Resort Snowboarding E3 2005 Hands-On

Resort Snowboarding is a three-dimensional slope-shredding game that's being developed under the auspices of a member of the Amped team. Slated for a V Cast launch later this year, Resort Snowboarding was available for play on an LG VX8000, on which its 3D engine was running at about 12 frames per second. A simple control scheme made this game as easy on the hands as it was on the eyes.

Resort Snowboarding begins with a character selection screen not unlike that of the original 1080° Snowboarding. Each boarder has different statistics and bears Gameloft's trademark Franco-Japanese manga style, which has here made a remarkably good transition to 3D. The riders look good in motion, even given the game's average frame rate, which may improve after code optimization. The game's sound was all but inaudible in our noisy E3 test setting.

On the slopes, your goal is to exceed score quotas by busting chains of high-flying tricks, which include grabs, spins, and grinds. These maneuvers can be accomplished through simple combinations of the directional pad keys, and control is never as cumbersome as you'd expect. You hold the OK key to prepare for a jump, and then you release it when you're ready to soar. Once airborne, you can press a lateral directional key to spin, or you can press the OK key again, followed by a directional key, to initiate a grab. To grind, you have only to land on an appropriate surface.

While many V Cast games are all flash and no substance, Resort Snowboarding is already looking very playable and fun. The trick system is quite manageable, and the slopes are laden with ramps and grind rails. We look forward to carving some powder later this year.