1080° Avalanche

Play Magazine

There's just no way to put it except to say that it's quite possibly the ultimate rush. [Jan 2004, p.58]

GameCube Europe

Oh and that password feature I just don't get why it's there and why you have to use it to replay the avalanche tracks. That's the biggest downside I can think of, why couldn't beating the avalanche tracks just unlock them in the Time Trail mode is mind boggling.

Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)

Small but perfectly formed. 1080 is the choice of the discerning gamer who looks for fewer stunts and a more solid racing experience. [NGC]

GamePro

The sensation of speed as you rocket down the mountain will truly rattle your senses, and the exceptional control pays off nicely.

Gamenikki

Snowboarding simply does not get any better than this.

Nintendo Power

As revolutionary as "SSX" was, now 1080: Avalanche is the one that hits the slopes with style and innovation. The extreme-survival angle puts the edge back in snowboarding. [Jan 2004, p.155]

Nintendophiles

If you really dig "SSX though," you might not take too kindly to 1080. If you’re just somebody wanting to have a little fun from time to time, 1080 is your game. Unfortunately, like most racing games, it can be mastered rather quickly.

GameBiz

Although 1080 Avalanche is a solid snowboarding game that will give you a few hours of pleasure, it has nothing on the "SSX" series.

NintendoWorldReport

Technically sound and built on a solid gameplay engine that provides a fast and frantic experience. It’s an adrenaline rush that fans of racing games should not miss out on.

Cheat Code Central

As good as the game is, this one will take time to beat no matter your skill level. There was one thing that had me a little disappointed and that was the trick controls.

Computer and Video Games

So 1080 isn't massively original, but it does have one killer gimmick in the form of avalanches.

Gamestyle

We can't recommend this game enough. If it's an adrenalin rush you're after, then 1080° Avalanche could be the snowboarding rush you've dreamed of. From Nintendo, with Love.

AceGamez

Although the lack of online play prevents Avalanche from being a major player, the actual gameplay and experience is so good I'd be tempted to say it's better than both "Amped" and "SSX."

Edge Magazine

Avalanche imparts the varying depths of snow, anything from sheet ice to knee-deep drifts, much better than its nearest rivals. Crouching for speed, leaping precipices and then absorbing the shock upon landing is a majestic sensation only bettered by the original. [Feb 2004, p.104]

Gamer's Pulse

A fast-paced snowboarding game with good looking graphics and outstanding course design. The time trial and gate challenge are both highly addicted modes, but the trick attack I found to be rather useless.

GameSpy

It may look nice and deliver speed, but it's bested by "SSX" 3 in just about every way.

Gamezilla!

Even great visuals and sound can’t save a game from the dual curse of poor game control and little replay value.

IGN

The NST-developed sequel is a fun snowboarding game with an impressive sense of speed and entertaining avalanche elements, but it's also relatively shallow, not to mention decidedly less intuitive and less refined than efforts from the competition.

XGP Gaming

The button configuration allows a fluid, effortless motion to pull of a trick. You don't have to be double jointed to land a simple grab trick.

Loaded Inc

Just decent. It doesn’t live up to its older brother at all and its simplified trick system is a big disappointment.

Nintendojo

The downside of the game is simply that it is not up to par with "SSX3," which is what happens when you go head to head with someone who has had two previous tries in one console generation to get it right.

Ferrago

It's a good racing game, that's for sure, but bizarrely one that has little replay value and a mediocre multiplayer option.

Eurogamer

I polished off the three main Match Race cups, most of the Time Trials (to unlock the better boards), the final Extreme Challenge and most of the Gate Challenges, not to mention completing each Trick Attack course to a decent standard, well within one five-hour sitting.

GMR Magazine

What Avalanche does right is give the gamer the sickest sense of speed in any snowboarding game to date.

Yahoo! Games

It ultimately lacks the long-term appeal of EA's offering.

Weekly Famitsu

7 / 7 / 7 / 7 - 28 [Vol 788; 23 Jan 2004]

games(TM)

A pleasant surprise. It certainly does not offer the same experience that "SSX 3's" genre-leading gameplay does, but because Avalanche is just as good for different reasons, it doesn't necessarily have to. [Christmas 2003, p.94]

NTSC-uk

If you get your head round the fact that Avalanche is trying to do its own thing whilst still keeping to the spirit of N64 1080, it gives constant thrills and a slightly new slant on the snowboarding genre that will be returned to time and again until each course is rinsed.

Electronic Gaming Monthly

When all of its gameplay modes and disappointing multiplayer options are handicapped by game-ending obstacles (you can actually become trapped by a fence) and unnecessarily fussy controls (rotating the stick to maintain balance sucks), the once-mighty 1080° is relegated to benchwarmer status in no time at all.

GameSpot

Delivers a sometimes thrilling sensation of speed and features a number of nice touches not found in other snowboarding games on the market, but it has very limited lasting value in its single-player mode, and the split-screen multiplayer mode and network play option don't do much to compensate for this shortcoming.

Game Power Australia

Unfortunately, it's just too shallow to enjoy for any length of time, and feels restricting when compared with the king of the slopes, "SSX 3."

Game Informer

Whoever designed Avalanche's trick system obviously got his or her doctorate in stupidity. [Jan 2004, p.136]

GameSpot AU

The main career mode is broken up into three difficulty levels, but thanks to some extremely rubber AI, unless you do extremely poorly it won't take you very long to get through everything 1080 Avalanche has to offer you.

G4 TV

Fans of the "1080" franchise will find that other games have left the franchise behind on the bunny slope. Rent it, ride the avalanche, and return it.

Game Revolution

An awkward trick design and emphasis on speed over style keeps it from reclaiming its past glory, leaving this ex-champ struggling in the snow.

GameNow

Too short, too straightforward, and too limited to recommend to all but the staunchest snowboarding aficionados. The game can be beaten in two hours on your first go. [Jan 2003, p.49]

eToychest

A short, but decent title for snowboard racing, and not much else. The LAN option is a nice feature and can increase a player’s game value if they plan to take advantage of it. However, the lack of gameplay variety and light content really hurts the overall value of the game.