3:20 PM
nokiac3
It says very little for my prospects as a skier that despite Ultimate Ski Racing 2 being almost a carbon copy of its predecessor I'm no better at this game than I was at the original.
This is a return trip I was more than happy to make, however.
Despite the original game's simplicity, managing to get to the end of the run in anything but last spot was always an immense and enjoyable challenge.
Second time lucky
And so it is here.
In fact, pretty much every element of the original Ultimate Ski Racing has been duplicated in this sequel, to the point that telling the difference between them – beyond the odd visual tweak – is near impossible.
Taking to the snow involves switching between just three buttons: '4' to send your skier sliding left, '8' to send him back to the right, and '2' to activate the game's boost, which builds several times throughout each run.
The challenges themselves – viewed from above, with the skier heading towards you – are split between three activities: Giant, Slalom, and Downhill.
All three, however, require you to call upon the same skillset - the abilities to weave at short notice and build up speed during the straights are key to posting a fast time.
Sticky slicky?
In Giant and Slalom, going as close to the gates as you can without touching them will also earn you bonus points aplenty, though any contact adds time to your tally.
Even if you're something of a clutz, however, Ultimate Ski Racing 2's upgrading system – which lets you improve your equipment with money you pick up from on-the-slopes action – ensures you shouldn't have to grind for long to start moving up the charts as you spring from one location the next in World Cup mode.
The game even boasts three-way multiplayer (albeit pass-the-handset).
Even so, it's hard to spot what's been achieved here that the developer hadn't already mastered in the original. As such, though it's easy to enjoy a second spin on this particular series' slopes, the original Ultimate Ski Racing was arguably slick enough for both games.
