DESCRIPTION

The fifth snowboarding game on Xbox features 17 international locales and a selection of ten professional boarders, including such notables as Todd Richards, Kevin Jones, Nicola Thost, and Barrett Christy. Play modes consist of the TransWorld Tour, Single Session, and Multiplayer. As in most games in the genre, the action takes place from a perspective behind the character as players perform a variety of aerial maneuvers to string together combos and earn points. Players can grind on rails, perform ollies, switch stances, flip and spin in the air, and perform one of 16 basic and advanced grabs, from the Stalefish and Method to the Roastbeef and Crail.

The TransWorld Tour is the main aspect of play and is divided into five distinct styles or events held on each of the 17 featured mountains: Slopestyle, Halfpipe, Boarder Rally, Straight Jump, and Backcountry. Players must complete various objectives in order to advance to the next area, with secondary goals involving tricks in front of photographers to earn a coveted cover shot on an issue of TransWorld Snowboarding magazine. Most of the events involve achieving a certain point milestone as players compete against the other professionals.

Single Session lets players shred the slopes of any unlocked course without the stress of completing objectives. Two play variants in this mode include Time Attack and Freeride. Time Attack has players attempting to best their times against a ghost or transparent image of a boarder, while Freeride involves carving down the mountain to learn the course, discover shortcuts, and practice tricks. Multiplayer offers a split-screen race down the mountain as well as a Super Pro Mode, where up to four players attempt to score as many points as possible within the time limit. No matter which mode is selected, players can hit the powder with one of five in-game soundtracks or create their own song list from music saved to the hard drive. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide