Big Mountain 2000

Big Mountain 2000
Big Mountain 2000
	North American Nintendo 64 cover art
Developer(s)	Imagineer
Publisher(s)	JP: Imagineer; NA: SouthPeak Interactive;
Composer(s)	Iku Mizutani; Hikaru Tamura; Kinuyo Yamashita;
Platform(s)	Nintendo 64
Release	JP: December 26, 1998; NA: October 10, 2000;
Genre(s)	Skiing/snowboarding
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Big Mountain 2000, known in Japan as Snow Speeder (スノースピーダー, Sunō Supīdā), is a skiing/snowboarding video game for the Nintendo 64.

Gameplay

Big Mountain 2000 puts the player in control of one of six racers of varying abilities using either snowboard or skis. There are three different modes to choose from: a single-player Championship, a 2-player Multiplayer mode, and Time Attack. The player can edit their selected racer's loadout of snowboard/skis and clothing to compliment or detriment their various stats. There are three race types: Free Ride, slalom and Giant slalom. On top of trying to beat their own personal record, the player also has a countdown timer which will disqualify them from the race if it reaches zero. Time can be added by passing through one of the two Checkpoints on their selected stage during Free Ride or passing through the flags on the slalom courses. Players can perform tricks by moving the control stick and pressing the B button in mid-air. The player also has a stamina meter that decreases after wiping out, collision with another racer, or uneven landings from a jump, with longer time intervals between falling and getting up each time the racer falls over.

As the player progresses through the game, their Speed, Cornering, and Cool stat will increase. Once a certain level of Speed and Cornering is achieved (which vary on the racer's base skills), the Racer will rank up from Amateur to Semi-Pro, Professional, and Snow Speeder, unlocking six more pieces of gear per rank (one item for each racer that can be worn by any character excluding the unlockable characters).

After completing all race types using skis and snowboards in each of the four stages, a mirror mode Championship is unlocked. Upon completion of all 24 races again in the mirror mode, three bonus characters are unlocked (which are alluded to in the game's instruction manual).

Development

The game was showcased at the Tokyo Game Show held on September 5-7, 1997.^[2]

Release

The game was released in Japan under the title Snow Speeder in 1998 almost two years before its North American release.

Reception

The game received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b Mirabella III, Fran (October 9, 2000). "Big Mountain 2000". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
^ "Tokyo Game Show Report". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 100. Ziff Davis. November 1997. p. 36.
^ ^a ^b "Big Mountain 2000 for Nintendo 64". GameRankings. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
^ Provo, Frank (November 2, 2000). "Big Mountain 2000 Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
^ Suzi Sez (March 2, 2001). "Big Mountain 2000". GameZone. Archived from the original on February 7, 2006. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
^ "Big Mountain 2000". Nintendo Power. Vol. 137. Nintendo of America. October 2000. p. 114. Retrieved July 26, 2018.