Well, even if nobody buys it, it's the best Xbox snowboarding title out there -- especially in the graphics department. Simply staring over each amazing course as the camera pans over the landscape encourages an 'Ohhh, my God' moment every time. Boasting virtually no draw distance and ice so realistic you'll almost shiver looking at it, Transworld Snowboarding takes total advantage of the Xbox's hardware. Character models have all sorts of nice touches, too... for instance, when a helicopter passes overhead, their jackets ruffle in the wind! The only really bad part comes when the snowboarders show off their winning poses at the end of a run. See, they never blink, causing them to look freakishly possessed while staring blankly into space. It's both spooky and pee-inducingly funny at the same time.
Now, I've never been snowboarding before, but everything in Transworld sounds exactly as I'd imagine. Every effect -- from boards pounding ice and powder, to grinding rails and crunching barricades -- comes out full and clear. Much like Transworld Surf, this one also provides a plethora of big-name bands to jam to, including Hoobastank, Dilated Peoples and Black Eyed Peas. If you're like me, though, you'll take advantage of your own custom soundtracks. And with the ability to scroll through songs in-game using the white and black buttons (a very cool feature indeed), there's no need to go to Pause menu for more tunes! Unfortunately, the song titles get scrambled up when using large custom arrangements, which I absolutely hate. If the game tells me I'm listening to Jurassic 5 when it's really Roni Size coming out of the speakers, something's not right. This may just be a glitch in my review copy, though. Who knows.
