We hit the powder in X2 Games imaginatively named ‘X2 Snowboarding’ winter sports title – video included…

[UPDATE] X2 Snowboarding is out now for $6.99 (£3.99).

Well will you look at that, just in time for the start of the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. Coincidence? we think not! No doubt you’ll be itching to hit the slopes after watching the snowboarding event this year… however, if like me you live where mountains are a little scarce, then fear not, you can go all virtual with X2 snowboarding for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

There are a few snowboarding titles on the AppStore right now, most are somewhat lacking in terms of what the bigger console titles offer. X2 snowboarding however is the closest we’ve come across to that kind of experience. Visually it ticks the boxes. Full 3D characters, decent looking snow, and ramps and rails galore, all wrapped in a great looking cell shaded style. There’s a raft of stereotype characters to choose from as well as six mountains with various courses on each ranging from straight up races to freestyle exhibitions. Only two of these were unlocked to begin with, the others requiring points to unlock. We tried out the freestyle first, to get a hang of the controls. You have the option to choose swipe or tilt for tricks (swipe is easier for novices), with tilt being the only option for controlling your rider. Just like Tony Hawk games there is a jump button allowing you to crouch down and release to get more air on a jump. From here on-screen board controls appear that allow for grabs as well as doing flips using either swipe or title when in the air.

Of course snowboarding isn’t snowboarding without the odd wipeout! Luckily X2 have added a great rewind option to the game, which if you have enough trick power, you can unleash at any point and go back in time to the spot just before your accident. You can also slow time which is useful for dodging trees and such. Should you pull off a trick you are particularly proud of, you can pause the game to view an instant replay… various camera views are available, as well as a scrubbing bar to rewind and fast forward to any moment. You can then save the replay for later.

We’ve only scratched the surface with this game, so once we’ve sampled all it has to offer we’ll let you know our thoughts in our review. In the meantime have a look for yourself in our hands-on video below:

Remember to follow us on Twitter @TouchGEN

Review disclosure: Any games reviewed on this page may have been provided to us by the developer for the purposes of this review. Note: the resulting review score is never impeded by this fact, all opinions are that of the TouchGen reviewer and not the developer. This is in keeping with our O.A.T.S oath. Read more about O.A.T.S here

Related articles

• TouchDown - Issue 8
• Mac Slope rider coming soon
• Alpine Racer review

Latest articles

• Dragooo HD - review
• No Human review
• Ultimate Spiderman: Total Mayhem - Review
• Piel Frama iMAGNUM iPhone 4 case review
• Super Mega Worm review
• TouchGen Unleashed Podcast - Episode 62
• Puzzle Agent Review (iPhone & iPad)
• Mirror’s Edge - Review
• GTA: China Town Wars hits iPad September 9th
• Download Epic’s Keynote Tech Demo