SSX Reviews

  • VrmVrmVrmVrm242,713
    06 Mar 2012 06 Mar 2012
    29 5 4
    2,289 days passed between the release of the Xbox360 and the latest iteration of the SSX franchise. Finally we have in our hands the update of the over-the-top, multimedia spectacle snowboarding game. Was it worth the nearly 7 year wait?

    I have been a fan of SSX since Tricky and I would regularly put SSX3 in the tray and play through the pain of the out-of-date graphics because I loved the blend of audio and visual effects while tearing down the virtual slopes. I grew up on skis and have always loved the feeling of pointing my tips downhill, getting into a crouch, and hitting a rolling, cruising blue run at full throttle. The SSX experience has always been, for me, a close second to getting that same kick from speeding downhill and letting gravity accelerate me to the edge of my limits. And SSX (2012) has not let me down.

    THE STORY
    Honestly, the “story mode” of SSX isn’t bad but it’s a bit repetitive. As you advance through story mode you have to race, trick, and unlock, and at the end of each stage is a Deadly Descent. As the characters get unlocked, a comic based on the new character plays and they’re basically all the same substitute a name here and there. Nothing exciting. But the SSX version of a boss fight is called a Deadly Descent which adds a unique challenge to each phase of the story and they do add some color to the game, for sure. The last several are quite challenging, indeed. 8/10

    GRAPHICS
    I think the production team did a great job on the graphical front. Visually interesting terrain, fun effects when pulling off Uber and Super Uber tricks and the ability to customize your look bring plenty of eye candy during the gameplay. And the addition of ghosts and trails is a welcome addition to help you complete and improve. 9/10

    MUSIC AND AUDIO
    The SSX franchise has always been reputed as bringing some of the best music to the experience, and I find that SSX delivers as well as any of the predecessors. My only gripes are that I haven’t found a way to change the in-game playlists and decompartmentalize the tracks from the various genres (trick, race, survive etc). There is a way for you to play an Xbox playlist in the stead of the game-supplied audio but the Xbox itself is not exactly top-notch in this area. I can’t fault SSX for that and appreciate that they have integrated what limited Xbox audio is available so that you can put in your own tuneage. Aside from the music, the audio cues and effects are very good and go a long way to immersing you in the full SSX experience. 9/10

    BRINGING IT TOGETHER
    When you finally get the feel of the controls and are really at synch with what you’re doing on the screen, SSX presents you with a multimedia frenzy that delights the eyes and ears alike. The way the music fades as you’re executing a trick mid-air is as if the audience is holding their collective breath waiting to see if you can really pull it off. And then when you finally come back to earth and stick the landing, a very rewarding sonic boom and visual ripple effect give you a just reward for having pulled off that complex chain of flips, spins and tweaks. No less enjoyable is the sensation of speed as you grind a rail in full boost with the roar of the throttle surrounding you. And as you grind through the curves and up and down the undulations of the track, the camera, sound, speed variation and controller really give you a great sensation of what it feels like to really be hitting the bumps and becoming alternately weightless and heavier in the dips. SSX is a truly immersive experience for every one of your senses. 10/10

    MULTIPLAYER
    I admit, I have no IRL or XBL friends that have picked up a copy of SSX, so I have little experience with the rivalry system. That being said, there are global challenges ongoing at all times that allow anyone to compete with everyone else in the world through leaderboards and a “ghost” system. Ghosts in multiplayer give you a way to compete against a virtual representation of the player whom you would need to beat in order to advance in medal rank. For example, if I’m competing in a global race and currently have a silver medal standing, then the ghost that I would see on the screen would be the player at the bottom of the gold medal standing. If I beat that ghost, I’ve earned gold (at least for the time being) and the next ghost would represent platinum. But aside from ghosts, there are a handful of realtime players on the slopes with you as well, which is a great way to push yourself and learn at the same time. Another minor facet of multiplayer is the addition of Geotags. When you’re on the slopes, you can place a Geotag anywhere you like. They can be easily placed on the ground, or sometimes at the apex of your arc when taking a huge jump. Often they are left behind at the bottom a crevasse however. The point of these is to place it somewhere where no other rider can pick it up. For the longer your placed Geotag goes untouched, the more points you can accrue. If it goes untouched for 24 hours, you accrue max points for the ‘tag. Points are used to unlock runs, purchase gear, or participate in some events. It’s a fun challenge when you’re not involved in a run where speed and/or points matter. 9.5/10

