Pumped up from the Winter Games? You can snowboard like a heavily-padded athlete on your iPhone too with X2 Snowboarding, the first really good snowboarding title to ever grace the platform.
First, a disclaimer. I'm not a big fan of snowboarding games. In fact, I'd never been able to tolerate them until a friend turned me onto SSX some years back. While it hasn't grown on my stable of favorites, I do enjoy a pick-up game every once in a while.
The graphical presentation of X2 is really noteworthy. While cartoony, the overall look is exceptional, especially when compared to competing titles on the App Store. The instant replay, which allows you to watch scenes from various angles over and over, are a constant source of amusement.
You get a choice of six characters, each one with a varied skill set that gives you different advantages and disadvantages during play. There are six possible venues (USA, Switzerland, Japan, New Zealand, Canada and Chile) and three types of competitions (Freestyle, Race, and Trick-Race). The slopes are very long, with plenty of variations, making for a challenging romp every time down.
Controls are a combination of tilt and touch, but are geared quite loosely, which works really well for both the platform and the fast-paced action. The basic buttons control jumping and turbo, while a third one helps you tie tricks together. When you're up in the air, buttons appear to perform various grabs. You can also tilt the phone to rotate the character during the trick.
With an excellent soundtrack to top everything off, X2 Snowboarding is one of the most immersive and exciting solo sports games on the iPhone. Very surprising. The price feels a bit steep, though, at $6.99.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Great game, just a bit expensive.
I bought it, it’s really beautiful and the tricks are amazing; I love skating. About the price, I don’t know the prices of other games, but I find this one pretty cheap.
Hell, I hate snowboarding. But it’s good if you are bored and don’t have any other game or anything else to do… 3/5, because I don’t like the game subject.