1080 Avalanche

"An all around solid game"

First off I will try to not spoil anything. I will also compare this to games you might have played to give you a better idea of how good this game is in a category. Okay, 1080: Avalanche is a game that is worthy of being a sequel to a game that I liked. It is a very nice game and if you like snowboarding you will probably like it.

Storyline: 2/10

Well, what do you expect? It's a sports game and it's nearly impossible to tie a storyline to a sports game. It doesn't get a zero because it does close out with somewhat of an ending. It's overall not bad for a sports game. But don't expect a final fantasy storyline or you will be disappointed.

Gameplay: 9/10
This is very good in my opinion. The tricks could use some work on. They only used the four cardinal directions instead of intermediate as well. I believe there are 12 grabs. You grab with B,X, and Y. You spin and flip with R. But the racing which is the main chunk of the game is done very well. The L button makes you crouch and you gain speed, but lose turning ability. You break by simply holding back on the control stick. The only purpose of tricks in all modes except in Trick Attack is to gain power. The power bar raises until it is full with tricks. Once you've made enough tricks it will give you power. In this mode, you go faster, you can knock people on their butts when you hit them (pedestrians and other racers) and when you would take damage normally, you roll and don't lose speed (but you do lose your power status). Power lasts until you finish the race, hit someone, or roll.

Graphics: 8/10

The graphics in this game are nice. Sometimes they can look a little weird, but most of the time they are smooth. It's pretty much average for a gamecube game. The graphics aren't a Luigi's Mansion or Resident Evil, but they are definitely better than Animal Crossing. The lighting is done very well and the graphics are best when you are riding on a course at night. They are not cell shaded by the way.

Difficulty: 9/10

This game is extremely easy in the beginning, but quickly rises in difficulty and then gets extremely hard at the end. I suppose that is good, because it eases you into the game (there is somewhat of a tutorial called ''protips'') and then challenges you from the middle to the end of the game. I believe this ranks just around F-Zero GX when it comes to difficulty. Trust me if you're looking to unlock everything it will be very hard.

Replay Value: 10/10

This is one of the best parts of this game. This game will take you a long time to beat 100%. Unlocking everything requires you to beat everything and in some modes with every character. The single player is probably better than the multiplayer, something you don't see in most games with multiplayer today. The game has 6 modes of play: Match race, a Gate race, Trick attack, Time Trial, Multiplayer and LAN. They are self explanatory, except for Match Race, which is where you compete with another, computer controlled racer. The multiplayer isn't a mario kart: double dash, but it's still good. It's better with 4 people instead of 2, but 2 is still okay. It has LAN play, which is where you hook up multiple gamecubes to multiple T.Vs, and you can play multiplayer where you each get your own screen. That is fun, but very expensive and can be a hassle. I say this game will last you a while if you like snowboarding.

Once again this is a solid game. It was more than what I expected and I recommend it to anyone who doesn't hate snowboarding because it is fun.
Buy or Rent: Personally I would rent it first because if you don't like it you saved yourself 45 bucks and if you like it there's no way (if you have school or work) that you can finish it in 5 days. If you like it I would buy after that.

Final score: 8/10 (when rounded, that is the average btw)

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/07/03