Snowboarding Game #03: Snowboard Kids 2
超スノボキッズ, Chō Sunobo Kizzu, lit. “Super Snowboard Kids”
Snowboard Kids 2 is a snowboarding video game for the Nintendo 64 developed by Racjin (then known as Racdym at the time of the development before changing its name in 2000 to make it more easily pronounced to the Japanese) and published by Atlus. It was released in 1999, and it was the last game to use the Racdym name.
Gameplay
Snowboard Kids 2 retains the core gameplay of its predecessor while making changes to game mechanics.
The main game is separated into two modes. Story Mode unites the Battle Races and Skill Games from the previous installment. There are coins on the courses, except in Expert Mode. It also introduces recurring boss stages after a set number of races and a hub town that replaces the game menu.
Four new characters are introduced and one is absent from the previous game, making for a total of nine characters. Only the six starter characters can be used in Story Mode, while all nine characters can be used in Battle Mode, provided that the remaining three are unlocked. The five returning characters are heavily redesigned, and every character now has a set of four costumes to fit in with the different themes of the races. The Normal Mode is the standard level for beginners, and Expert Mode is unlocked after beating the entire Story Mode.
The game features a total of fifteen courses. Like the previous game, the themes and terrain of the races are not restricted only to snow, now featuring a tropical island, a castle, a haunted house, and even space. Story Mode features the standard nine race courses, three Skill Game courses, and three Boss Stages; these are modified versions of race courses with changes in the time of day, weather, and/or course hazards. All of them can be played as race courses in Battle Mode. All courses now have a standard 3-lap count, which can be customized for Battle Mode.
Since the first game, the Shots were renamed Weapons. They changed the effects of these power-ups. For instance, the slapstick has a new effect of making the opposing player lose coins, the freeze time was reduced, and the frying pan now has a standard effect time.
Instead of using special tricks, players can now do multiple tricks in the air. The player can now block weapon attacks by performing a trick or board grab or pressing the R button to look behind.
Characters
- Slash Kamei is the main character in the game. A peppy and naughty boy who is very good at snowboarding. He is fast and is pretty good with tricks.
- Nancy Neil is a kind and cheerful girl. She is not very fast, however, she is good at doing tricks.
- Jam Kuehnemund is a cheerful rapper boy. He is confident in his skills and doing tricks. Nancy is his rival.
- Linda Maltnie is a snobbish and selfish valley girl who is pretty good at snowboarding. She is fast but it’s hard for her to make sharp turns.
- Thomas “Tommy” Parsy is a cute and gentle boy who is friends with Slash. He is the fastest, but he can’t turn very well.
- Wendy Lane is a genius who is short, but very good at tricks. She is not very fast though. She wears a headband and glasses and is seen wearing a white lab coat, blue shorts, yellow socks, and red Chuck Taylor-inspired sneakers.
- Damien is a mysterious character who gets in the way of everybody. He appears everywhere in the game.
- Mr. Dog sells boards in his shop. It is said he used to be a very fast boarder, but no one has ever seen him on the slopes.
- Coach is a blue penguin. He will teach you how to snowboard in the Training mode (the character is not playable).
Though I never owned the actual game, nor the N64 myself, Time Extension included the game on their “Best Nintendo 64 Games of All Time” list. The game has yet to have a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack rerelease, which will sadly never happen.
