DESCRIPTION

ESPN's alternative sporting competition known as The X Games is the basis for Konami's first snowboarding game on the Xbox. Players can participate in the following four events: Slopestyle, Superpipe, Boarder X, and Big Air. New to the series is a role-playing element called Snowboarder, where players create an athlete and try to earn sponsorships by entering competitions and gaining experience.

Thirteen professional snowboarders (nine male, four female) are available to play as or against. The goal of each competition varies depending on the event. In Slopestyle, players earn points by performing tricks on a slope, but they must finish within the time limit to qualify. Snowboarder X is a race through a series of gates, while Superpipe involves chaining as many tricks as possible while weaving across a half-pipe.

The final X Games event is Big Air, where players leap off a series of three "kickers" or ramps to perform aerial maneuvers graded on height and distance. To gain familiarity with the courses, players can select a Free Ride option, allowing them to board the slopes without worrying about time limits. In each of the events, players can save their replays to the hard drive to relive those great moments.

Snowboarder mode involves building up a created character's charisma by appearing in film gigs (which act as a source of income) and developing abilities through regular practice, spending time at the gym, or through competition. Money earned from events and film gigs can be used to upgrade equipment, but it may also be needed to pay hospital bills as a result of injuries while competing.

By improving charisma as well as overall ranking, players can receive invitations to nine locations spanning the globe or receive sponsorship royalties to add to their personal income. Abilities such as speed, stamina, recovery, and landing, along with skills such as pipe spin, turning, ollie, and switch can be improved with equipment and practice. Individual statistics from each of the modes can be saved directly to the hard drive (Memory Units are not supported). ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide