Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder (PS2)
Could Activision get any more desperate for a new hit? At first glance, most people would probably call Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 on snow. Play the game, however, and you'll realize that that is a very flattering comparison for a very mediocre game. THPS was an incredibly good game, and with SSPS trying to "recreate the success" of the Tony Hawk series, you'd think they would at least make a better game than what they have for us.
The graphics are great, but the gameplay is weak. One major fact that separates SSPS from just being an average Tony Hawk clone is the fact in SSPS, there's no turning back. In Tony Hawk, if you miss a goal, you could always turn around and try again. On an inclined mountain that's covered with slippery snow, there is no turning back; instead if you miss a goal in SSPS, you have to either forget about doing that goal and restart.
Another annoying point about the game is that the trick lines are too obvious, and there's no room for originality in trick combos. The controls are good, but then again they've been good for four years since THPS1 pioneered them. There is an interesting new multiplayer mode. Two players can compete against each other to see who can pull of the best tricks. The further apart the point spread gets, the leader gets more space on the screen. You continue until either your opponent runs out of screen space or you do.
The Bottom Line: Shaun Palmer's Snow shoveler might not have been sent to the big bunny hill in the sky, if it hadn't been for SSX Tricky. SSX showed us what arcade snowboarding could be on the PS2, and Palmer doesn't even come close.
Overall: 3.5/10
