Instead of going with the obvious choice of picking this game up on just the Playstation 3 or Xbox 360 which I usually would, instead I purchased both the Playstation 3 and Nintendo DS versions instead. As mainly a console gamer, this means that my handhelds are always gathering dust, and in my bitter disappointment in its next-gen counterpart, I thrust the Shaun White cartridge into the Nintendo DS to see if the portable could do it justice.

          The DS version has the same initial concept as the console version; race, and complete set challenges on four different mountain ranges throughout the world, but it’s not what the console version had promised. Instead of offering a free roam experience, you start the game with a number of tickets, and four pre-made characters to choose from. Winning races and completing challenges gains you more tickets which will unlock more races and challenges, and will eventually take you to different regions. The four ranges account for each of the following regions; Europe, Japan, The States, and South

America. There is no sense of free roaming whatsoever in the DS version, you will be pitted on a one-way track similar to arcade snowboarders such as SSX. Multiplayer is available, but your fellow tricksters had better be in a ten foot range or your going nowhere.

          The track and your character are displayed on the top screen, and your touch screen turns into a snowboard. As you watch the race unfold on the top screen, you will need to rub your stylus up an down and then up motion to launch off of the ground; once in the air, any variation in how you slide your Stylus across the screen will result in performing tricks, the bigger air you get, the more daring tricks you can pull off. Grinding is also present along with a few bonus half-pipes that open up huge point racking opportunities.

          Customization isn’t present either, as included in the next-gen version; the only choices you can make are that of character, board, and perks. Perks are small bonuses that boost the stats on your boards; each board having three ability ranges in Speed, Trick, and Balance, these add-ons are simply obtained by boarding through them (picking them up) during play. Graphically, I personally thought they did a grand job. The cartoon output fits the casual sporting theme, and is accompanied by a plausible soundtrack of 90s rock, however, there is no character audio and every trick and spin sounds precisely the same.

          For a Nintendo DS title I was pleasantly surprised with how it all played out, but if you’re not really into trudging through countless challenges then the game will wear thin very quickly. With that being said, Shaun White Snowboarding is a thrill ride and opens a new window for boarding games to expand on the Nintendo DS in future.