PixlBit

Attach "2000" to any title and it sounds cool.

Big Mountain 2000 is a skiing and snowboarding game released, quite fittingly, in the year 2000. It features characters who try too hard to act cool racing down hills that try too hard to be mountains.

There are only four tracks to choose from, one of which is unlocked by completing all game types on the other three. I guess the mountain isn't all that big. The courses are fairly large and have multiple paths and shortcuts, but even so, the selection is light. There are three modes of play, Free Race, Slalom, and Giant Slalom, and across all of them will be three computer opponents. What makes Giant Slalom different from the regular one is that it uses different routes, plus there are fewer gates, making it more crucial to hit them in order to avoid the time penalty. There is also a two-player race mode on offer, but I haven't tested it out.

There are a few different types of terrain which have different effects. Heavy powder snow will reduce speed and slow acceleration, while ice has the opposite effect. There is a stamina meter which depletes with each crash, and if it becomes empty then it will hinder your ability to accelerate. Tricks can be performed when going off jumps, but they offer no rewards and are solely for showing off. There doesn't seem to be any functional difference between skiing and snowboarding, they both allow the same speeds and handle the same way. One would think that skiing would entail using the poles in some way, but they're just there for aesthetic apparently.

There is no difficulty setting for the computer players, and instead, their ability will depend on which track you select. They tend to travel fast when they are behind, and slow when they are ahead. The slightest contact with another racer will cause the both of you to crash. It would seem the CPU players go out of there way to crash into you, making it more of a battle than a race. Interestingly, you can accelerate to 70MPH before you even get back up, but you can't turn, so you'll probably end up crashing into a tree or rock before you've even recovered.

The statistics of your chosen character can be raised by gaining levels, which happens slowly over time simply by racing. There is no apparent indicator of what earns you these levels, so it may or may not have anything to do with your actual performance. Once a high enough level is reached, the character will advance from Amateur to Semi-Pro to Pro, which will unlock additional gear. The back of the box claims that you can design your own gear, but this feature isn't present within the game. One stat that can be gained are "Cool" points, which seem to serve no purpose. But hey, they don't have to, because they're cool.

The presentation is passable but uninteresting. The texture work is generally smooth, though certain things such as trees have a pixelated look. There is no fog present, but there is some pop-up noticeable off in the distance. Fortunately the framerate remains steady, making things tolerable. There are some scarce voice samples to be heard, though the only thing ever uttered by the characters is "ouch" when they run into something. There is also an announcer voice, who speaks with the intensity of a controlling boyfriend.

Big Mountain 2000 has nothing outwardly wrong with it, but it has nothing noteworthy either. Fans of either snowboarding or skiing might find some enjoyment with the game, but for anyone looking to own just one game of this type, there are better options out there.