SSX is the better game, but Cool Boarders 2001 has a more lifelike—but still over-the-top—style plus more game modes that should appeal to real and wannabe snowboarders. The one way in which Cool Boarders clearly trumps snowboarding champ SSX is with its more varied gameplay styles and modes. Besides just racing against A.I. boarders, you complete levels by earning a set number of points by landing tricks in a half-pipe; by performing certain feats in the Board Park, such as grinding water pipes and jumping over busses; and by mimicking the moves of real-life pros. The forgiving controls err on the side of fun and enable many in-air tricks, combining all eight buttons. But they’re a little stiffer than those in SSX or Tony Hawk 2. The game’s courses are staid compared to SSX’s wacked slopes—no Hawaiian glacier or indoor snowboarding here—but they’re more lifelike. Though not totally, with huge water pipes snaking all over the place, begging for rail slides. The Board Park is a hoot, with all its trick potential. And the courses rival those in SSX for length but “borrow” SSX’s cool effect of painted snow and colored smoke. The zipping frame rate gives a wonderful sense of cruising down a mountain, though the characters are blocky and move less smoothly than those in SSX. The pumping alternative-rock soundtrack keeps the energy high, but is the game’s only real sound effect.If you already have SSX, you don’t need Cool Boarders unless you’re a boarding fanatic. Otherwise, try both before buying.
