"Huh, not again Nintendo...Another series downgraded."

Nintendo has already ruined the Mario Party franchise in it's transition the GameCube. 1080 for N64 was one of the big hits that kept the system alive, and was always a thrill to play. However, 1080 Avalanche is quite disapointing. It is nothing like the original.. And here is why. Snowboarding fans, stick with SSX 3.

Graphics:10/10
Holy ****! These are the most *****ing simulation graphics that I've seen on the Gamecube. The characters look quite nice, the environments are short but very detailed, there is killer snow graphics, tons of boards. Everything looks very realistic. There is no collision detection or frame rate problems to speak of. This game also moves at a very fast pace, with some breakable objects. If the rest of the game was as good as the graphics, this would be just like the original.

Sound:8/10
Very nice. It features Rock groups like Finger Eleven to provide music while going down the slopes. The songs are licensed, but if you aren't into rock, go for the mute button and pop in a good CD. The sound effects are pretty good, but there is little to no voice acting in this game.

Controls:7/10
The trick controls are a little stiff at first, but in the actual races most people don't bother with tricks anyways. The controls in the races are very simple, the menus are menus, and turning is stiff as usual with snowboarding games. As usual, the Z button really doesn't do anything.

Gameplay:4/10
Too bad. This is where it all falls apart. There is no story mode, not much to customize with your characters. You race down a few enviroments, and beat a challenging end course. The courses are short, fast to beat, and with very few places to trick off of. The races are easy, even on the Hard difficulty. Plus, to get new boards, you have to go through an enviroment and find a bunch of coins, and do the course over and over and over, until you get it right. It's not that tough, but it's time wasting and very, very repetitive.

Rent or Buy?: Rent. Be safe with a rental. Simulation fans will love this game but I couldn't see a casual snowboarding fan buying it. Stick with SSX 3, it is by far a surperior game. (See Randomn00b's review for it).

Nintendo screwed Mario Party up, cel shaded Link, and now made the 1080 series mediocre.. What's next, Nintendo?

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 04/13/04