Cool Boarders 2
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| Developer(s) | UEP Systems |
| Publisher(s) | JP UEP Systems NA SCEA EU SCEE JP Studio Zan (PSN) |
| Platforms | PlayStation |
| Release date(s) | JP August 28, 1997 NA October 31, 1997 EU February 1998 PAL October 30, 2008 (PSN) NA August 27, 2009 (PSN) JP November 23, 2011 (PSN) |
| Genre(s) | Snowboarding |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Cool Boarders 2 (Cool Boarders 2: Killing Session in Japan) is a snowboarding video game developed by UEP Systems for the PlayStation. The game builds upon its predecessor's features with the addition of trick competitions and computer-controlled competitors.
The main aim remains to complete courses in the shortest time (aided this time around by shortcuts), to perform the best-scoring tricks and to rack up huge total scores. There are more unlockables and also the option to customize the snowboard's graphics. The game offers 7 snowboarders, 18 snowboards and 10 courses to compete on. An original advertisement for the game features Seth Romatelli of the comedy podcast Uhh Yeah Dude.
Background
The game's predecessor, Cool Boarders, was released for the PlayStation the year prior, in 1996. Cool Boarders was a sleeper success, and eventually attained a Greatest Hits edition. Despite this, Cool Boarders was not nearly as well-known or praised as its successor, Cool Boarders 2. After the groundwork for the series was laid with the original, Cool Boarders 2 built upon its signature feel and look. The design style, artistic direction and controls were all improved, offering much depth and replayability. Its in-game load/select screens all featured original Japanese artwork, as did the in-game menus. The game is quintessentially 90's, complete with a guitar/drum driven soundtrack. As snowboarding began to gain in popularity during the mid-late 90's, so did snowboarding video games. Other entries in the genre began trickling in, most notably 1080 Snowboarding, along with lesser-known titles, such as Freestyle Boardin' '99. However, these attempts never managed to materialize the distinctive and memorable atmosphere of Cool Boarders 2. Eventually, the game also gained Greatest Hits status, as well as sequels. The original developer, UEP Systems, sold the rights to the name of the series in the US. This resulted in three unrelated sequels to the original games. They completely lacked the soul and style, along with the responsive arcade gameplay, of its original titles. In Japan, the true series continued with Cool Boarders Burrrn for the Sega Dreamcast (Rippin' Riders in the US and Europe) under UEP's guiding force, eventually "ending" the series with the PlayStation 2's Cool Boarders: Code Alien.
Boarders
There are several snowboarders available for use in the game.
- Yaggi
- Cindy
- Irin
- Jin
There are also three secret boarders that will become available from completing tournaments and breaking point records.
- Gray: An alien using a miniature UFO as a snowboard. Gray's trick and balance skills are better than most of the human characters, but he is the slowest.
- Boss: The alleged boss of Cool Boarders 2. He is the most fluidly-controlled human character, and has his own board available upon unlocking.
- Snow Man: A small snowman using a red frying pan as a snowboard. Is the fastest of all the characters (Despite Snow Man's lack of body weight), but is hardest to control at such high speeds.
There are also three CPU-only characters - Kelly, Jicchi and Nick - who cannot be unlocked and are featured so that there are more competing boarders in the Competition mode. Boss, Gray and Snowman cannot be used in the Competition mode, even after being unlocked, despite Boss' presence in the tournament.
Reception
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The game received an average score of 70.42% at GameRankings, based on an aggregate of 12 reviews.[1]
