Snowboard Riot

Including the word ‘riot’ in the title of a snowboarding game would imply slopes full of angry youths who’ve just arrived in their biodiesel-powered VW camper vans fresh from a protest at the latest G20 summit. Alas, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Snowboard Riot is a mild game of fours. There are four playable characters, four different runs and, er, three different game modes. Actually there’s online play too, so that kind of makes four modes. There’s very little to shout about here when it’s held up next to the somewhat superior Shaun White Snowboarding and Family Ski & Snowboard, aside from the cheapo price. The four runs are very brief and races take place over three ‘laps’, so you’ll quickly nail the best lines. The riders have differing skills, which adds a smidgeon of variety to the challenges, but not enough.

Game modes are the self-explanatory solo Time Trial, a trick-based mode called Stoic and a battle mode where weapons can be fired from the front and back of the board. Yeah, we thought that sounded strange too. In the last two you’re up against three other riders, and it’s still a race to the finish. There’s two-player offline support, or four for online play, which isn’t to be sniffed at.

As with its boxed counterparts, there’s a variety of control schemes and balance board support too, all of which work fine and none are insultingly simple. In fact, there’s nothing particularly wrong with this WiiWare offering, but it’s just so limp compared to those ‘big’ titles. Sure it costs a whole lot less, but this is a false economy. You’ll have to take that up with the G20.

Apr 22, 2009