Machine Guides

Game History

Alpine Surfer  is an arcade snowboarding video game developed and released by Namco in 1996. The game runs on Namco System Super 22 hardware and is based on their popular Alpine Racer series of skiing games. It was part of Namco's wave of sports simulation arcade machines during the mid-1990s, alongside titles like Air Combat 22, Cyber Cycles, Dirt Dash, and Aqua Jet.

The game featured players snowboarding down mountain slopes with the ability to perform numerous air tricks while listening to rock and alternative music. It offered two downhill courses and two levels of difficulty, providing players with four challenging gameplay options. Alpine Surfer also allowed two cabinets to be linked together for cooperative play, similar to Namco's Final Lap and Winning Run series.

Commercially, Alpine Surfer achieved moderate success. In Japan, Game Machine listed it as the third most-successful dedicated arcade game of August 1996. In Europe, the game was particularly popular in British arcades, where it attracted casual players who didn't normally play video games. Next Generation magazine gave the game three out of five stars, noting that "If the developers had taken the game further, it would have been great."

How to Play

Objectives

The main goal of Alpine Surfer is to snowboard down mountain slopes while performing tricks and achieving the best time possible. You must navigate through courses, avoid obstacles, and reach the finish line. The game emphasizes speed, trick performance, and downhill racing in a snowboarding environment.

Controls

• Snowboard Controller: Stand on the snowboard-shaped platform that tilts to control your movement
• Tilt Forward: Lean forward to increase speed and move downhill
• Tilt Backward: Lean backward to slow down and perform certain tricks
• Tilt Left/Right: Lean left or right to steer and carve turns
• Jump Button: Press to jump and perform air tricks

Gameplay

• Starting the Game: Press the Start Button to begin your snowboarding run.

• Course Selection: Choose from two available downhill courses, each with unique terrain and challenges.

• Difficulty Selection: Select your difficulty level to adjust the challenge and speed of the course.

• Downhill Racing: Snowboard down the mountain slopes as quickly as possible while maintaining control.

• Obstacle Avoidance: Navigate around obstacles such as trees, rocks, and other hazards on the course.

• Trick Performance: Perform air tricks by jumping at appropriate locations and using the snowboard controller to execute various moves.

• Carving Turns: Use the tilting mechanism to carve turns and maintain speed through different sections of the course.

• Time Challenge: Race against the clock to achieve the best time possible on each course.

• Score System: Earn points based on your time, trick performance, and overall run quality.