Snowstorm Riders

Snowstorm Riders is a 3D snowboarding/racing game developed by ACS Production Studio Tokyo and published by ACS. Released in 1998 for Arcades (ACS TGX Modeller System) as an arcade-only title. It is the final game released for the TGX Modeller System.

Gameplay
The gameplay of Snowstorm Riders bears similarities to other arcade snowboarding games released during that time, such as Namco's Alpine Surfer and UEP Systems' Cool Boarders: Arcade Jam.

Players have to control a 3D avater and traverse through a downhill mountain slope, while speeding through other players and pulling off tricks in various designated cliffs (indicated by a flashing "Bust a Trick!" message on the screen). The game features a plethora of grab tricks to perform, including nose grabs, tail grabs and method grabs. There are also occasional rails to jump and grind on for extra trick points.

Before starting the game, players have the option to select between five playable snowboarders, each with their own stats and advantages. The three stats are as follows: After each race, players are ranked through various factors: their final place in the race, their lap time, and their trick points. Getting a high ranking in the race is vital for moving on to the next course (in Match Race mode), while a quick lap time and high trick points are essential when beating time records or high scores, respectively.
 * Speed: Determines how fast the character can move around the course.
 * Air: Determines how high the character can launch themselves in the air.
 * Trick: Determines how much points the character can get from doing tricks.

The game utilizes a snowboard-shaped mounted controller which the player must step on to control their character. The controllers utilizes weight detection for its gameplay mechanics; jumping off the board would trigger a jump, while leaning forwards or backwards allows the character to speed up or slow down, respectively.

Game Modes
The game features two game modes, Free Ride and Match Race. Before starting a game, the plalyer has to choose between the two modes.

In Free Ride mode, the player can freely select between three courses, with a fourth one unlockable through a secret code. Free Ride mode features no A.I. racers in the course, allowing players to play through the course the way they want to. However, once the run has ended, the game is over.

In Match Race mode, the player must race through all three courses against four other A.I.-controlled racers. In order to qualify for the next course, the player must get a high ranking in the race itself. However, once the player fails to qualify for the next race, the game is over.

The game features seperate time records and high score ranking tables for both Free Ride and Match Race modes.

Characters
The game features five characters to choose from, each with their own unique stats, appearances and personalities: Birthplace: USA
 * Trick

Gender: Male

Age: 22 Birthplace: Japan
 * Maiko

Gender: Female

Age: 17 Birthplace: Canada
 * Kidd

Gender: Male

Age: 13 Birthplace: England
 * Anne

Gender: Female

Age: 20 Birthplace: Brazil
 * Bobby

Gender: Male

Age: 24

Courses
The game features four courses to ride on, each with a different aesthetic and difficulty attached to them. The Special course, Ruins, is based around ancient ruins located in the Himalayas, and can only be accessed in Free Ride mode by entering a secret code.
 * U.S.A. (Easy)
 * Japan (Normal)
 * Sweden (Hard)
 * Ruins (Special)

Trivia

 * Although both games involve snowboarding, the game is seperate from ACS' later series Peter Line's Total Snowboarding, which was developed and published by ACS' American divison, is rooted more towards the console market, and features likenesses of real-life snowboarders instead of original characters.
 * The game features several real-life sponsors, most notably Forum Snowboards, who appears prominently in the game. The characters' boards are based on real-life Forum products at the time.
 * The game was the final game to be developed for the PlayStation-based TGX Modeller System. An improved model with higher GPU and clockspeeds, the TGX2 Modeller System, was introduced by ACS a year prior, utilized for Sentoki: The Strongest Warrior (1997).