The above mentioned titles defined the extreme sports genre in my warped teen-aged mind. I spent hours playing these games – and then along came my PS2 and Metal Gear Solid, Splinter Cell and Gran Turismo. Extreme sports games were simply forgotten.
Fast forward a few years and SSX was thrown at my forehead. I previously enjoyed games which comprised of flying through the air and landing a 23456032 degree superman hang ten on my skateboard powered jet ski, so this was probably going to be fun for 10 minutes. As a cynical, FIFA playing, rugby loving, cricket watching South African sports-fan with zero appreciation for extreme sports I was ready to write off SSX as a lame title… I was horribly wrong, because this game is an extreme sport master piece.
What drew me into SSX the most is the fact that this is the first sporting title that I have played that has a semi-story, which I must say is quite refreshing. It starts off by telling you how team SSX was formed – for those of you that don’t know SSX stands for “surfing, snowboarding and motocross” because apparently it’s a combination of all three of those extreme hooliganisms. So in-game team SSX sets out to conquer nine of the worlds most deadly and extreme descents.
However, before they can leave on their mission their most prominent member Griff Griffen (yes, really) decided to bail on them along with most of the teams funding! SHOCK AND HORROR! So team SSX then moves to conquer these descents before Griff does, so that they can write their names in the history books.
SSX
A control system that wants you to be all thumbs
Once again EA is hell bent on using only analogue sticks, shoulder buttons and triggers. The new control system allows you to only make use of the sticks, or if you’re old school (and normal) you can use the few buttons to unleash a multiplicity of tricks – be they grabs, hangs or suicidal jumps. The best addition to the game is a rewind feature that reverses time if you fail to hit that perfect grind or if you mistime one of your jumps.
The only criticism I have for the control scheme is that there are times when you slow down to a stand still and have to will your character on as they wait for Sir Newton’s laws to kick in.
The tricks are lifted from different extreme sports disciplines, such as hang tens from surfing or a superman from motorcross. All have been given the insane Tricky stamp of approval – they are over the top, ridiculous, and just down right sick.
The more tricks you link together through a combination of grinds and jumps, the higher the score and the more “TRICKY” points you gain. These tricky points are collected in your trick meter; they build up much like a NOS tank in the NFS games, and then you can whip out the most extreme tricks in your arsenal, including a stylish trademark trick that is unique to each rider.
SSX
Sights and sounds
The landscapes that the tracks carve through are simply breath taking – rich, vibrant colours and spectacular vistas are par for the course. The level of detail blew me away and I dare say the visuals are almost perfect.
The game’s musical soundtrack and general sound effects are also fantastic – from the crashing and rumbling sounds of avalanches, to the roar of the chopper as it hovers overhead, it is a truly entertaining aural experience. The energetic dub-step sound track suits the overall tone of the game.
Trick, Race, Survive
There are three main game modes: Trick it; Race it; and Survive it.
Trick it – This is where you have to pull out the sickest, slickest combos to achieve the highest score.
Race it – You go careening down the course as fast as you can, not looking for high-scores or big air, but in search of the shortest, fastest route to the end – winner takes all.
Survive It – You perilously plunge down a mountainous cliff-face, trying to avoid the bone crushing obstacles – survival at all costs like a derranged Bear Grylls with leet skillz. If you survive it you win it.
SSX
Traditional and split-screen multiplayer has completely been removed from SSX. This is somewhat disappointing if you’d like to beat your roommate; instead, everything has moved online.
Any mode that you enter into online is joined by hundreds of ghosts who are competing alongside you. A certain stage will run for an allotted period of time and after the clock has stopped, the fastest time or highest score wins. This is a rather neat implementation, as you can enter into a competition with your mates and play when you have the time. Even if you are offline when the timer stops, if you racked up the highest score or the fastest time, the next time you sign on you are awarded the prize.
I wanted to hate this title. I wanted to say its for the slow and the demented, but the more I play the more addictive it has become. It has the potential to keep you busy for many, many hours.
If you are a fan of any form of racing or sports game and you long back to the years of Tony Hawk’s heyday, do yourself a favour and pick up a copy of this game because it is simply, stupefyingly, stupendously awesome.
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