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X Games Pro Boarder: Airing it Out

The graphics in X Games Pro Boarder present a realistic representation of the exciting sport of snowboarding. Actual moves and likenesses were taken from some of the biggest names in the sport. The programming team got to sit in with the camera crews on location, which gave them insight into the unique on-field camera angles and a better feel for the sport. The jamming soundtrack includes bands such as Rancid, Foo Fighters, and Pennywise, among others. Also - as an added bonus, there are some really cool video clips included. Check out the credits video where the Pros show how to properly mess up a move. (OUCH!)

As snowboarding is primarily an exhibition sport, your major adversary is the terrain. It?s you against the landscape in your pursuit of the most extreme moves possible. You are shooting for not only speed, but the ultimate trick. That means points are counted for height, rotation, speed, and staying vertical. Be warned, however - it?s very easy to botch a landing and not score points after pulling off a really complex and awesome maneuver. While you are competing against other snowboarders, the most important thing is to just try for the best score you can achieve and see who comes up the winner when the time is up.

Pro Boarder is hard to get used to, but once you get the hang of the control setup, the game is fun to play. There are only two ?difficulty? settings - amateur and pro. Even the amateur setting is difficult at first, so be prepared to put in some time practicing before you can get better than third (last) place. However, the beauty of the sport and the thrill of catching some serious air makes up for the higher difficulty level.

Thanks to the support and cooperation of ESPN Sports, the camera angles are incredibly realistic for X Games Pro Boarder. It?s like you are watching a snowboarding competition on ESPN! The control setup is somewhat complicated, but it is flexible, and can be changed to suit you style. The addition of the snow boarders? signature moves in the ?Pro? setting is a very nice feature.


-Geck0, GameVortex Communications
AKA Robert Perkins

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