining the
right rider with the right board for
the perfect racing combination.
How it plays
The air factor
Nintendo's snowboarder ties with
San Francisco Rush for the most air
possible in a videogame. Players
can generate 10 feet of jump from
bumps in the snow if performed
correctly; ramps, cars, ledges, hills,
giant cliffs, and even roof-tops are
all open game for air. Of course,
soaring through the air has
advantages and
disadvantages-advantages. The
upside is that multiple tricks can be
performed for tons of bonus points.
The downside is that players may
lose time lingering in the air; also,
with each jump comes the chance
of a crash. Still, pulling off a
900-degree air, one-foot
successfully is worth any risk.
Gameplay Problems
The only other gameplay problem
we found with 1080 (despite the
difficult learning curve, which is a
matter of opinion), is the fact that it
only features six racing tracks.
Sure, the addition of the air-make
and half-pipe stunt tracks are a
plus, but the lack of courses is still
disappointing. Maybe in the sequel?
Graphics
The characters themselves are
stylish and unique. Kensuke wears
a beanie and baggy pants (courtesy
of Tommy Hilfiger, no doubt); Rob
Haywood sports Adidas-like pants
and a jacket; Dion Blaster features
a striped dew with black and red
sweats, and Akari Hayami fashions
a pair of goggles and a thick jacket.
Truly, the look of 1080 is a realistic
and refreshing change from the
normal Nintendo product.
Sound
Multiplayer
The Final Word
Created in-house by Nintendo,
1080 took less than a year to
make. Interestingly enough, the lead
programmer of the game, Giles
Goddard (formerly with Argonaut
Software), developed the 3D
Mario face at the beginning of
Super Mario 64. In addition to
another programmer from
Argonaut, the 1080 team also
enjoyed the assistance of ex-Wave
Race developers and the similarities
between the two games are often
more than coincidence.
*Two bonus stunt modes:
half-pipe and air-make
Nearly 30 different tricks
*Eight playable characters
equipped with Tommy
Hilfiger designs (including
three hidden -- the Metal
Boarder, Crystal Boarder
and Panda Boarder)
*Eight custom Lamar
snowboards, plus one hidden
(penguin board)
*Multiple gameplay modes,
including: Match race, time
attack, trick attack, contest,
and training (includes
half-pipe)
*Split-screen two-player
mode
*Rumble Pak support
Options menu
What makes a good snowboarding
game? Many would say lots of
speed, lots of tricks and the ability
to catch tree-top air. Nintendo's
1080 Degrees Snowboarding has
all of the above in great abundance,
but players must master the game's
controls and learning curve before
the real fun begins.
The object of this mode is to finish
the race as quickly as possible. To
do so, players must avoid crashing
and sliding out. Even jumps and
tricks can lead to loss of valuable
time. There is no timer in this mode.
Bonus points are awarded when a
trick is correctly performed and
landed. Certain tricks and
combinations earn extra points,
depending on their difficulty. The
object of trick attack mode is to
accumulate as many points possible
performing tricks throughout the
race. In addition, this mode runs on
a timer, and the only way to
generate extra time is to race
through time-gates located at
various locations in the courses.
Missing a gate may cause the time
to run out, in which case all points
are lost.
Match race mode can be played in
three degrees of difficulty, including
normal, hard, and expert.
Depending on what difficulty setting
is chosen, players must race one
computer opponent (changes from
level to level) through four to six
courses. Beating this mode on hard
unlocks track five (Dragon Cove).
Beating the expert match race
unlocks the final level (deadly fall).
In a nutshell, players must race
through a handful of different levels,
including air-make and half-pipe,
accumulating points by performing
tricks and beating the tracks as
quickly as possible. Flags, which
players must race through correctly
to gain more points and time, are
located throughout the courses. At
the end of all the races and stunt
tracks one final score is awarded.
This mode includes the half-pipe
and a down-hill race filled with
snow-hills and ramps. Again, points
are awarded for tricks. Pressing
C-Right in this mode reveals all the
moves that are possible and even
shows players how they are done.
Very helpful. Good luck with the
1080.
1080 Degrees Snowboarding plays
a lot like Wave Race 64, believe it
or not. Both games offer players
realistic racing environments and
intuitive control schemes. Whereas
1080 delivers more tricks,
Waverace has more courses.
Boarders control fast and easy,
always reflecting the snow and
mountains they are racing. When a
rider shreds through thick snow, it
becomes very hard to turn and the
sense of speed slows greatly.
Likewise, when a player skates
across solid ice the boarder will
slide uncontrollably, making
accurate turns nearly impossible.
Maybe we're being nit-pickers, but
we couldn't get over the fact that
some courses feature invisible walls
in locations that beg for exploration.
For example, in track six (Dragon
Cove), players have a chance to
jump over a fenced-in mound of
snow down to a ledge below; it
would be very time-saving were it
possible, but an invisible wall
prevents that from happening.
Luckily, this isn't a regular
occurrence, but it is noticeable now
and again.
Quite simply, this is the most
beautiful snowboarding game ever
created. Nothing compares --
nothing. The development team
should be applauded for 1080's
effects, which vary from course to
course. The game's lens-flair is the
best and most realistic we've ever
seen (and we've seen this effect
way too many times); it actually
decreases in size (mimicking reality)
when partially blocked by a tall
mountain or hill. The skies always
portray a different shade of day (or
night), various weather conditions
(including storms) and even
beautiful, orange sunsets that
illuminate the snow. Speaking of the
snow, it looks even better than the
surrounding environments, and it
also varies throughout tracks.
Powdered snow, for example,
sprays up a thick haze of snow-dust
behind a boarder, whereas ice
reflects characters. When a player
makes a sharp curve, the boarder
will actually balance himself by
putting his hand into the snow and it
leaves trails! The game looks
absolutely fantastic and the frame
rate, which rarely slows, only
compliments the eye-candy.
Because each track offers loads of
depth and visibility, pop-up is
occasional, but not a problem.
Also, sometimes a character will
give-off a shadow where there
should be none.
This title really represents
Nintendo's second-generation of
high quality cartrdige music and
sound effects. Various techno and
rappy beats, samples like "this is a
test of the emergency broadcast
system" and scratches of "call me";
thrashy, foozed-out vocals
compliment the action of the game
continuously. The game is a shining
example of what can be achieved
on the format given time.
1080 delivers two-player races via
split-screen. Remarkably, the
visibility even in two-player mode is
immense, with all effects turned on.
Even the translucent crystal boarder
(using texture reflecting) doesn't
interfere with the multiplayer mode's
frame rate. The two-player game is
strictly for racing -- whoever
finishes first wins. Of course, tricks
can still be performed, but they're
useless (unless impressing friends is
your objective). In two-player
mode, players can only race
one-another; in other words, there
are no computer opponents.
Overall, this mode is extremely
well-done and equally satisfying.
One of the best multiplayer games
thus far, despite the fact that it's
only two-player.
Nintendo's 1080 Degrees
Snowboarding is a remarkable
game and our hats are off to the big
'N.' With a handful of unique
tracks, air-make and half-pipe
modes, two-player and Rumble
Pak support, an ultra-realistic look
with spectacular graphics and tons
of tricks, jumps, and air there is a
lot of fun to be had with this game.
We only wish Nintendo had spent a
few more months implementing
additional tracks and removing
invisible walls before its release.
Still, snowboarding fanatic or not,
you must own this game.