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1080* Snowboarding
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Reviewed by Gamer 64

One of the most anticipated games of 1998, 1080 Degrees Snowboarding 
comes in as the most realistic snowboarding game ever made. Cool Boarders 2 
(the next best snowboarder in my mind) doesn't even come close to 1080. 
1080's game value, incredible graphics, tricks and lastability make it a 
winner on any system and puts it in the top 3 best games on the N64. 
Don't listen to those so-called "snowboarders," who think 1080 is 
unrealistic; go out and at least rent this game so you can understand 
what I am saying. Read on to know what all the hype is about, and 
why Miyamoto is the best (he was parts of this game). Just as you 
turn on this game, you will notice a Lamar Snowboard ad, along 
with a Tommy Hilfiger one. All 8 boards on this game are from 
Lamar and the boarders are dressed nicely in Hilfiger attire. This 
should give a little notion that this game is the real thing, and Nintendo 
wasn't taking any chances with a sub-par snowboarding title. As soon 
as the intro passes, you receive an options menu. The choices are 
Match Race, Time Attack, Trick Attack, Contest, Training and 2
Player Verses. Well, let me explain to you confused people what each
mode is: 

Match Race : This is the main thing, the big race. You
race against one, and only one computer opponent (This is the game's
only drawback). You start out with 4 courses, and then work your way up
to 6 on 3 separate difficulty levels. This will never get boring as the
thrill of pulling off a 720 Air against the computer is nothing less
that breath-taking and "In-Your-Face!" 
 
Time Attack: Just another name for time trials. Beat records 
by getting down the mountain the fastest. Also a good mode for practicing 
the courses by yourself. 

Trick Attack: Just another name for stunt mode. Here you go
down the course (like in Wave Race 64) and complete tricks for the most
points. Make sure to combine tricks for the most possible points. This
is a cool mode. 

Contest: Honestly, this is one of the greatest modes in any
game. It's a combination of pulling off tricks and slalom. Each time
you pass a red or blue flag in the slalom, 2 seconds are added to your
time. This may sound foolish, but every couple seconds you pass a flag.
Don't worry, it works out. A helicopter follows you during this mode
and the effect is incredible. You will play this mode for a very long
time. 

Training: This really helps out. You go through performing
all the tricks in the game with the help of the computer. Nintendo did
an amazing job with this mode, as you will want to complete this your
first time playing. You can either board down a long half-pipe,
or in a free board park. 

2 Player Verse: What do you think? You race a friend, and
only one friend (no four-player mode), but this still is a lot of fun
and helps the replay value. There is some fog (not enough to really
notice), and the frame-rate stays very high. It's better than Wave Race
64's 2-player mode, in my opinion, which I never enjoyed that much.


There you have it. Now, I left a couple important things out that
deserve recognition. First, there is the unbelievable Freestyle
Jump. If you have seen the X-Games where they have a snowboarder
jumping off a huge ramp and performing tricks, this is what the Freestyle 
Jump, or "Air Make" as it is called, is like. Basically, you are set up in 
an arena with thousands of fans making noise as you jump off one of 
the biggest jumps in the entire game. You will be able to combine at 
least 3 or 4 tricks off this jump. Even though this lasts only about 
10 seconds, the results and entertainment are apparent. 


Next and certainly one of the best modes in the game is the Half-Pipe 
mode. There are three half-pipes: one in the Practice mode, one in the 
Trick Attack mode and one in the Contest mode. The best, and longest 
half-pipe is in the Training mode, as it is perfect for practice, or 
just performing tricks on a long pipe. It should be noted that 
this half-pipe is 10 times more superior over Cool Boarders 2, 
though not everyone will enjoy it as much as I do. Some like shooting 
down the mountain and pulling off tricks, while others may like 
just busting tricks in the half-pipe. I personally enjoy both a lot 
equally, even though the half-pipe takes a while to getting used to.
To complete multiple tricks takes practice, but you will eventually get
it. 

All right, now you must understand that the tricks in the game are
fantastic. About 25 tricks are present, each unique and fun to pull
off. This adds immense replay value, as with so many tricks and 
combinations possible, the fun never ends. Grab tricks include an Indy,
Stiffy, Tail Grab, Shifty, Method, Tweak and more. These names may
sound like Nintendo got them from a "snowboarding handbook" but, if you
really care, then you are too picky, :). Spin Tricks that can be
performed include a 180, 360, 540, 720, 900 and of course a 1080 Air. A
180 is the first one you will learn, and eventually you will be able to
pull off the tough combos to get a 1080 goin'! It takes practice, but
there is nothing better than pulling off a 1080. There are other tricks
that only a secret Panda Boarder can pull off. Such tricks are forward
and back flips, a one-footer and more. You will love these tricks, but
it takes time to get the secret boarder.
Now, to those boarders that make up 1080 Snowboarding. There are 5 boarders 
plus 3 secret ones. Yes, I will tell you about the secret ones as well! Here we go: 

Kensuke Kimachi: One of my favorites; he is good all
around. His main strengths are Max Speed and Technique. Once again, he
is a good person to start with, and is good for all modes.
 
