Heavy Shreddin’
System: NES
Release Date: June 1990
Developer: Imagineering
Publisher: Parker Brothers
Genre: Sports
Hop on your board and hit the slopes in Heavy Shreddin’! You’re headed to the mountains and want to carve your way down to earn the World Cup. Meet your time goals, trick goals, and don’t wipe out if you want to win!
You start at the top of a trail with three stages chosen from five events. The downhill puts you up against a timer. You have to avoid trees and other obstacles within the allotted time. You have to be tucked by pressing right on the d-pad in order to build enough speed to make it to the end. The slalom is better off in a standing position, allowing you to make tight turns by pressing up and down on the d-pad.
The half-pipe requires you to build up enough speed by pressing the direction you’re moving in. Once you make the proper velocity, you are given a command to complete. For the longest time, I didn’t realize that jump means only to jump by pressing the A Button. Other stunts are activated by pressing a direction when you jump. If you do these, you will fall and suffer a penalty.
The moguls require you to jump over the small bumps in the snow. Bigger fields necessitate a toe grab to clear them all. The final event is the backwoods. The path is littered with obstacles that you have to avoid. You’re kindly given the move you should use to avoid the obstacle after you’ve fallen victim to it. Be prepared to duck with the B Button. If you can avoid dying on the mountain, a large picture of a lady tells you how you did and you move to the next trail.
Graphics: 1.5
The colors, illustrations, and animations don’t look bad, though they aren’t really nice.
Sound: 1.0
The music and sounds are serviceable.
Gameplay: 1.5
Things basically work. Spend most of your time in tuck mode if you want to beat anything timed.
Difficulty: 0.5
You have just enough time on the downhill to reach the finish as your time runs out. You’ll be playing the same levels a lot.
Fun Factor: 1.0
It took me 20 minutes to warm up to it, but like the snow you’re boarding on it’s still cold.
Overall Grade: 1.1
Heavy Shreddin’ earns a D. This is not a very strong effort. It’s like a super early idea of Coolboarders, but terrible.