Project Powder

Attention, snowboarding afficionados -- Outspark's Project Powder trailblazes the online world as the fastest and wildest snowboarding game today. Its snow-melting gameplay, easy-to-pull tricks and powdered-up race tracks will have you shredding to the last snowflake. But wait... it's an online game? 

Snow Business

Project Powder is a game for both snowboarding pros and newbies alike. It contains the basic features to satisfy any snowboarder-wannabe. You're stuck with choosing from only three snowboarders, not really a superb lineup for an extreme sports game. The characters' fashion can be customized in the mall section of the game using coins you earn from all the game modes. A variety of shirts, jackets, shorts, pants, shoes, decks and headgears are available for "rent." The apparel you purchase is sadly limited to a number of days. If, however, Project Powder only had a select few rentables and more of the permanent apparel (like the rented ones have stat bonuses, while permanent ones are just eye candy), you won't have to feel the guilt of wasting time not playing the game just because all your items are ticking away. Money is hard to come by in this game. You can only gain a few hundred coins per race; very annoying if you need the bonuses from the clothing and deck that just expired. 

Frosty Fun

Single player modes are presented as "quests," or a means to acquire new tricks. As you level via the multiplayer modes, you gain access to more complex moves in your trick license. To make good use of these unlocked moves, you have to, of course, pass the "license exam" by perfoming the trick a number of times on a straight track under time pressure. Controlling these tricks are easy. They utilize a combination of button presses from Q,W,E,A,S,D and the arrow pad. Doesn't that remind you of SSX Tricky or CoolBoarders from Playstation? 

Project Powder also provides various multiplayer modes: Coin, Team or Solo Battles, Team or Solo Race. Coin race is the fastest way to earn money in Project Powder. The track is littered with coins for you to collect, and 50-70% of what you got in the race will go to your earnings. Battle races have a slight significance to Mario Kart. You gain power ups and weapons as you pass on the ice cubes, and use them to your advantage. The race-only mode pits you against other players in a game of high-speed snowboarding -- no weapons, just pure unadulterated speed and style. 

Pitting yourself against other players in different game modes ultimately give you experience. The experience points you gain depend on your rank in the race. However, even being 1st in a race only gives a slight blip in your exp bar. A slow levelling pace makes Project Powder a frustrating game. It takes a long time to get from one level to another. And after experiencing your new tricks for a few races, you'd wish you're already a level higher to get the better tricks. 

Brainfreeze

Project Powder plows the snow with some of the most wicked extreme-sports graphics around. Your pro character can bust out tricks with fluid accuracy. The apparel and decks are intricately designed for the pro-boarder in you. Equally impressive are the race tracks. Each level is meticulously detailed and smoothened out. Every snow-covered track, tree, rubble, or house is finely detailed. There are rails, cliffs and tree branches to grind, half-pipe areas to shred, and a lot of big air to conquer. Remember, if you can see it, you can snowboard on it. Project Powder also containss all the right sonic nuances to fully immerse you in its spectacular experience. The soundtrack encompasses rock, hip-hop, techno and electronica fit for every track and menu in the game. 

Snow Coned

Outspark partly did something right with Project Powder -- it's an enjoyable snowboarder that gets repetitive in time. It's simplistic challenge won't appeal to everyone. And certainly, the mall rentals are something anyone would wish gone. Like most casual games, Project Powder is a game worthy enough to pass time for. Or better yet, take out your copy of SSX or Tony Hawk instead.