"A fun, fast snowboarding game for your Cube!"

Yes, the sequel to 1080 Snowboarding has come upon us! A nice game that has often been overlooked and overshadowed, once you play it you'll find out that it's a very good game.

Graphics: 8/10
The graphics of 1080 Avalanche are stunning. From the icy raceways to the lodges you quickly pass, you'll notice that they're astounding. There are no 2D wooden figures here, all people and places are fully 3D, even bystanders! But the real jaw-dropper is the snow. When you fall, it clings to your clothes and slowly ''melts'' off, which is a nice feature, although you almost never notice it. However, they are no Resident Evil and are not that good, but still great.

Gameplay: 9/10
The gameplay is in a way, simple and difficult. It's easy to pick up and play, yet combos and spins are relatively hard to pull of and take coordination. The main game consists of the A button jumping, the B, X, and Y button to grab in coordination of the control stick, the L trigger to speed up and cushion your landing, the R button to go from regular stance to switch stance and to spin in the air, the C-Stick to change the distance of the camera from the boarder, and the Z-button to do a ''cheer''. Although it may seem like a lot, it really is easy.
You are given modes to play as which go as Match Race(you vs. comp in a series of races), Gate Challenge(slalom-like), Time Trial(go for the best time and 5 coin pieces, 5 pieces=1 coin), and Trick Attack(Big Air, Halfpipe, Freestyle-like). Each are pretty diverse, and consist of different goals, yet you'll be playing through the same stages in Time Trial, Gate Challenge, and Match Race. The tricks are not the main game though, so don't expect lots
of ramps in races(even though there are natural set ups).

Sound: 9/10
I think the songs are very good in 1080 Avalanche. Sort of rock, punk songs that fit the snowboarding theme. But if you don't like the songs, you can play with the song off(there's a handy little song changer when the level's loading) and listen to your own tunes on the radio. The sound effects are pretty well done, with short bursts of voice acting for the boarders, and other effects. What really caught my ear is that if you cheer in a tunnel, it echoes through.

Difficulty: 8/10
1080 Avalanche starts easy, very easy, ridiculously easy, but toward the end of the game, it gets hard, extremely hard, probably even frustratingly hard. The comps start getting smarter, where they take shortcuts, and tend to have the best boards with nearly perfect balance. The bottom line is:1080 starts easy, then gets really hard, but you don't want to stop trying.

Multiplayer: 6/10
Yes, I put it in its own section because I think its needed. The multiplayer is pretty good, but not very great. You can only pick from a limited amount of courses, which is a BIG letdown. Additionally, the races are pretty short, which means it'll be a breeze to go through all six. However, it does support all four players, and you can choose your own character.

Replay Value/Lastability:
It's not really my place to tell you if you should buy this or not. For me, it's a definite buy, but for you, who knows. Let me put it like this: If you want a snowboarding game that focuses more on speed than tricks, get 1080, if you don't then I recommend another game. It will only take you about 5-7 days to unlock everything, but then again, you might have the urge to get on the powder everyday for a little while and test your skills on the halfpipe as the non-2D crowd cheers your every successful attempt.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 12/31/03