Welcome to VC Weekly, N-Europe’s guide to the wonderful world of Nintendo’s download service. Written by Sam C Gittins.

I can remember owning both of these titles when they originally launched on the Nintendo 64, also I seem to recall not being terribly good at either of them until their sequels arrived a generation later; but there is clearly a good reason for revisiting them here as aside from looking better, these releases are finally the full 60Hz versions they perhaps always should have been. Anyway enough from me and on with the games!
 
Available for download this week we have...   

Over a decade and a half ago there was an initial influx of games in various genres, it was a time when the next “big” genre came along and then everyone followed suit; this was especially true for the Snowboarding genre as there were games like the infamous Cool-Boarders among others that were all competing to be the best in their field. This ruthless rivalry in competing for sales went on until a certain somewhat unexpected title crashed onto the market in an avalanche of awesomeness which quite frankly wiped out any “competition” and in many ways set a new standard. I am of course referring to the original 1080° Snowboarding, this title effectively did for the Snowboarding genre what Waverace 64 did for the Water-sports genre but in a very different way.

For the first time a truly realistic recreational representation of the sport was born which truly raised the bar and even set the benchmark for almost every subsequent Snowboarding simulation. So the visuals may not look like much by todays high-definition standards but for their time they truly were something spectacular to behold; everything from the smooth snow to the fluid animation made decent use of the hardware and really helped to create a truly believable boarder. Indeed it's an impressive feat of engineering which meant this game was developed over just nine months, creating an experience so finely tuned with its expertly implemented controls that it won an Interactive Achievement Award from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences back in the day; quite an accomplishement by all accounts and I must say that the finely honed controls still work just as well on a Pro Controller today possibly even better depending on how worn your original N64 controller might be if you still have your original console setup as I do.

Riding down a slope of snow atop a shaped plank of strengthened wood at its best!

A range of modes are available including Championship which is the primary focus in which you rise through the ranks, unlocking greater difficulties and courses which will keep you coming back to unlock it all. Other modes range from the self explanatory Time Attack and Trick Mode to the Two-Player Versus which should be commended for it's consistency and is a decent experience worthy of a few good plays if you can find someone willing to play it against you. There are fifteen courses to tackle, Normal has four, Hard has Five, while Expert has six to take on once you unlock them, indeed some of those later courses are nothing short of brutal as there is a definite difficulty spike as you are almost expected to anticipate every potential pitfall in your way even if it's your first time playing that particular run; this is where restore points can certainly prove their worth at times though I must admit that mostly I would tend to just have one set for the start of each course rather than relying on them too much.  

Visually this title still stands up pretty well keeping a balance of solidly created landscapes upon which believable characters slide across, the way in which you leave a trail in the wake of your board is excellent as are the clouds of snow which are produced when you land - upright or otherwise - in it, of course all of these effects and more were implemented into the sequel but it's just nice to appreciate how well put together the first game is; let's not forget the incredible log cabin menu system from the start where you get to pick your boarder plus snowboard with varied stats and the small things such as an N64 logo made out of the cold stuff on the sidelines of one particular course. The soundtrack itself is nothing sort of legendary, Kenta Nagata is the amazing composer behind the title screen track called Vacant Lives which has to be heard or not in this case to be believed, it may have been due to the N64 not being that great at containing compressed vocals on tracks but the words sung in an almost over the top Metal style are almost indistinguishable which has lead to some rather hilarious attempts at translating them, aside from that though there are a couple of other tracks which contain vocals including the amazing selection music track Work Your Body in which the words can clearly be heard; the rest of the soundtrack - which I've been listening to while writing this review - has some fantastic ambient synthesised sounding music which really works well in the game.

Is that an N64 cubed logo I see before me? Also reflections... of sorts, yay graphics!