Ricky Winterborn: The Canadian is the best for jumping, but
lacks in the speed. Use him in the trick modes, as he gets huge air.

Rob Haywood: My favorite of the non-secret boarders is Rob
who is balanced nicely and has high Max-Speed and Balance. Even though
his Jump rating is sort of low, I find him to be pretty good in contests. 

Akari Hayami: With the best Balance, and some of the best
Jumping skills, Akari is great for beginners, though not for racing.
Her slow speed is noticeable, and effects her in races. 

Dion Blaster: This guy is tough to control. With incredible
Max Speed and Power, he may look to be the best, but look at that
Balance. He is for advanced riders, since he will barely be able to
stand up some times. Use him, but be aware.
There are three secret boarders as well, and I'll just give a very brief
overview so I don't spoil it. The Ice Boarder, Gold Ice Boarder and 
Panda Boarder are the hidden ones, and may be very tough to get. I'll let 
you figure out how to get them, or go to a code site if you need help. It's 
tough, good luck, but it's worth it and adds replay. 

Remember that Lamar Snowboarding ad? Lamar is licensed in the game, as
their official 1999 Boards are displayed in the game. (You will
also notice cool Lamar ads all over some courses). What I don't 
understand with the 8 boards is that 4 of them are very good, while 
the other 4 aren't very good, and I barely ever use them. I guess if you
want a challenge, use the harder boards, but I think they were added
just to display what Lamar offers. Anyway, boards are rated in Edge
Control, Acceleration, Response, Stability and Flex. The Tahoe
151 and Tahoe 155 are the best boards, as they are high in
all the categories. The Scout 156 and Scout LTD. 162 are pretty good as
well. Remember that there is one secret board called the "Panda Board"
and once again, I'll let you find it. I have, and it is an awesome
board. Don't forget as soon as you pick your board, you also have a
choice of "Goofy" and "Regular" foot settings. This just adds to the
fun and realism in 1080 Degrees. 

With 6 courses in the game, you would think that sounds like a little.
Wrong, these courses are very long and have many routes and 
shortcuts. The courses are Crystal Lake, Crystal Peak, Golden
Forest, Mountain Village, Dragon Cave and Deadly Fall. Dragon Cave and
Deadly Fall are earned only after passing the previous 4 courses. Once
the 4 are passed, the advanced 2 are opened. Deadly Fall is so much
fun, and so huge, you will love it. Once again, though there are 6
courses, many different routes are available and tons of shortcuts are
included. Also, tons of moguls and jumps are all over the place, so
plenty of places are apparent to catch air. During courses, different
types of snow are present from soft snow, to powder and even ice. You
can "feel" the different terrain, as a boarder, for instance, will slow
down a little in the deep powder. The experience is so amazing; you
have to play it to understand. Also, through the courses, there are
some during day, during sunset or even night. It may be snowing, or not
during the course also. This proves to be a cool effect enhancing the
reality. Once again, there are tons of places to perform tricks on
every course, so don't worry about that. I have found tons of ramps,
powder jumps, and even jumps over cars to perform tricks 
 
Here are some other little notes to add before I go through my ratings
of 1080 Degrees. The game is rumble pak compatible and is done very
well. Different types of snow are felt through the pak, and the 
experience is definitely lifted. Records are kept in the game pak it
self, and not the controller pak. Last, something I found awesome in
this game was the animation that the characters perform during the game,
(like in the lodge when you pick them) is really 'tight' and cool. Read
on to heard my ratings: (Out of 10)
 
Graphics: 9.7
What we have here is 1080's best feature, the graphics. You 
probably have seen from some 1080 screens that this game has all the 
perfect polygons and beautiful layouts we expect from a Nintendo 64 game. 
The Hilfiger clothing on the boarders is beautiful, as I find them dressed 
in an appropriate, snowboard fashion. You will notice these beautiful 
clothes rustling in the wind as your boarder sails down the mountain. 
Other little graphic details include the snowboard, and even the snowboarder's 
board and hand, leaving tracks in the snow as you sail by. Of course the 
"highlight" of the graphics is the Lens-Flaring effect which displays
the sun's reflection. I have never seen a game do this better, as 1080
perfects this in all ways displaying the effect beautifully and at the
correct times. The only letdown is a tiny bit of fog in the two-player
mode, and also some little choppiness throughout some of the game.
Believe me, you will not notice these at all, but the graphics aren't
flawless. In fact, no N64 game, in my mind, has 100% flawless graphics.
The point is these graphics will take your breath away. The beautiful
backgrounds, and course outlines display snow better than anyone else
does. Who would have thought snow could look so damn good? Oh, don't
forget to check the "Instant Replay;" very cool!
 
