SBK: Snowboard Kids
| SBK: Snowboard Kids | |
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| File:SBK Snowboard Kids.jpg | |
| Developer(s) | Racjin |
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| Platforms | Nintendo DS |
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| Genre(s) | Sports |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
SBK: Snowboard Kids, released in Japan as Snowboard Kids Party (スノボキッズパーティー sunobo kizzu pātī?), is a snowboarding video game for the Nintendo DS released on November 22, 2005 in North America and two days later in Japan. It was also released in Europe on April 28, 2006. It is the fourth in the Snowboard Kids series following three previous games released on the Nintendo 64 and the PlayStation. Up to four people can play wirelessly with one game card. Though the name is the same as the other games, the characters are teenagers in this installment.
Characters
The game consists of characters Slash Kamei, Brad Maltinie, Nancy Neil, Jamjars "Jam" Kuehnemund, Koyuki Tanaka, Thomas "Tommy" Parsy, and Max. Jack Frost, mascot of Atlus and demon in the Megami Tensei series, makes an appearance as a hidden character. Black Frost is a more sinister looking version of Jack Frost with better stats.
Very notable is that Linda Maltinie, the character responsible for starting most of the competitions in the previous Snowboard Kids games, is absent and appears to have been replaced by Brad, who is related to her. Mr. Dog, Shinobin, and all the playable characters who have debuted in Snowboard Kids Plus and Snowboard Kids 2 are also absent.
The characters' super deformed, large-nosed style has been discontinued, and in this game the characters take on an appearance that is much more standard anime-esque. Some of the characters have undergone drastic personality changes, the two most noticeable being Nancy and Tommy. They were both mild-mannered, nice to everyone and kind but now, have become mean-spirited and even borderline antagonistic.
Reception
Reviews of SBK: Snowboard Kids were mostly mixed. With a 63 out of 100 score on Metacritic. GameSpot gave the game a 6.7 out of 10. Praising the game for their lengthy courses and being like an SSX and Mario Kart mix, but criticized the game for having less personality than the previous two games in the series.[1] IGN had also given the game a mixed review, giving it a 6.2 out of 10. Praising the game for the time trials and the slalom missions, yet criticizing it for its lack of focus on real arcade racing balance.[2] Nintendo Power however gave it a positive review giving it a 7.5 out of 10, calling it "Mario Kart on ice."
