Disney Sports Snowboarding is a 2003 snowboardingracing video game developed and published by Konami for the Game Boy Advance. The game is part of a series of Disney-licensed sports titles under the Disney Sports brand. Upon release, the game received mixed to average reception, with praise directed towards the game's pre-rendered background visuals and range of collectables, and criticism to the controls, course design and limited content.
Gameplay
A screenshot of Disney Sports Snowboarding.
Players compete in races, rallies, trick competitions and time trials.[1][2] The game features six playable characters, including Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, and Pete.[3][4] Players steer using the L and R buttons and perform tricks using the control pad.[5] Tricks are performed when scaling ramps, which fill a trick meter. Players can collect 'trick cards' when performing a trick when the card is displayed onscreen.[1] Achieving victory in a race unlocks a new snowboard,[5] with over 30 to collect in the game,[4] each with different attributes that affect speed, handling and the ability to perform tricks and magic powers.[1] When the trick gauge is filled, players can use the board's magic power, which can grant speed boosts, or earthquake and lightning effects that slow other players.[1] Players are also able to race or exchange boards with another player using the Game Link Cable, and unlock an additional snowboard and ability by connecting the game to a GameCube with the title Disney Sports Soccer.[6]
Disney Sports Motocross received "mixed to average" reviews, according to review aggregatorMetacritic.[7] The visual presentation received a mixed reception. Dave Halverson of Play commended the game's "formidable" three-dimensional visuals as "realistic-looking".[3] Kane similarly stated that the game featured "colorful imagery" and "creative levels", although felt the graphics could be "a little smoother in places".[1] Considering the visuals to "look great at first", Jackson remarked the looped backgrounds became "exactly the same from start to finish".[4] Harris similarly felt the pre-rendered graphics interacted poorly with the character sprites and made "all the courses look almost exactly the same".[2]
The gameplay and controls also received mixed assessments. Andy Dursin of Planet GameCube enjoyed the game's "solid assortment" of modes, unlockables, and multiplayer features, finding it to be a "well-rounded package" although "straightforward and less complicated than previous entries" in the Disney Sports series.[8] Brad Kane of TechTV found the gameplay enjoyable and highlighted the game's range of collectibles and unlockables.[1] Mike Jackson of Nintendo Official Magazine critiqued the game's steering as "painfully slow" and difficult to judge when to time a jump or dodge an obstacle.[4] Describing the game as "not much fun", David Hodgson of GameSpy discussed the game's "tedious" trick and board collecting system and "slow and imprecise" gameplay, noting the game's tracks were quickly completed.[6] Craig Harris of IGN considered the game to have little to do beyond the item collection due to there being "not a whole lot of variety in the courses".[2]