Music/Sound Effects: 9.3

Believe it or not, 1080 Snowboarding contains some of the best tunes 
and sound effects on any game. You can tell when the music in a Nintendo 
game is this good, that they are serious about presenting an incredible game. 
The music and sound effects are done almost to perfection. No more of that
annoying Wave Race 64 announcer, as 1080 contains one who names off
tricks, and that's it. He doesn't comment or anything, as this usually
makes a game worse than it should be. Also, each rider has their little
sayings like "Wa-Hoo" or "Hey!" Only a couple sayings are annoying,
which frustrates one a little. The overall music in the game has an
up-beat techno tempo, with some added new-age music and little slight
rock. Some of the music is great, and some is good. It depends on what
you like. The sound effects are flawless as you can hear the soft
powder, or hear the crunch of the ice. The board scrapping across the
snow is done nice, and so is every other sound effect in the game.
Finally, I have found a game where the music, announcer and sound
effects actually make me want to play more. This is the music that
Nintendo has promised from a cart. I guess they were right, once again.

Control: 9.5

Of course the basic control in the game is with the analog control stick, 
and the R and B buttons to perform tricks. Z is used to crouch and build up 
speed. Crouching too long will cause a loss of balance, so don't do it forever! 
You probably hear this all the time, but the analog stick works like a dream; 
it is so smooth and responsive you feel in control all the time. Also, there
are several camera angles, being far behind the boarder, right behind
the board, or having a first-person view of the boarder (this is tough
to control). Of course the main control in the game is the tricks that
can be performed. For instance, a Shifty can be performed in the air by
pressing Left and the B button. Up to 400 points are rewarded for this
trick; holding the trick longer causes great points to be received.
Spin moves are done easily as well, especially the 360. There are so
many tricks and so many combos the fun won't end. The only draw back is
that for some, doing tricks may be very frustrating at first. I had a
very tough time at first with the control of this game. It takes about
an hour or so to get the basics. Stay calm, you'll get it, but it takes
time. 

Replay/Gameplay Value: 9.4

There is so much in this game, it isn't even funny. All other snowboard 
games are a joke compared to 1080's incredible options and modes of play. 
How can 6 courses, a huge half-pipe, a freestyle jump, and 4 other modes of 
play, including secret boarders and boards, get boring? The contest mode will
last a long time and the trick attack and time attack is fun as well.
Of course, nothing beats playing a friend in the Two-player verse mode.
The only two drawbacks are that I would have liked to see a 4-player
mode. Of course this would be tough to pull off while keeping the
frame-rate high. A two-player mode is fine, but with 4 players, it
would have been outrageous! Also, even with all 6 courses being long
and having multiple paths, I think at least 2 more courses should have
been included. Who knows, maybe there are secret ones, or maybe the
64DD will add more in the future? Don't get me wrong, you will be
playing 1080 Degrees non-stop for months. 

Overall: 9.5

Well, if you have made it through this whole review, I congratulate you. I 
highly recommend you go out right now and at least rent this one right now. 
Some of the Wave Race 64 team was involved in this one, so you can't go wrong. 
This is a great buy, for racing lovers, gamers who want to have fun, and
especially snowboarders, like myself. Put down Cool Boarders 2 and Steep Slope 
Sliders because there is a new king in town. 
 

Bottom Line:  Here is a quick summary of what I think: Get
this game, really, you can't miss it. It is almost a candidate for
game of the year. With an indescribable feeling when you board and the
ability to pull off some many tricks, I have never had so much fun.
Also, a pumpin' soundtrack sets the tone, along with many modes. The
half-pipe alone could have been good enough. Though, remember: the game
takes a couple hours to get the control, so be patient. Once you get
it, you won't go to sleep. Have fun, and don't miss Nintendo's new
phenomenal game.

PROS: 
Incredible graphics
Great music, great sound effects
Some 25 Tricks
So many modes
Awesome Half-pipe/Freestyle Jump
Rumble Pak Compatible
It's From the Wave Race team
Long courses w/shortcuts
Long lastability (secrets,
codes)
Two-player mode
So much fun you won't believe
it


CONS: 
You race against only one
computer opponent
2 More Courses Needed
A slight learning
curve. 



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