I can file this alongside the likes of Street Fighter, NBA 2K, and most racing games, as titles that I really enjoy, but completely suck at. I have played this prior to its recent release on the NSO N64 app, however it was only borrowed off a friend, way back when the system was current gen. I thought I owned this, but somehow I got it mixed up with Snowboard Kids.

But since its release on the switch, I have been having a real blast with this. I've only managed to complete the easy mode so far, and I'm fucking awful at tricks. I'm lucky if I land a normal jump, let alone a 720° stiffy to nose grab to melon. I'm utterly abysmal. Yet I'm still having a hoot.

It's as much the look and sound of the game that's keeping me invested. For something pushing 30, it looks great, has a cracking soundtrack and astonishes me with just how well it plays. Despite me having zero nostalgia for this title specifically, it takes me back to being 14 year old me, sat playing Cool Boarders on my PlayStation, thinking this is one of the best sports to ever be made into a videogame. One day I'll get it, and I might end up bumping this up to 5 stars.

Gotta say, this recent drop of N64 games on switch is probably the best one since the app launched. I'm still playing all 3 games.

Reviewed on Dec 18, 2023


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