 "3.5 Stars. Not a bad game..." | 2006-02-19 |
| - Reviewed By arlando909 |
Snowboard Kids, a game series that debuted on the Nintendo 64, makes its way to the DS. And it's not really a bad game, but at times it feels like it's trying to out do Mario Kart. Your kids, however, will love this game. Older gamers like myself will find themselves on a divide. They'll have fun, but expect more.
You take control of one of nine teenage snowboarders and then you'll go racing through different courses. Pulling off nifty tricks, much like in SSX and also pummeling your friends with items to mess them up to gain first place. It's an interesting Mario Kart-SSX hybrid and it works. The game is, for the most part, fun and easy to get into. What's even better is that thanks to Nintendo's Wireless connection, you can challenge three of your friends off one game card. If you've played Snowboard kids on the Nintendo 64, you'll no doubt recognize the cast of characters. They're just teenagers.
There are a few problems I had with the gameplay however. As much fun as this game can get, there are a lot of cheap tricks the CPU plays on you. If you're going at it alone, you'll notice that the computer tends to gang up on you. Needless to say, it's much funner to just play with friends in this regard.
I also can't help but say that there isn't much use for the touch screen in this game. The use it does have might frustrate some gamers. As you race there will be a trick spot you'll have to touch on screen to perform a special trick. It only nets you points, so it's really no big deal. And speaking of tricks, it would've been so much better if there were more of them to perform. They're performed by the D-Pad and all, but there's a severe lack of what you can do.
Then of course there are those items and such you can chuck at people to mess them up. There's not much of anything you can do to defend against them and the computer seems to have them constantly. In order to have some kind of defense you've got to perform a spin in the air to deflect it. However, the game does make some use of the microphone. When affected with a status ailment such as sleep, you'll have to blow into the mic to wake up.
For the gamer expecting a lot, however, the game doesn't deliever. Where as many racing games will take you days to unlock and explore everything, this will take you mere hours. The game is a lot of fun, but after unlocking everything it's only a while before the fun goes away.
The game is obviously aimed for the younger crowd. It's apparent in its look and feel. This is NOT a bad thing, by the way, but a great way to make your kid feel alright with the game. The voices provided for the cast are also outstanding and the music is really upbeat.
So it's a fun game. Your kid will love it. However, the gamer expecting a lot from it is looking in the wrong place here. The CPU is unfair sometimes, but for the most part, the game is just plain fun. And for a game like Snowboard Kids, that's all that matters. So there aren't a lot of secrets and mini-games. I doubt your ten year old is going to care about that. |
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| "This game rocks!" | 2006-01-18 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1Y6VILDXKPV48 |
| My 11 year-old daughter loves this game. It is a challenging race game. It even has a story to go along with the game. |
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| "sahweeeet!" | 2005-12-29 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2ZG45XLWLI66 |
| well, at first, my ds was pretty boring. all these freaking puzzle games for a system that has so much potential. then, one stormy night, low and behold! i find a snowboard game for the DS! Do mine eyes deceive me? no, i went on the internet and checked it out. a lot of sites bummed this game down for the lack of defense against each character's unique projectile or item. other sites said it was like mario carts. well, first things first, it was kinda like mario carts and SSX rolled into one with awesome looking anime characters. my favorite part of the game is the unlockable character --jack frost. he's a tiny snowman with a big head and smile. he's the bombdiggity. about the whole "no defense" thing against projectiles, all you have to do is become first and stay that way for a while, then you'll be too far for them to touch you. some might hit once in a while but you'll still be first. i just beat the entire game and i'm not a very good gamer. i admit, some parts were difficult but i managed. i persevered! the graphics are so cool, not ps2 but on a handheld, do you really expect much? they were like the late ps1 games with enhanced graphics. the slopes are so fun to go down over and over again and it would get tiring if not for the items and projectiles. you don't have to worry at all if you are in 4 place for the first 1 and a half lap. if you keep shooting, you'll get 1st place. the tricks are totally awesome too, with or without the touch screen, it adds a little more excitment. just be quick with a finger and make sure you're high enough. if not, well, you dont'have to touch the screen at all for tricks if you don't want. don't matter much. it just busts out some pretty sweeet moves well, all i can say is that its a relief from all these boring puzzle or crappy games out on the market. ds is starving for some real games. this one is. |
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| "PRETTY DARN GOOD." | 2005-11-29 |
| - Reviewed By theshawconnection |
| So the biggest complaint against this game thus far has been the weapons are unfair. You can't defend against them. To this I say so what. It is still an incredibly fun racer. Snow Board Kids is back! That is wonderful. And it is pretty good. If you are comparing this game to mario kart then you will be disappointed. It is not Mario Kart on snow. But the 3D animation is pretty good and the racing is fun. The only drawback and the reason for 4 stars is the slower speed of the racing. But with the ability to use one game to play with several local players, who can complain! Get this game. |
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| "SBK Snowboard Kids......." | 2005-11-28 |
| - Reviewed By blackaciddevil01 |
Snowboard Kids will always hold a place in the hearts of Nintendo 64 owners. It's over the top racing style on the slopes just clicked with them and, for good reason, it was an allout fun frantic game. After that game and am ambitious sequel, Atlus put the game on hiatus for awhile. Now, Atlus decided to bring back the series for the Nintendo DS handheld. I, for one, am glad they did. Ever since the DS was released, I'd hoped they'd bring back one of my all-time favorites for the system so I could play it on the go.
While it's not quite what I expected, it's still a decent game worth adding to your collection. Not quite what I expected, you may say. Why? Well, for one, The developers try to spice up the action by awarding offensive and defensive weapons like parachutes to slow down opponents, 1000 ton weights that drop down from the sky, or even simple energy blasts that seek out the person in the lead and take him out. These power-ups are nothing new, but they lack any sort of real strategy to the game. Moreso than not, it does nothing but annoy the player instead of adding energy to the game. Too, they changed the character designs and, for me, it just didn't feel much like a Snowboard Kids game. However, the saving grace to this game is the non-combat single player races which is Snowboard Kids through and through. I had a blast playing it and, for that alone, it's well worth the asking price.
There's still room for improvement if Atlus decides to make a SBK Snowboard Kids 2, as the Nintendo DS is still in its' infancy. I hope they do decide to continue the series. If you're looking for a challenging arcade racer or just love snowboard games to play on the go, SBK Snowboard Kids is a good pick. While it may have certain elements of Mario Kart in it, it doesn't pretend to be Mario Kart....it's a snowboard game after all.
Speaking of Atlus, I hope they bring more of their games to the Nintendo DS. The Nintendo DS would be perfectly suited for their RPG games and other franchises. |
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