Snowboard Riot Hands-On

Lately, Hudson has been keen on expanding the burgeoning genre of Wii-based "occupation simulations" with the likes of Fishing Master, Deca Sports, and Help Wanted. One of its most recently announced games may involve an occupation, but it's hardly a simulation. Known as Snowboard Riot, this WiiWare title eschews the realistic burdens of professional snowboarding (big contests, cameramen, occasional frostbite) in favor of power-ups and weapons that are closer to Wipeout than anything in the Amped vein.

Snowboard Riot is a light package with a light price tag, clocking in at 800 Wii points. You can choose from three different gameplay modes: Battle, Stoic, and Time Attack. In Battle mode, you'll race three other boards and collect both offensive and defensive power-ups on your way down the slope. Offensive power-ups are essentially red shells plucked from Mario Kart, heat-seeking missiles that fire from the front of your board and take out anyone unfortunate enough to be leading you in the race. Defensive power-ups can be dropped behind you to prevent the proverbial turning of the tables.

Stoic and Time Attack drop the violence in favor of straightforward racing. In Stoic, you're still competing with three other characters, but the only power-ups you encounter are speed boosts that propel your faster down the snowy slopes. Time Attack works similarly, but you're on your own as you race to beat your own best time. Being a solitary experience, Time Attack is the only mode you can't play online; the other two support four-player online competition.

Snowboard Riot offers a no-frills control scheme to complement its simplified gameplay. You use both the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to control your boarder. The analog stick will steer, the A button executes a jump (complete with automated sweet grabs in the air), Z and B fire your power-ups, and a light remote waggle will give you a speed boost if you've been doing enough tricks to fill up your turbo gauge.

In terms of presentation, Snowboard Riot is one of the few fully 3D games available on WiiWare, though the graphical quality is about what you'd expect for an eight-dollar downloadable title. However, there are a few special touches here and there to spice things up. Most notably, Hudson has secured a license with Oakley to allow you to deck out your boarder in Oakley gear before hitting the slopes.

Snowboard Riot currently has no planned release date, but we'll keep you updated.