Thank you TREVA Entertainment for sending us this game to review!

Winter Sports Feel the Spirit 2012 originally came out for the Wii and 3DS systems.  The 3DS version fared well but the Wii version did horribly.  Winter Sports Feel The Spirit dropped the year from the title and added three disciplines to play: Ice Speedway, Cross Country Skiing and Curling.  In addition to those disciplines there is Downhill Skiing, Slalom, Ski jumping, and Short Track (ice skating).

Each discipline offers three difficulties (Amateur, Semi-Pro and Pro).  I kept getting owned on the amateur setting so I can't vouch on how challenging the other modes are.   You can play the disciplines individually or play sets of custom or random disciplines in the Cup or Challenge modes. Up to four players can play and compete with each other by passing around the 3DS.

The controls for all of the modes are pretty much the same.  The right trigger accelerates and the left trigger is your brake.  The A button is used for timing a jump, starting a race, or a finishing a landing and the B button is used to boost.  Lastly, the analog nub is used for steering.

Out of all of the disciplines, the Ice Speedway is my favorite; it's motorcycle racing in the snow. The terrain is slick so braking is mandatory if you don't want to wipe out.  Slalom Skiing is challenging as well and thankfully you're allowed to miss a few markers before getting disqualified.  Curling is the most laid back discipline and reminded me of shuffleboard.  You have to slide a stone toward a target and you don't want your throw to be too weak or powerful.  If your opponent has a stone in the center, you'll want to knock it out of there if possible.

The 3D graphics are surprisingly good as the backgrounds have a lot of detail and the 3D effects add depth.  I loved the motion blur effect when boosting.  While the models are limited, you can customize and decorate their uniforms.  Their animations are fluid and spot on, especially the ones where you wipe out.

Falling down or taking others down with you is the “violence” you'll see in Winter Sports Feel the Spirit.  It's a game that players of all ages can enjoy.  When my character lost, their body language showed their disappointment. Whenever my character wiped out the announcer said “Ooooh.”  That was the only voice acting in the game.  The sound effects and audience clapping make the game environment more believable.  The background music is pleasant and didn't get annoying or seem out of place.

Since I wasn't very good at Winter Sports Feel The Spirit, I barely scratched the surface of what it has to offer.  I generally do not play sports games, but this one is fun.  I recommend this game for anyone that likes competitive games.  The asking price is a reasonable $10 and it has plenty of replayability between its fifty challenges, multiplayer and solo modes.