One of my favorite parts of Deca Sports was the snowboarding, so I was excited to see what Hudson's WiiWare game Snowboard Riot was all about. However, instead of using the Wii Remote like in Deca Sports, Snowboard Riot is controlled with both a Wii Remote and Nunchuk. The game is also compatible with the Balance Board, but this control method was not on display.

In addition to using the analog stick on the Nunchuk to steer left or right, Snowboard Riot also lets players jump by pressing the A button. Players can't change the jump's height or strength, but the jump is mostly meant for avoiding the attacks of your opponents. Snowboard Riot doesn't really feature any half-pipes, it's actually all about racing down mountain slopes. One of the game's modes bears resemblance to the karting genre, in that both attack and defensive items appear on the course and can be used at the push of a button. These items run the gamut from homing missiles to speed boosts to giant ice crystals that suddenly appear on the course in front of opponents.

Another mode, dubbed "stoic mode," removes the items and replaces them with boost gates. And yet another mode gives players just three boosts to use the entire race. All modes let players repeat a course for several laps by warping them back to the top of the mountain by way of a teleporter at the finish line.

Two players can race together locally, but up to four opponents can compete when the game is taken online. These opponents can be regional or worldwide strangers, or they can be friends by virtue of the game's Friend Codes. There are also online leader boards to record the best times.

Ultimately, Snowboard Riot feels more like a traditional racing game than Deca Sports' Wii Sports-ish interpretation. Consequently, when viewed in the light of an arcade racing game, Snowboard Riot may suffer from only four courses (of varying complexity) to race down and only four racers (with several wardrobe choices each) to choose from.

Hudson couldn't give a date or price for the game, but I wouldn't be surprised to see it soon. The build I played seemed very much complete.