The snowboarding genre in videogames has seen a lot of action over the last number of years. Each year there seems to be more and more titles flooding the market that at times it can be quite difficult to distinguish between them. This past holiday season we were treated to a return of the over the top shenanigans of SSX Tricky by EA Sports which was nothing more than a glorified update to SSX. Then just after the holidays THQ decided to try something new by publishing its much touted Dark Summit which miserably tried to fuse RPG elements into a snowboarding game. Now we have the return of Konami's snowboarding franchise in ESPN X Games Snowboarding 2002, which lies somewhere in between Tricky and Summit but is still lacking enough pizzazz to be a mass market treat.

The visual experience is somewhat of a mixed bag. The course design and surroundings are conveyed quite well with a number of small details. However, in boarding games such as this, draw-in and pop-up must be minimal and here this happens more than we would have liked. There is nothing like having a great run with beautiful surroundings, only to have it ruined by inconsistent frame rates and poor draw-in. While it does not affect the on screen movements, it is noticeable and thus annoying at times. On the other hand, the character models are some of the best we have seen in all of the PS2 snowboarding games. Each of the pros present in this game resemble their real-life counterparts right down to every fine detail. It is evident the developers know how to harness the power of the PS2, but just need to be more consistent throughout the entire product. The developers have taken advantage of the PS2's ability to present brilliant lens flares and lighting tricks that are seen throughout the day and night courses. Similar effects have been used for great snowy weather conditions on the courses. The soundtrack in the game is pretty solid with the likes of The Offspring, Powerman 5000, Saliva, Static X and more. The problem is many of these artists have been played to death in the extreme sports titles of recent months.

The control in this game is almost broken. While the developers have tried to give players multiple trick options, in the end, the trick system seems limited and very difficult to master. Beating the various competitions ultimately involves your ability to trick off of objects and in turn score big points. You can combine tricks for combination points but the actual trick sets themselves are quite ordinary and simply boring. I know in real-life it is impossible to pull off certain tricks but in a videogame you have to propel the trick sets a little beyond realism otherwise what is the point in playing the game as one can go out to the slopes and do the same tricks themselves. Controlling each boarder as they go down the slope is also awkward due to the shaky turning mechanics.

The selling point of ESPN X Games Snowboarding 2002 is its comprehensive pro rider list, multi-level courses and the very deep Snowboarder Mode. A total of 13 real snowboarders are in the game and include the likes of Petere Line, Todd Richards, Tina Basich, Victoria Jealouse and more. There are 23 new courses from around the world including the Swiss Alps, Japan, Canada, New Zealand, Coloardo and Alaska. In the Snowboarder Mode, players are able to create a custom rider and take him or her through an entire career. This career mode is one of the deepest modes I have ever seen in a snowboarding game. It is quite gratifying to take your own boarder from the Bunny Hills to the mountains. In addition, you can even develop signature tricks and acquire sponsors to raise money and compete in the X Games. Even accidents on the slopes will cost you money at the hospital. Too many risks and you will be broke from the insane hospital bills. Although the Snowboarder Mode is a good concept, the gameplay mechanics keep it from being flawless. X Games also features a Duel Mode which is a separate number of split-screen events for two player.

Konami has some good ideas for this franchise and we hope they take the criticisms seriously in order to deliver a much superior product next year. As this one stands, it is deep in places but broken in many more. Give it a weekend rental before deciding for yourself.