Snowboard Riot - WiiWare Review

Game Info
Snowboard Riot

WiiWare | Hudson Soft | 1 Player / 2-4 Players (local multiplayer) / 1-4 Players (online versus) | Out Now | 1,000 Wii Points
Controller Compatibility: Wii Remote and Nunchuk; Wii Balance Board
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Review
2nd March 2009; By Billy White
Snowboarding games have never really been a personal favourite of mine, and I was hugely underwhelmed by both 1080 Snowboarding on the Nintendo 64 and the more recent SSX Blur on the Wii. Due to my lack of interest, these have also been the only two gave's in the genre that I've tried since my PSone days, and so when a value packed WiiWare version was announced, it felt like the perfect opportunity to give the games another go.

   Snowboard Riot has everything stereotypical of your average boarding game - "cool" music, "cool" characters, "cool" outfits and tracks littered with an assortment of ramps to pull "cool" tricks from. Despite all this, Hudson have still managed to get quite a few innovations amongst the gameplay. As well as the average racing and time trial modes, there's also a battle mode featuring a slightly more sophisticated Mario Kart style item system (where you collect items that can be used to increase your skill and items that can be used against your opponents separately), alongside Hudson's trademark high score tables and online modes of both of the multiplayer games. Each of these plays really well, even though it does take a bit of practice before you start thrashing the CPU.

   One of the best things about this game is the control system, which is simple and works fairly well. All you have to do is use the control stick on the nunchuck to steer, and use the A button to do your basic jump. The controls are very simple and work really well, with smooth turns to the left and right often feeling tweaked to a perfect finish. There are a few other simple tricks you can do, such as forward and backward jumps using the D-Pad, and you can perform tricks by moving the control stick around whilst in mid air. The only problem with the control system is that there is no option to control your speed. As long as you're on the course, your character will accelerate naturally, which although simplifies the controls noticably, can often provide annoyance as you speed around some of the sharper corners with no option of slowing down.

   As in any snowboarding game, performing tricks here will earn you a bonus. The better you perform, the higher your boost gauge will rise, meaning that you can pull off more speed boosts with a quick flick of the remote. This system doesn't force you into using tricks if you don't want to, but the option is there and really helps when in a race. There are balance board controls available as well for those with the Wii Fit accessory, and Hudson has really gone all out to provide a solid experience in this title.

   Sadly though, this requires a compromise somewhere, and as a result of all these features, there are only four courses available in the game. Each one of these is available from the start, and they aren't particularly long (each race, battle or time trial is played over three laps, which loop around when you get to the goal at the bottom of each course), but the level design isn't that bad, and it's not going to put you off giving Riot the odd go to beat your scores and have a round against the computer.

   In the midst of all this, there was one severe control problem that I encountered, which happens every so often when you are hit by an oncoming attack or if you steer into an obstacle. It took a while to work out, but the only way to get out of this was to perform several forward jumps until you are facing the right direction again. It may not sound like much, but it wastes a lot of time and can easily hold you back from catching up with the other players within the next lap or so, and it would have been a lot easier if you were positioned back on course after a few seconds wait.

   All in all though, Snowboard Riot is a pretty fun game. The controls are smooth, there's a good variation in gameplay options, and some pretty decent aesthetic design. The music is what you'd expect from a 'boarding game (even though it does tend to repeat a bit too much), and the levels look fairly good at first glance (but on closer inspection repeat similar textures over and over again), but for WiiWare, Hudson have clearly done the best that they could, and when you consider that they managed to squeeze in the online features as well, you can't really complain that much.

23/30 - Very Good

Gameplay 8/10 - S
ome solid controls, let down only by the lack of an option to control your speed (other than with boosting)
Presentation 8/10 - For WiiWare, the standard is very good; although sometimes a bit repetitive, it suits the game really well
Enjoyment 4/5 - One of the more enjoyable snowboarding games out there, with only the odd control hiccup spoiling the fun
Extra Content 3/5 - Hudson managed to fit in battles, online multiplayer and scoring, but the small number of courses is a shame

Equivalent to a score of 77% (percentage score is approximate and based solely on the previously stated rating)

Snowboard Riot

Review by Billy White | How we rate games

Snowboard Riot - WiiWare Review

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