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3DS

Europe

Snow Moto Racing 3D

by Daan Koopman - October 28, 2013, 2:24 pm EDT
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6.5

Racing through the snow is just one snow mobile away.

Snow Moto Racing 3D is the follow-up to Aqua Moto Racing 3D, which came out last June in Europe. While it had some interesting ideas, it was hampered by some technical issues. Post-release patches made the experience better, fortunately. In the sequel, the developers froze the water landscape over, delivering similar gameplay in a new locale.

The new Moto Racing entry features 18 tracks of snowmobile racing spread across three different continents. Oddly, it is a slight downgrade from the previous entry, which contained 24 tracks. However, with the fewer tracks comes more portable-optimized cups. Each one is three stages long, making it a fun pick-up-and-play experience. The tracks also have more variety, and unlike the Aqua Moto Racing 3D, locations aren’t reused constantly.
The controls are consistent for the most part, but they are quite slippery in places. While this game is in the snow so it makes sense, the slipperiness just makes the game frustrating. Upgrading can make up for this issue, though, which can be done by completing tricks during races, which also earns you boost in races as well as money for upgrade outside of races.

The goal in every race is to clear every checkpoint in the proper order. If you miss any of the checkpoints, you are forced to go back or else you cannot complete the race. Previously, checkpoints could be missed three times before players were disqualified. This is mostly done to accompany the new level design, which is way more linear than the open seas, but it still causes some of the tracks to be a bit dull, since they aren't really long.

The races against the computer are fair, as you duke out in the Championships and Quick Races. Snow Moto Racing 3D shines the brightest in multiplayer, as you can play the game with up to six people in Download Play and local multiplayer. It works like a charm and makes for a nifty game when everybody has a Nintendo 3DS around. The game also supports StreetPass, but it doesn't do anything interesting with it. You can exchange progress and records, but that doesn’t add much to the game. It just makes the absence of online sting even more.

The only exemplary graphical flair is the nice lightning elements that bring the whole experience to life. The 3D effects causes some performance issues, making it advisable to play it in 2D only. It isn't anything particular harmful and painful to look at, but you can notice the slowdown consistently. The music is mostly butt rock, which is generic and quite pants.

Snow Moto Racing 3D is an alright game that provides a small racing fix for anyone desperately in need of one. The visual presentation, level design, and local multiplayer make it a fun rump, but plently of humps interupt the fun. The music is quite terrible, StreetPass isn't used in a clever matter and the game is tragically short. If you can forgive its problems however, Snow Moto Racing 3D is an okay time.

Summary

Pros
  • Good local multiplayer
  • Nice lighting effects
  • Pick-up-and-play fun
  • Varied levels
Cons
  • Awful music
  • Lame StreetPass
  • Poor stereoscopic 3D
  • Slippery controls

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Genre Racing
Developer Zordix
Players1 - 6

Worldwide Releases

na: Snow Moto Racing 3D
Release Oct 17, 2013
PublisherZordix
RatingEveryone
jpn: Snow Moto Racing 3D
Release Apr 30, 2014
PublisherFlyhigh Works
RatingAll Ages
eu: Snow Moto Racing 3D
Release Oct 24, 2013
PublisherZordix
Rating3+
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