''Xtreme Sports'' is a sports video game developed by WayForward Technologies for the

Game Boy Color The (commonly abbreviated as GBC) is a handheld game console, manufactured by Nintendo, which was released in Japan on October 21, 1998 and to international markets that November. It is the successor to the Game Boy and is part of the Game ...

. It was initially published by Infogrames and first released in North America on June 28, 2000. The game is similar to one of WayForward's PC games, ''Xtreme Sports Arcade: Summer Edition'' (1999). The artist of ''Xtreme Sports'' would later go on to continue work with the '' Shantae'' series. A port for

Nintendo Switch The is a hybrid video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. The console itself is a Tablet computer#Gaming tablet, tablet that can either be docking station, docked for use as a home video ...

was released on August 15, 2023.

Gameplay

In ''Xtreme Sports'', players compete against more than 200 computer-controlled opponents on 25 different tracks in sports such as street luge,

skateboarding Skateboarding is an extreme sport, action sport originating in the United States that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry Profession, job, and a ...

, inline skating,

surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suitabl ...

and skyboarding. At the start of the game, players choose between characters Guppi and Fin and set off on a trip sponsored by the Xtreme Cola Company, which has invited all extreme sports athletes to Xtreme Sports Island to compete in a tournament. Among the people players encounter are the members of the Bone-Heads gang, who are the antagonists. The player's objective is to unravel the mystery behind them and win the tournament at the same time. There are two modes available: Practice and Xtreme Island Adventure. In the former, players can participate in 15 different challenges with 3 difficulty settings. In the latter, players move around the island participating in events and exploring the surroundings. Some of the people players meet will give the player clues to solving the mystery of the Bone-Heads while others will issue challenges to compete in various sports. Players collect medals as the player win events. Players must win a certain number of easier challenges before the referees will allow the player into the tougher ones. Along the way, players can also find Twitchy Shakes, which are special drinks that will increase the player's abilities depending on the next event the player enters. Players may be able to attain higher speeds or even become invincible.

Development and release

Laddie Ervin, director of marketing for sports and racing titles at Infogrames North America, Inc., stated, "''Xtreme Sports'' will get the adrenaline pumping for Game Boy gamers this summer ..From skysurfing to skateboarding to street luge, ''Xtreme Sports'' will challenge even the most devoted sports addict." The game was known to not support Link Cable play and was set for a June 2000 release.

Reception

The game received favorable reviews according to the review aggregation website

GameRankings GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...

. '' AllGame'' stated, "''Xtreme Sports'' is a game aimed at a teen audience that doesn't go for normal sports titles, but the variety of events should appeal to almost anyone. The characters and theme are definitely weak points, but all in all ''Xtreme Sports'' is a solid game. Besides, how many Game Boy Color games let you surf, skateboard, skyboard, luge, and rollerblade in one package?" ''AllGame'' also stated, "The cartoon-style graphics seem to be Disney's interpretation of what teenagers look like. The game's visuals may not appeal to some, but the action is still enjoyable." '' GameSpot'' noted, "''Xtreme Sports'' is definitely going to be an unsung hit. Rare is a portable sports title this rich. Its premise is unique and its execution is artful. There is definitely some fun to be had with this." '' IGN'' complained that "the biggest problem in ''Xtreme Sports'' is its maniacal pace -- the levels and game are well thought out, but all of them require a fast speed and a LOT of quick reaction on the buttons. Your characters are rather large on-screen, and there's not much head's up when obstacles approach or when the platforms go in different directions ..Lots of practice is necessary for ''Xtreme Sports''. Maybe that's why they included a Practice mode right up front." Despite this, ''IGN'' praised the game's graphics, commenting, "This is one of if not the most beautifully-styled games I've seen on the Game Boy Color."

References

External links

*{{moby game, id=/69018/xtreme-sports/ 2000 video games Extreme sports video games Game Boy Color games Infogrames games Multiplayer and single-player video games Nintendo Switch games Video games developed in the United States Video games set on fictional islands Virtual Console games Virtual Console games for Nintendo 3DS WayForward games