Baseball season may be here, but it’s not too late to shred the slopes with Freestyle Boardin’ ’99 ($50, PlayStation). The game has all the features expected in a snowboarding game: a freestyle course, timed competitions and one-player and two-player modes.
The unexpected feature that makes the game more interesting is the ability to build a snowboarder’s skills. When gamers first start playing, it’s tough to win a competition. The only way to beat the game is to build the snowboarder’s skills.
Another difference between Freestyle Boardin’ and most boarding games is that stunts are performed by the directional pad. Gamers can perform grabs, flips and spins without making their thumbs sore or memorizing button combinations.
Freestyle Boardin’ ’99 is a solid snowboarding game that’s fun to play. It’s a perfect rental, and many players may want to buy it. (That’s only if you don’t have X Games Pro Boarder or Cool Boarders 3, though. The games are too much alike!)
