COOLBOARDERS2 Review:


    Snowboarding fans look no further, COOLBOARDERS2 is an excellent game
that excels in every area over the original.  There are now more courses,
snowboards, and options than any fan of the original could have hoped for.



Graphics:

    COOLBOARDERS2 maintains the same excellent frame rate as the original
while adding additional trackside detail and obstructions on the courses.
Some courses have you boarding through dense forests, while others have you
weaving around boulders and downed trees with no slowdown.  The two-player
split screen also maintains an excellent frame rate with very little
difference in speed from the one player mode.  The two-player mode also
allows you to play with the screens positioned vertically or horizontally.
The textures of the courses look excellent with the exception of the seams
which show up quite often.  Even though the seams sre noticeable they do not
detract from the gameplay.  The look of the characters has been cleaned up
with new textures and multiple outfits for each character.  New animations
have also been added ranging from new board grabs to various falls and
tumbles.



Sound:

    This area remains basically the same as the original.  You have the
sounds of your snowboard cutting through the snow while grunge music plays
in the background.  There is also the occasional blurt from the announcer
alerting you of a potential threat, praising your performance or criticizing
your mistakes.  The snowboard sounds are effective and sound realistic and 
the background music is energetic and really motivates you along the courses.
There is a good variety of background music which keeps it from becoming 
too repetetive.



Gameplay:

    Control with the standard controller is excellent and veterans of the
original will feel right at home, while newcomers will require minimal
practice to grasp the fundamentals.  The game now utilizes all four shoulder
to perform the various trick moves, this may seem confusing at first but with
a little practice pulling off tricks becomes second nature.  COOLBOARDERS 2
offers a variety of snowboards and snowboarders each with varying strengths
and weaknesses.  The key to the game is to find the right combination of
snowboard and snowboarder for each course.  This requires a little strategy
as each snowboard and snowboarder react different depending on the track
conditions.  The course layouts are varied with curves, jumps and obstacles
each offering a different and unique challenge.  One problem that plagued the
gameplay of the original were the invisible barriers.  When making a jump in
the original you often collided with an invisible barrier that knocked your
boarder down to the course, this has been eliminated in COOLBOARDERS2.
Another problem corrected from the original, is the ability to bump an object
and regain your balance, no longer does the slightest brush with an obstacle
send your boarder tumbling uncontrollably.



Options:

    This is the area where COOLBOARDERS2 really excells over the original.
The original simply allowed you to run down the courses while attempting to
gain the best time, trick points and total points.  COOLBOARDERS2 offers this
as well as a multitude of new game modes.  Listed below are the game modes
available.

  1. Competeition Mode:  Race against seven other boarders on nine different
                         courses.

  2. Freestyle Mode:     Race down the courses solo trying to gain the best
                         time, trick points and total points.

  3. Big Air Mode:       There are two sections to this mode, the first gives
                         you a single jump where you attempt to perform the best
                         trick.  The second requires you to perform sequential
                         tricks one after another before time runs out.

  4. Halfpipe:           Race down a halfpipe performing tricks, you are given
                         an overall score at the end.

  5. Board Park:         Race down a course littered with obstacles with no
                         time limit or requirements.(Great for practicing)

  6. Two-Player:         Race head to head against a friend.

    The multitude of options along with the hidden courses, snowboards, and
snowboarders give this game great replay value.  There are also hidden game
modes such as mirror mode and hard mode which further enhance the replay 
value and life span of this game.



Overall: 9.00

  Graphics: 8.5
  sound:    8.0
  Gameplay  9.5
  Options:  10.0

    This game is a must buy for all fans of the original, and definitely
worth a look for anyone interested in a racing/snowboarding game with
a multitude of options and great replay value.