1080° Avalanche

Hit the slopes with the five different Avalanche characters, some of whom will be extremely familiar to seasoned gamers that have played the original 1080 and the Wave Race series.

I am not lying when I tell you that NST has enlisted the work of rock groups such as Cauterize, Finger Eleven and Seether in order to help give a 'cool' feel to the whole experience of Avalanche...and overall it works splendidly. Nintendo proves that even though the style of music is not the usual it deals with, it can still manipulate and choose the correct tracks to suit the in-game menus and the actual courses themselves. In fact, the most impressive use has to be in the intro for the game, where the song rocks along and the game action shown in the background exactly fits in with the changing pace of the tune, giving the effect of a promotional movie clip rather than a simple computer game! Even when you come across some of the slower songs further into the game, they seem to suit the level you are on at the time, so instead of quickly zooming down the slopes you will feel like you are gracefully gliding along in the snow with birds flying overhead and the sun beating down on you from above. It is all very well implemented and shows just how intelligent developers can be when incorporating any type of music into a gaming product. There are some voice samples thrown into the mix as well, and the little quips from characters, whilst quite cheesy, do in fact suit the rest of the ambiance found in Avalanche.

 

Avalanche is not really the sort of game where you can pick up a controller and be an instant master of the title. But that is not to say that the game is not intuitive in the long-term. In fact, give it about half-an-hour and you will find that the controls do start to become quite natural, learning that when you press the crouch button to gather extra speed you cannot turn corners as sharply as when stood straight, remembering to time your jumps perfectly so you can access little short-cuts or even launch yourself over small obstacles en-route and then quickly tapping the L-shoulder button to make sure your character does not topple over into the candy-floss-like snow beneath you as well as hastily spinning the analogue stick round in a circle in order to correct your landing and avoid toppling over when you have come to rest awkwardly on the ground, sending your boarder into a dazed spin. Things like this make the whole experience of Avalanche a pleasure to behold and partake in. But in order to become a true master of the slopes you will need to put in many hours of play time, as there are different approaches to the racing that need to be taken, all depending upon which mode you are playing in.

 

There are five different game modes: Match Race, Gate Challenge, Time Trial, Trick Attack and Multi-player. Match Race pits you against only one computer opponent across a total of fifteen highly entertaining and well thought-out courses that are riddled with short-cuts and hazards. Once you beat the Novice mode, you uncover the Hard and then Expert courses and the experience is one of great pleasure, while it lasts, though.

In conclusion, however, all is not lost with 1080° Avalanche as it is indeed a fantastic racing experience.

Danger is the name of the game in . Huge air, massive drop-offs, deep powder and the nastiest tricks come together in one of tightest snowboarding games available. 1080° Avalanche is a worthy successor to the Nintendo 64 version of the game, with a wide variety of play modes, challenges and secrets to keep you on your toes (or heels, if you are turning the other way).

 

- Constantly changing environments make every run an adrenaline-packed thrill ride. Contend with massive avalanches, rockslides, cave-ins, bridge collapses and environments teeming with wildlife and skiers.

- A sick trick system lets you flip, spin, grab, grind and tweak your way to glory.

- Game modes include Match Race, Gate Challenge, Time Trial, Multiplayer and Trick Attack.

- Race against your friends in intense four-player races. Connect up to four Nintendo GameCubes in LAN mode for the ultimate race!

1080° Avalanche is teeming with challenges. In Match Race mode, your goal is to beat an opponent to the bottom of the mountain in a variety of difficulty levels. Stick tricks on the way down to increase your rider's speed and power. There are multiple routes to find on each run, so be sure to scour the landscape for grindable trees and hidden shortcuts.

One of the best things about 1080° Avalanche is the element of surprise. Huge drop-offs can easily catch you off-guard, and if you don't land just right you're toast. Rockslides, natural wildlife, dizzying drops, and sudden weather changes keep things interesting, but nothing compares to the incredible avalanche sequences which will definitely get your heart racing.

1080° Avalanche is an awesome snowboarding game. The runs are designed perfectly, and there is a wide variety of tasks to complete before you unlock everything in the game. It's been over five years since the last 1080° became the first-ever 3D snowboarding game, and 1080° Avalanche proves that it's been worth the wait!