Big Air-PSX

by Playstation

Product Details

• ASIN: B00000INQQ
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 4.8 x 0.2 inches ; 1.6 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Average Customer Review: 1.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,681 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

GameSpot Review

The snowboarding genre is definitely one that could stand to have fewer games coming out. It's almost as bad as the shooter was in the 16-bit era. Everyone and his mama is developing a snowboarding game with little to differentiate it from the last one. Take Big Air, for instance. Certainly this is not an offensive game by any means, but it's remarkably average, it offers nothing that hasn't been done before, and it reeks of the "me too" syndrome publishers suffer from when a "hot new genre" establishes itself.

Since it was developed by Pitbull Syndicate, the wily mastermind behind Test Drive 4 and 5, you'd think that another racing game would have been right up its collective alley. If you liked any of Pitbull's earlier games, you might prefer to pick this snowboarding game up, as opposed to, say, Cool Boarders 3 or Tricky Sliders. What you'd be picking up, however, is an example of a lackluster game merely going through the motions. As usual, the typical options are included: half pipe, boardercross, slalom, and free ride. A mode called big air has been included, which is essentially just like the half-pipe mode except that you attempt to do your stunts on a long straightaway with a big jump at the end. Wheee! 30 unique courses in six international locations are allocated to you, so you can try your boarding trickery without becoming hopelessly bored by the "same old, same old" gameplay. To pique your interest, the game is filled with licensed snowboards and snowboarding gear (K2, Quicksilver, Morrow, and so on) to give it that real-life feel. If you have a friend who is willing to play alongside you, the obligatory split screen is included so you can "thrash it out" with a pal.

Unfortunately, even if all this truly tickled your fancy, the presentation will test your patience. In what is surely a "love it or hate it" affair, the game engine does the game no favors. With a merely acceptable frame rate and a grainy seaminess to it, the course graphics are second-generation PlayStation quality, at best. It hardly makes any difference that real-life pro snowboarders are included, since almost no one except for hard-core snowboarding aficionados would know who any of them are, especially since they are viewed from the backs of their heads. Course design is also fairly uninspired, with courses often being little more than straight runs down a snowy hill, with the occasional jutting rock or tree to indicate undulations. The control interface is pedestrian as well and offers no new gameplay revelations. How many ways can you expect to do 1080s and liens anyhow?

The last aggravating touch is the inclusion of the gratingest, thrashingest soundtrack yet known to man. Is it the absolute rule that games of an "x-treme" nature must be littered with music by bands of an equally "x-treme" nature? If bands like Leatherface, Snuff, and Caustic Notions turn your knobs, then this game might be right up your alley. If not, head straight for the options screen and turn the soundtrack off. Without musical accompaniment, you're left with decidedly average snowboarding sounds that swoosh and pfffft with the best of them.

In case you haven't figured it out by now, Big Air is nothing more than a rental, and surely one that will go back the next day at that. If you must have a snowboarding game and you don't own an N64, Cool Boarders 2 is still your best bet. Unless you need a game with oodles of licensed stuff (boards, clothes, bands, and so on) Big Air is nothing but hot air. Next! --James Mielke
--Copyright ©1999 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited. GameSpot and the GameSpot logo are trademarks of GameSpot Inc.

Manufacturer Description

This game is complete in Big Air Half Pipe, Boardercross Freeride Race, and Freeride Trick events. Gearing up with real snowboard brands chalenging real pro-boarders.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars bad, March 24, 2001

By 

"blum13" (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Big Air-PSX (Video Game)

This game sucks. Trust me, It's bad. There aren't alot of options or people to play as(6,to be exact). There's only 6 places to play and there all basically the same. And the loading time is 17 seconds. That's 2x as slow as thps 2. And everytime you want to restart it or watch the replay or whatever, it still takes 17 sec.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars if not the worst, one of the worst, July 31, 2001

By 

Austin Rathbone (Swannanoa, NC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Big Air-PSX (Video Game)

This game allows no freedom. All the levels look the same, the tricks are hard to do, and when you do land them, they're lame. This game is a waste of money, and a waste of your precious time. I wouldn't recommend it.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This game is the worst game ever., September 25, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Big Air-PSX (Video Game)

Don`t wast your mony on this game unles you want to watch sum cool vidieos