SHREDDERS
For: PS5, Xbox, PC
From: FoamPunch
★★★
By HAYDEN MEIKLE
The irony of snowboarding games is that they appeal as much to gamers seeking a chill (excuse the pun) experience as they do to those who want a more wild ride.
There is just something about gliding down a hill, sending up puffs of snow, while all around you is eerily quiet, that puts you into a Zen-like state of calmness. Well, until you strike a jump or a rail and launch into a death-defying leap or trick.
Shredders harks back to the glory days of snowboarding titles like Amped or SSX that provided hours of entertainment on consoles of generations past.
It just wants you to have fun, and maybe break some virtual bones along the way.
It is not a new game — it came out on digital platforms three years ago — but it has been touched up and released in a ‘‘Full Ride’’ physical format for the first time with the base game and all added extras.
Your boarder has plenty of mountains to explore, tricks to learn, and sweet gear to unlock.
The controls are smooth and easy to learn, and while the gnarliest — I know the lingo — tricks are challenging, they are not so brutal that they scare you away.
It’s not a game with the longest career mode in the world, but the basic sensation of snowboarding is great fun, the settings are spectacular and the vibe (be cause it’s always about the vibe) is super cool.
