Pros: Holds up well after more than eight years, beautiful graphics, fun/catchy music.
Cons: Very challenging and unforgiving, may be too realistic for some.
The bottom line: 1080 Snowboarding is a last-generation classic that is well worth picking up even today.
Intro

1080 Snowboarding was possibly the coolest (both literally and figuratively speaking) game on the market when it was released back in early 1998. Whereas most first party Nintendo games at the time featured cute, cuddly characters running around in story book environments, 1080 was a surprisingly realistic snowboarder with loads of challenge, realism and (dare I say it) style. The game was both a critical and commercial success and, despite spawning an inferior sequel five years later, still remains the granddaddy of modern snowboarding games (even the exceptional SSX franchise owing a lot to the game).

Okay, this game is a little too old for me to remember. How does it play?

The title is a dead give away for the kind of game 1080 is so let's delve into the actual details. 1080's gameplay is all about skill and precision as opposed to the more fast-paced twitch gameplay of the SSX franchise. Much like SSX, mastering 1080 involves mastering the game's many different stunts. There are roughly 30 stunts in all, which may not seem like much now (even the original SSX had more than twice as many), but back in 1998 was a fairly impressive number.

1080 is a surprisingly difficult game. This is due mostly to the fact that, unlike SSX, realism is the main focus here. In the SSX franchise, it isn't unheard of for a rider to completely wipe-out and fall into last place, only to zoom back into first after more careful riding and pulling off some sweet stunts. Despite the fact that you're racing only one opponent in 1080's actual match races (most likely to keep the framerate high on the cartridge-based N64), crashing into a tree or cliff will most likely cost you the whole race (especially on the later courses). The courses are notably shorter than SSX's so you don't need to feel like you're wasting time trying to catch up when your opponent is several hundred yards in front of you. Nonetheless, having to repeat the same course ad nauseum grows tiresome after a while. Meanwhile, the contest mode (which is a timed race around a series of flags) is equally frustrating because of the low time limit and the fact that, unlike in most other racing games, you don't gain extra time for successfully passing a checkpoint.
Fortunately, the courses themselves are consistently fun to race through. And the sheer diversity of racetracks makes unlocking them a very rewarding experience.

So what exactly are these tracks anyway? And who on Earth are these guys I'm racing with?

There are six tracks and eight riders (three of each must be unlocked) in all. Once again, most modern racing games are expected to have at least twenty of each. However, back in 1998, this was the expected number of tracks/riders. The tracks are as follows:

Crystal Lake
Crystal Peak
Golden Forest
Mountain Village
Dragon Cave
Deadly Fall

The six tracks vary in terms of both scenery and difficulty. Deadly Fall is a little disappointing since, despite being the most difficult track in the game, it also has the least appealing scenery. Meanwhile, Golden Forest is probably the most fun track to race through. The scenery, even today, is downright beautiful and the challenge is neither too easy nor too tough but just right.

Five of the eight riders are playable from the start. Namely:

Ricky Winterborn
Akari Hayami
Rob Haywood
Dion Blaster
Kensuke Kimachi

Each of these riders, in addition to different nationalities, comes equipped with different strengths and weaknesses. Dion, for example, is a better all-around racer while Rob is a better stuntman. The remaining three unlockable riders are really just novelty riders that, while amusing, get old rather quickly.

So how does it look?

Even eight years later, 1080 Snowboarding looks quite nice. The prerendered backdrops and realistic tracks are downright beautiful as opposed to the more cartoon-like tracks of the SSX series. The riders are nicely detailed and the snow effects, even today, are quite impressive. True, the game certainly shows its age, particularly with the immense fogging in the two player races. But serious beauty never ages.

So are there any of those cool tunes of the snowboard culture?

Much like what Sega did with Streets Of Rage in the early-90s, Nintendo makes the most of its respective system's inferior audio capabilities. The game features several MIDI rock/techno tunes with looped lyrics and surprisingly crisp sound samples. Although nothing you would rush out and buy on CD, the songs (particularly the guitar/organ driven rock tune in the Golden Forest and Deadly Fall tracks) are catchy and fun to race to. Particularly when you consider the fact that Nintendo was essentially using MIDI for all the game's music (as opposed to hiring actual artists). Most impressive. My only complaint is with the rather small selection of tunes.

Each rider comes equipped with his/her own share of chatter and quips. With the exception of Akari Hayami (who's given an unusually high pitched voice), the voice samples are generally funny and fit their respective characters quite nicely. For example, Rob Haywood is cool and laid back while Dion Blaster is both quiet and subdued.

The sound effects are fairly standard and while well-done are nothing really over the top.

So should I go back and play it?

Yes! While SSX may have the edge in technology and over-the-top action, 1080 has the edge in realism and atmosphere. Even eight years later, the game is still the most realistic snowboarder on the market, which alone warrants a purchase at your local Gamestop's "Used Games Bin" or through EBay. Play it and remember just how awesome it was back in 1998.