This is without a doubt the best snowboarding game of all time. I got Steep before this and enjoyed it, the graphics are beautiful and the game is whimsical and arcade like, but as soon as I got used to the controls (takes a couple days), Steep became unplayable. The controls are as intuitive as possible and the game feels like snowboarding. This is the first game I have played that has successfully made me feel that. The attention to detail from the way you lock in to rails, the way grabs have an effect on the axis of your rotation, how you spin after a tree tap, it’s all just like the real thing.
I think the problem Infinite Air has is that because it came from a smaller studio the graphics are not what they are in Steep, and that those who reviewed it are gamers rather than snowboarders. The 5.5 rating it has on this site is a testament to that. Every snowboarder I know that plays it had been hooked on it since its release, and now four years later still play it as they did when it first came out.
Admittedly the campaign mode or “Circuit” as the game calls it does not have much replay value, and it gets immensely difficult to complete due in no small part to the game not being able to accurately name the tricks you are doing, but the open world and online modes are incredible. The procedurally generated terrain is as entertaining as it is endless. The World Editor feature makes it possible to create whatever you desire within the generated mountains, and some of the stuff kids have made is simply jaw dropping. The game is as variable and different every time you play it as snowboarding is, and the only reason I can think of for why you could get bored of it is because of a lack of imagination. Perfect switch frontside boardslide to pretzel 270 out on a rail in the park, or go for a stylish boosted backside 900 tail grab in the backcountry, it doesn’t matter. The limit is your own creativity.
No clue why this game has such garbage reviews, my friends and I love it. No real story mode once you pass the circuit challenges but the mountain is huge making free riding consistently interesting, making runs and courses is fun and infinite in possibility, and the user-made runs are absolutely insane. Controls are tricky at first but certainly learnable and fairly automatic after an hour or two. Once you play for a bit you learn the nuances of flips, spins and grabs. Building a run is difficult at first but again only takes a couple of tries to get good at, and once you have gotten proficient the possibilities are insane. Again, love this game and super happy i stumbled across it.
Mark McMorris Infinite Air is not going to appeal to more casual snowboarding fans, and unfortunately I would include myself in that category. If you are looking for a game that you can pick up easily and pull off some crazy looking tricks, you might want to look elsewhere. However, with properly aligned expectations and a willingness to sink some time into learning the game's mechanics, you can get a lot out of this one.
Mark McMorris Infinite Air gets the fundamentals roughly right and has quite a bit of customisation, but that's about all there is to it. It's a blank, newly laid sheet of snow – fresh and clean, but nothing exciting comes of it.
The more positive features in Infinite Air are somewhat overshadowed by core gameplay in need of refinement and a progress system that punishes players, restricting content based on skill. Sadly, it marks a sloppy start to the latest run of snowboarding games podium.
The trick system is complex, but if you put in the time to learn it gives you a ton of flexibility and control. This game isn't for everyone, but if you don't mind spending some time to really develop skills in a game and enjoy the challenge and reward of learning new things, then you will really love it.
Most of the negative reviews (professional and user) seem to be from people that tried out the game for a few minutes and gave up without spending any time to learn how to play and control the game. I know its a bit complex at the start, but you will be happy for the freedom that complexity brings down the road once you learn to control your rider.
I've been playing snowboard games since they have been making them and been a snowboarder for 25 years. Every year new games would come out and it often felt like they were missing the point, especially in the past few console generations. They graphics got prettier, but the ability to add creativity and style to your riding just fell apart. For me Amped 2 on the Xbox was the high water mark for snowboard games. Most games since then would look pretty in the trailers, but once you got to the actual riding the mechanics just weren't there.
For me what matters in a snowboard game is having control of your board and the ability to add your own personal style to your riding. I can happily say Infinite Air has the most board control of any snowboard game made, there are no pre canned animations for your flips and spins, you can control the level of spin and inversion along with the amount of grab tweak. You can even nollie, shifty, revert, noseslide, grind etc.
As a consequence of the depth of control they give you, the trick system is very complicated and hitting timing right is very important. You aren't going to pick up this game and be throwing every move right off the bat. However, those people that put in the time to learn the trick system will be rewarded with a deep control system that allows you to creatively flow down the mountain with your own style. The game also includes a well executed level editor that allows players to create their own custom runs and hills and share them with the community, so the replay-ability is endless.
There are a few downsides to the game. On the Ps4 there is a lot of pop in with the features and textures that detracts from the open vistas. Also some places in the runs can feel a bit slow or you can get stuck in a flat spot if you crash in a bad place. The graphics don't quite match up to Steep, but the trick system and gameplay are lightyears beyond on the snowboarding side. The developer seems to be actively improving the game and I hope to see more content and enhancements as time goes on.
Whether you are are spinning triple corks in the park or slow boned out methods over a cliff in the backcountry, this is the game that will get you closest to the flow and creativity of real snowboarding from the comfort of your couch.
Im not even gonna waste my time writing a big thoughtful review on why this game ****, I tried that once earlier and my sweet tablet decided to freeze just as i was hitting "submit".
Long story short, Infinite Air could have been an absolutely great snowboarding game if it weren't for its horrendous controls. The controls absolutely decimate this game in every way. There are many SERIOUS problems with this game right now such as the absurd respawning, basic lack of story mode, the ground disappearing in big squares while riding graded snow etc. , but those issues pale in comparison to the gongshow controls. They are beyond complex, beyond what anybody is going to stick around for. This honestly could be a good game if they can remap that controls, because the mountain editor is the best idea Ive seen in years.
I have been playing action sports games since they first came out from the Tony Hawk era to SSX, skate 1, 2 and 3 and beyond. I would say that this is one of the absolute worst action sports games I have ever played. The controls are so poorly done that the game is almost unplayable. It looks as though the developers learned nothing from previous generations of skate and snow games. Marc is one of my favorite snowboarders, but honestly I don't know how he put his name on this.
If you take a look at the user reviews that have given this game a 9 or 10, almost all of them are brand new accounts with only one review to their name. Obviously the developers marking up their own game. Not only does this game ****, but so do the developers for their dishonesty and manipulation.
SummaryMark McMorris Infinite Air is a fresh welcome into snowboarding for newcomers and a challenging step into ungroomed territory for seasoned boarders. Get ready to shred custom-built runs and show off gnarly tricks across vast, personalized terrain parks and 100+ square miles of back country.