Cool Boarders (video game)

Cool Boarders
North American cover art
DeveloperUEP Systems
Publishers
DirectorsKimiaki Kurashima
Masaya Kobayashi
ProducersShin Umezawa
Mitsuru Kamada
DesignersYasuhito Sakaue
Tadayuki Konno
ProgrammersKiyoshi Tsukada
Ikumi Takemoto
SeriesCool Boarders
PlatformPlayStation
Release
  • JP: August 30, 1996
  • NA: January 15, 1997[1]
  • EU: January 1997
GenreSnowboarding
ModeSingle-player

Cool Boarders[a] is a snowboarding video game developed by UEP Systems for the PlayStation. It was released in Japan by UEP Systems in August 1996 and internationally by Sony Computer Entertainment in January 1997.

The game consists of three main courses (plus two additional unlockables) in which the player attempts to gain the fastest time, most points from performing tricks, and also total points, a combination of the two previous disciplines. This early game, while simple, led the way for the development of much more popular, extreme sport games.

The game was released for the PlayStation Network as a PS one Classic in North America on December 4, 2006, in Europe on November 8, 2007, and in Japan on October 26, 2011. It was released for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 on March 19, 2024.[2] Hamster Corporation re-released the game as part of their Console Archives for the Nintendo Switch 2 and PlayStation 5 in February 2026.[3] Several sequels were also released.

Release

Cool Boarders was first released in Japan in August 1996. At this time, Sony Computer Entertainment officials stated that, though snowboarding was not yet as popular in the West as in Japan, they were "seriously considering" localizing the game to North America.[4]

Reception

Reviews for Cool Boarders were mixed. The game received an average score of 74% at GameRankings, based on an aggregate of 6 reviews.[5] Critics praised the selection of boards which offer differing gameplay[8][11][14] and the thrills in the experience,[11][14][9] but criticized the lack of a two-player mode or AI competitors to race against[8][14] and the bizarre physics, such as how the player character tends to get caught between closely placed barriers, ricocheting back and forth between them, and how hitting certain objects can make them slide uphill.[11][14] Kraig Kujawa and Dean Hager of Electronic Gaming Monthly found that the game, while reasonably fun overall, could only be recommended to fans of snowboarding and other "extreme" sports.[8] GamePro commented: "The controls allow for tight handling and make performing tricks a breeze. Although the graphics show minor breakup, they're still well animated in the popular polygonal style".[9] Next Generation summarized: "Surprisingly, the first dedicated snowboarding game for PlayStation is a great deal of fun to play and offers a challenge like nothing else on the system. However, too many goofy flaws keep it from being a total success".[14] GameSpot found the physics and limited ability to go off-course frustrating, and like Next Generation expressed hope that a sequel would fix the problems that kept the game from being great.[11]

Notes

  1. ^ Japanese: クールボーダーズ, Hepburn: Kūru Bōdāzu

References

  1. ^ "Sony PlayStation Available Software sorted by Release Date @ www.vidgames.com". June 11, 1998. Archived from the original on June 11, 1998. Retrieved October 4, 2023.
  2. ^ Michel, Adam (March 13, 2024). "PlayStation Plus Game Catalog for March: NBA 2K24, Marvel's Midnight Suns, Resident Evil 3, Mystic Pillars: Remastered and more". PlayStation.Blog. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  3. ^ "ファミコン『ドラえもん』も！ コンソールアーカイブス始動。第1弾としてFC『忍者龍剣伝2』とPS『クールボーダーズ』が2月6日より順次発売【Nintendo Direct】". Famitsu (in Japanese). February 5, 2026.
  4. ^ "Cool Boarders". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 87. Ziff Davis. October 1996. p. 173.
  5. ^ a b "Cool Boarders for PlayStation". GameRankings. Archived from the original on December 9, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2014.
  6. ^ Lomas, Ev (January 1997). "Cool Boarders". Computer and Video Games. No. 182. pp. 60–61. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  7. ^ "Cool Boarders". Edge. No. 42. February 1997. p. 89. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d "Team EGM Box Scores: Cool Boarders". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 91. Ziff Davis. February 1997. p. 151.
  9. ^ a b c The Rookie (March 1997). "Cool Boarders". GamePro. No. 102. IDG. p. 92.
  10. ^ Cooke, Mark. "Cool Boarders Review". GameRevolution. Archived from the original on October 23, 1997. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c d e "Cool Boarders Review". GameSpot. January 31, 1997. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  12. ^ Polak, Steve (February 1997). "Cool Boarders". Hyper. No. 40. pp. 38–39. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  13. ^ "Cool Boarders". IGN. December 13, 1996. Archived from the original on October 18, 2002. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  14. ^ a b c d e f "Cool Boarders". Next Generation. No. 27. Imagine Media. March 1997. p. 85.
  15. ^ "電撃PSソフトレビュー The Deeper Part 2: Cool Boarders". Dengeki PlayStation (in Japanese). Vol. 29. MediaWorks. September 13, 1996. p. 108.
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