More Articles on Transworld Snowboarding
Transworld Snowboarding - Exclusive New ShotsExclusive Transworld Snowboarding ScreensTransworld Snowboarding - Media OverloadTransworld Snowboarding - Media OverloadTransworld Snowboarding - New ScreensLatest Previews
Too Human - Hands OnRaven Squad - First LookQuantum Of Solace - First LookNinjatown - Hands OnCall Of Duty: World At War - First LookUser Reviews
There are currently 0 User Reviews for Transworld SnowboardingWrite your own review for this game today and you will receive 100 Gamer Points.
Click here to register
Transworld Snowboarding Preview
Chris Leyton
00/12/0000
We`ve got seven exclusive images in our first look at Infogrames snowboarder.
The tie-in between Infogrames and Transworld Sports has already given us the solid Transworld Surfing, with snowboarding and skateboarding set to follow. We had the chance to check out the next title Transworld Snowboarding on the Xbox.
The first thing that will hit you when you begin to play Transworld Snowboarding are the fantastic visuals. We know the Xbox is a powerful machine, and various games have impressed us so far, but when the first generation of titles look this good then itās time to sit up and take note.
At times whilst playing TWS itās hard to distinguish between real-life and videogame.
The boarders are the most realistic yet seen in a videogame, thanks to high polygon counts, superb texture work which bring everything to life with frightening effect, and some sublime animation assisted by the various riders that participate in the game.
The games environments are massive sprawling affairs, often stretching for miles upon miles, yet unlike Ampedās barren courses these are all populated with a variety of objects all there to grind and pull tricks from. Whilst the bump mapping and varying texture work ensures that, not only does the snow look realistic, but also no two areas look the same.
However itās the sublime particle system that truly blurs the lines between fantasy and reality; your board will blend in and out of the snow naturally; players breathe out clouds of warm air; snow actually drifts across the mountainside.
Add in fanciful effects such as complete reflection in the patches of ice, environmental mapping on the boarders goggles, fully animated faces, and you have not only one of the best looking sports titles, but one of the best looking title ever. Just take a look at the screens and imagine it running at a rock-solid 60 FPS, something very special indeed.
The game offers a variety of different gameplay challenges, broken down into three distinct modes; Single Session; Transworld Tour and Multiplayer. The Single Session is, as youād expect, a chance to snowboard without any restrictions, simply choose a player, your board, your destination and hit the piste. The Transworld Tour is the career mode of the game, whilst the multiplayer allows up to four players to compete in various different modes.
The Transworld Tour offers five different events in which to compete; Slopestyle allows you to cruise down the slope whilst trying to accumulate as many points as possible; Boarder X places all of the boarders on the slope at the same time to see who can come first; Time Attack pits you against the clock; Backcountry is an off-slope affair allowing you to craft your own way down; whilst Straight Jump gives you one chance to pull of the best stunt possible.
Transworld Snowboarding features 10 professional snowboarders. The roster of riders includes Todd Richards, Peter Line, Kevin Jones, Tina Basich, and Barrett Christy, each decked out with their real-life clothing and sponsors. The game takes place over a variety of different locations, including the likes of Finland, Switzerland, Canada, and Germany. Although each course is a vast and at times daunting affair, there is a definite line through each one, allowing skilled players to pull of trick after trick through each one. Do this successfully and your best stunts will feature on the front cover of the Transworld magazine.
The actual gameplay treads a fine line between realism and fantasy, a variety of realistic stunts are easily performed and the general gist is that this stays close to life. However as with most games of this type, a turbo meter is powered by the variety of stunts you perform, whilst Ice Walls and Fire Barrels populate the lines acting as multipliers to your score. It seems that the developers, HouseMarque, have got the balance between both just right, ensuring depth of play whilst making sure the game remains fun to play.
Anonymous
Date Added:Wed 13th Dec 2006 19:31