The Arctic Challenge Snowboarding (Mobile)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 2.0 stars Mediocre
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 4.0 (2.0 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Avery Score
• Reviewed on: 04/18/2005
• Updated on: 04/19/2005
• Originally published on GameSpot: The Arctic Challenge Snowboarding (Mobile) Review

In The Arctic Challenge Snowboarding, you play as snowboarding champion Gretchen Bleiler, Travis Rice, or Andy Finch (who is unlockable) before each achieved the mega-snow-stardom of today. You start the game as a rookie with no sponsorship. It's your job to orchestrate your character's rise to the top by beating out other riders over three progressively difficult courses. This fine premise is ruined by poor execution. The Arctic Challenge is rendered almost unplayable by its broken frame rate, which is about four to seven frames per second on the Motorola V600...and sometimes even less. The control is equally jerky and is arguably the more crippling problem, however, and as a result, The Arctic Challenge Snowboarding simply feels broken and unfinished.

In the game, you'll guide your rider over several kinds of obstacles, each of which provides you with a trick opportunity. For example, you can use cars embedded in the snow either for grind tricks or jump tricks. There's quite a good variety of both, although spins are difficult to land because of inadequate control. You'll often end up over-rotating and landing at a bad angle.

There are several types of power-ups that improve your score. You can collect fish for quick point bonuses, or you can score multipliers to increase the number of points you net with your next trick. These are often located directly before a big jump. Additionally, camera and video camera icons are sometimes located in midair; they represent spots at which stationary photographers can take promo pictures of you, which do nothing but improve your score.

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