Snow Moto Racing Freedom

Basic racing game with poor ai, poor physics and stale gameplay. Collisions are broken, ai in rubberbanding like hell and freestyle is finicky (advanced stunts work 1 out of 10 times). provides zero challenge. Don't waste any money

Early Playstation 2 graphics, wonky physics and basic gameplay : it's hard to see something worth playing here. And yet... I've had fun with Snow Moto Racing Freedom. Maybe it's because I'm part of the exact target audience : loves snow, is interested in snow sports, doesn't mind sketchy physics as long as they make the game more fun... Because if snowmobiles were this fast and responsive, a lot more people would be into this sport. Or fewer, actually... Because they'd all be dead. And the sport forbidden ! But going for something less realistic was the right thing to do, as it makes the gameplay more enjoyable and the game actually playable. As my first snowmobile game ever, Snow Moto Racing Freedom didn't suffer from any comparison. Its physics are not realistic in the slightest, but the snowmobiles move fast, recover from a crash quickly, and the sensation of speed (especially in first person) is pretty good. With its 20 or so championships split between Sprint, Snocross and a mix of the two, over 45 different tracks, the game has enough to keep you busy for a few hours. You can also take part in Time Trials and Freestyle events (even if the AI doesn't pose much of a challenge), or be a silly Billy online if you have friends to play with ! The snow looks decent. Or acceptable, at least. The snowmobiles leave marks in the snow in Sprint races, but not in Snocross. It would have been nice to see them impact the tracks for future laps, but deformable terrain isn't part of the simplified gameplay the game offers. So I spent a few more hours in Sprint races, driving up and down the mountain at sundown (nighttime and weather conditions are also available) while pulling off cool stunts because I was enjoying myself, despite the game's obvious limitations. There aren't many snowmobiles racing games out there, so maybe a love for snow and a cheap price will be enough to give it a try ? I didn't expect I'd be recommending Snow Moto Racing Freedom with how bare it felt at first, but I ended up having a good time, so I'll give it a [b] 5[/b]. Just don't expect current gen graphics or gameplay.