Snowboarding games are apparently all the rage this year. There is no shortage of companies scrambling to produce the definitive simulation of this white-hot extreme sport. But when word leaked out that Nintendo's elite EAD team and master designer Shigeru Miyamoto were working on a snowboarding title, even the most cynical couch potatoes were motivated to sit up and pay attention. The result of their effort, 1080* Snowboarding, is now available in Japan. And unlike most Japanese games, 1080* Snowboarding is totally identical to its upcoming American release. There is even an option to display the selection menus in English! So while visiting New York City on confidential ANT Army business, I took the liberty of snagging an import copy for review. The first thing you will notice when starting up 1080 Degrees is the distinctive music. It's Parappa the Snowboarder! Thankfully, Nintendo has deviated from the typical Japanese MIDI fare to deliver a great sounding game. The aggressive music of this title is of the rap/hip-hop variety, punctuated by a healthy dose of heavy metal electric guitar riffs. The songs feature a throbbing bass and drum beat, with vocal clips often looped throughout. The results are memorable, and a refreshing break from the MIDI hell we've experienced in the past. The opening menu brings up the wide variety of game options offered by 1080 Degrees. Among the choices are Match Race (head-to-head racing against the CPU), Time Attack (time trials), Trick Attack (perform tricks for points), Contest (slalom and tricks), 2-player Versus (split-screen racing), and Training. Once the mode of play is selected, it's time to select your racer and board. There are five different racers of American, Japanese, and British origin. Naturally, each racer is graded in abilities like jumping and speed. While these characters don't add a lot of backstory to 1080 Degrees, they undeniably add personality and variety. At long last, one of them manages to work the word "yo" into a Nintendo game. And in what may be the start of the next great video gaming trend, each character is clothed in genuine Tommy Hilfiger apparel. (What's next? "Mario's overalls by Ralph Lauren?") This attention to branding, er, authenticity, naturally extends to the variety of snowboards by Lamar. There are seven or so Lamar boards available, and each mimics its real-life counterpart. Boards are rated in Max Speed, Response, Edge Control, Flex and Stability. As with love, you will want to experiment with various combinations until you find a happy marriage. Once racer and board are selected, it's time to hit the slopes! And on these beautifully rendered mountain tops, there's nary a banana peel or Koopa shell in sight. 1080* Snowboarding features photo-realistic graphics that simply put the competition to shame. The racers and boards themselves are models of polygon-based goodness, while the gorgeously believable winter environments will have you donning a parka and goggles. On most slopes, fogging is so slight as to be nonexistent. Other slopes are punctuated by driving snow and fog. And when the sun is present, classic N64 lens flare is evident. The lighting in 1080 makes for some incredible effects, and the lens-flaring used makes sense and adds a little extra cinematic coolness to the game. The lighting can even brighten or darken while you're running a course, adding an extra layer of graphic depth. There are three default camera angles from which to choose, one of which is a first person perspective. In the latter, lens flare plays more of a role (ie. reflecting off your eyewear). By any criteria, 1080 Degrees is simply a beautiful game to watch as well as play. And there's more to this game than just a pretty face. The attention to realistic physics in 1080 Degrees is remarkable. Calling to mind their previous efforts in Wave Race 64, the EAD developers of 1080* Snowboarding have gone the extra mile to pack each of the six main courses with snow of varying depths and texture, ice, logs, rocks, etc. The feel of the game thus varies as racers traverse this terrain. But whether skidding across a frozen creekbed or plowing through knee-high snowdrifts, 1080 Degrees always feels authentic. The game takes advantage of the Rumble Pak in subtle but effective ways. For example, the Pak shimmies when crossing hardened ice, and shudders when plowing through deep snow. Naturally, the control varies according to territory. As we have come to expect from every Miyamoto game, the control in 1080 Degrees is precise and exceptionally varied. And control is key, as the racing action is punctuated by a series of cool tricks and moves. When leaving the ground and "catching air," racers are able to execute one or a series of aerial acrobatics via clever combinations of the B button and analog control stick. If anything, the tricks in 1080 Degrees are both more intricate and more integral to gameplay than those in Wave Race 64. They range from simply grabbing the end of the snowboard in mid-air, to the Holy Grail of snowboarding tricks, a 1080-degree mid-air rotation. After a few hours with this game you will be absolutely comfortable with terms like Stalefish, Mute Grab, and Stiffy. Again, the choice of racer and snowboard is especially relevant to trick performance. Some racers and boards offer a little extra jumping ability and hangtime, both of which will convert to more trick points. Unlike many racing games, the action in 1080 Degrees feels like the racer is pitted mano-e-globo against the environment. Whereas some games feature an overload of competing racers, here the attention is focused on the solo experience. Gamers will spend a great deal of time mastering the variety of tricks and stunts, and attempting to beat their best times and scores on the various courses. The key is creativity and a willingness to experiment with different combinations. If there is a weakness with 1080 Degrees Snowboarding, it is the number of courses. There are a total of six available, with an extra hidden course a strong, strong possibility. ;-) But don't fret; 1080 Degrees offers such tremendous variety and quality of gameplay that these courses will keep you busily satisfied for a very long time. And with any luck, Nintendo has added the 64DD "hooks" to this title, so we can look forward to even more courses in the future. Nintendo's hotly debated "quality over quantity" philosophy has been the source of much controversy, but there is no denying it produces wonderful games. The Big N's own in-house development team produces perhaps the best quality in the world, a fact evidenced by 1080* Snowboarding. This game reeks of quality, and belongs in every N64 owner's library.Overall 100 out of 100