Sadly this overall well-paced title is over far to quickly as once you've slalomed down the slopes and have seen everything that the game has to offer there isn't really a great deal of incentive to come back for more snow shredding bar a few blasts with a friend. Nevertheless this is still easily the finest representation of a Snowboarding game to date and for nearly two decades in age it's still a landmark title that deserves to be experienced by even the most discerning of gamers; “boarding” games may come and go but Ten-Eighty will always remain the true benchmark. With this being the 60Hz version though it is really excellent to finally be able to experience the game at its best though because for however long it lasts you at least you're getting to play it at the speed it was intended to be enjoyed at, for what it's worth this has made 1080° Snowboarding so much better for me personally that its quality has gone up in my estimations yet again to the point that I can see myself going back to it in the future despite its shortcomings because it's just that much more enjoyable; chuck in Miiverse for sharing memories, musings or just a nicely made jump in addition to new high scores of course. Hit the slopes like it's Nineteen-Ninety-Eight again!     

Sequel to the original Gameboy incarnation, Wave Race 64 is thought to be the definitive game of the series; responsible for reviving the spirit of it's predecessor and bringing it to life like never before in the glorious third dimension. A launch title for the Nintendo 64, it featured visuals and wave physics that were for their time quite simply unparalleled; add to that the weather conditions and controls that are honed to perfection and it becomes clear to see that this title truly was in many ways ahead of it's time. From the variable fluidity of the waves to the buoyancy of the wave racers, everything has amazing attention to detail and from the moment the race begins you feel in complete control at all times. From start to inevitable climax of each race there is no deviance from the actions you carry out on the pad to whats translated on screen; this feeling of ultimate control brought about by some truly top-notch programming is the secret to the games decidedly deserved success.

Races follow the same familiar flow whereby you are put up against three other A.I opponents, steering a course either left or right in between coloured buoys and avoiding occasional obstructions on your way to the finish line. You are awarded and ascending amount of points from forth to first place; finishing last will earn you a single point and achieving the ultimate goal of winning the race gains you four. In practice this isn't as easy as it may initially sound, sure enough the “Normal” race set eases you in and doesn't prove particularly problematic in snagging first place on each race; move up to the greater difficulties however and the game really starts to come into it's own on many levels. Your opponents become tougher to beat, the number of courses steadily increases and a variety of shortcuts show themselves while remaining secluded on the default difficulty; and whats more you will find that you need to take every corner near-perfectly and time each jump with precision just to keep the lead.

Buy your copy of Wave Race 64 today and you'll have a "Whale" of a time.

Again like with its Snowboarding-based brethren this release of Wave Race 64 is presented in 60Hz which for me turned out to highlight the stark difference between my original memory of playing the game on the N64 as an almost sedate racer, to what now feels to me like a game which is fast-paced racing with an enjoyable arcade twist but not only that, it now sits more closely together with its sequel Wave Race: Blue Storm which has had a special place in my heart since the day I purchased a Gamecube at launch; the first home console game now feels not quite equal but a lot better than my original impression of it allowed me to be.

Originally I wasn't too blown away with the visuals offered from Wave Race 64 possibly owing to me picking it up later on down the line, yet the realism of it was still very much appreciated even if the riders do look a little more... angular than they perhaps should be, the water still looks lovely considering it's an N64 title and this effect wouldn't be bettered until Wave Race: Blue Storm quite literally blew it out of the water. Music takes on a classic feel which played more to the N64 hardware strengths thanks to the work of Kazumi Totaka who created what in many ways is a soundtrack which is perhaps most representative of the Wave Race series as it helps to establish its overall identity, plus all of the motor sounds of the Jet-ski engines are spot-on which must come from plenty of research which I'm sure was done at the time seeing as the game has Kawasaki in it as one of the sponsors; no expense spare here in that respect.

Is that another N64 logo I see? Come on now, this is clearly product placement!

Wave Race 64 is not a game to be taken lightly, designed to its zenith for the time of release; it has a lot to offer in it's well honed championship mode alone and with time-trial, stunt mode and even 2P VS there is plenty to keep you playing. Add in a trick system which offers both depth and challenge, sparingly used audio samples and a delightfully simple speed system and you have what is quite possibly the finest recreation of a wave racing game ever released. Aside from it's superior sequel of course but then it's unfair to compare them too closely, in any case this is the only version of Wave Race available on the VC for now - until Nintendo make Gamecube titles available of course... it will happen - so why not get out there now and make some waves! And share them on Miiverse... naturally.   

That's it for another installment of VC Weekly which will return again soon. So until then, enjoy the rest of the week and Game On!