    CONCLUSION
    I rarely pre-order games but I was hoping that SSX would bring me the thrill I got in SSX3 while updating the look for the newer generation of Xbox. Not only did they deliver on that front but they brought in new challenges and a great way to play against friends and the rest of the SSX community. I wholeheartedly recommend SSX take a place of honor on your gaming shelf. I think you’ll find yourself playing it for a very long time to come. 9.25/10

    (If you enjoy SSX racing, Friend me and let's hit the slopes!)
    5.0
    Showing most recent comments. View all comments.
    xBrushedRedxDo you think they'll come out with SSX Tricky on 360? If so, my life will be made. Best snowboarding game ever!
    Posted by xBrushedRedx on 08 May 12 at 18:38
    OMGWTH00111111Great review. +1 from me.
    Posted by OMGWTH00111111 on 17 Jun 12 at 23:03
    Snow Marley100% agree
    Posted by Snow Marley on 25 Mar 15 at 02:32
  • Johnny OlaJohnny Ola389,954
    23 Jan 2015
    8 3 0
    I'll keep this short and sweet.

    Straight up, I didn't think I'd like SSX nearly as much as I did. I really wasn't a fan of the over-the-top, cartoon style of the characters. I generally prefer a much more realistic approach to a snowboard game. (Amped 2 is one of my all-time favourite games. Period.)

    I was also a bit turned off by the high TA ratio. I assumed that, if I was lucky, I might get 50% of the achievements. For a completion nerd like myself, that's a pretty big turn-off.

    But I'm happy to say that I was wrong on both counts.

    First and foremost, this game is a lot of fun. Stringing together a huge combo, beating a posted time in a race, or narrowly avoiding catastrophe in a "Survive It" event - all very, very satisfying.

    Also, it's really not that hard to get 100%, and I didn't even find it to be especially grindy either. Sure, it takes some time to complete, but the game is so inherently fun that it never felt like work. Plus, even easy achievements seem to have fairly high ratios, so it's not a bad way to get those numbers up.

    I probably would never have played it if it hadn't been featured as a Games with Gold free title, but I'm glad I gave it a chance. If you're on the fence, give it a try. You might be pleasantly surprised.

    4 stars, no question.
    4.0
  • FluffyLynnsnowFluffyLynnsnow47,758
    01 Mar 2012
    13 8 3
    The last SSX game I played, I must have logged at least 200 hours into it. For me, SSX 3 had all the elements of a fantastic, hold-it-close-to-you-heart game. The newest installment has not sullied this image of the franchise I hold dear.

    Story mode is phenomenal, with Zoe scouring the planet for the best riders to add to team SSX and defeat Griff in his attempt to single-handedly dominate the world's slopes. Explore mode is closer to SSX 3's mode of game navigation, with the ability to select slopes and drops, and unlock new gear with credits, akin to stopping into the lodges in 3. Global play is absolutely incredible with big challenges and the ability to win big on slopes, along with creating events to share with friends. Ridernet automatically updates friends and rivals to your newest scores and achievements to keep up friendly competition. In all, general game design and concept is fantastic.

    However, as with many games put out by EA and studios backed by EA, there are some fairly glaring issues at launch. Issues I have never encountered in old games have become the bane of my riding. I've had characters get stuck permanently when cutting into grind rails to the point where rewinding only somehow makes it worse. The camera isn't very intuitive and because camera angle affects rider direction, I've occasionally gotten stuck on slopes too steep to ride up and turn around on, forcing me to restart a run. Glitches like this may be overlooked for casual play, but when you're seconds away from a gold or platinum run on a Global ride, it can be very frustrating. Obviously, if these issues are patched, there will be very little to complain about.

    As far as my personal taste goes, I'm a little sad that free-rides have been removed, that super pipe competitions have vanished in favor of more realistic runs, and the overall saturation and vibrancy of the game has been lost. Kaori, one of my favorites, has been toned down to a more accurate and less stereotypical character; in fact, most if the characters have been toned down and have lost much of what made them likeable, unique, and endearing.
    4.0
  • Depraved HateDepraved Hate444,336
    14 Mar 2012
    4 6 4
    Hi all sorry I'm not literate enough to do a written review so I did a video review instead or as some people say a commentated gameplay. But if I talk about what I like about the game and dislike about it and give it a score at the end it's a review to me. I have always had a love for SSX since the first one was released on the PS2

    Please comment/sub and like.If you want to give me negative feedback please say why and how I could improve thank you for your time and I hope you enjoy this game as much as I do.
    *WARNING CONTAINS OFFENSIVE LANGAUGE*
    4.0
  • Scion EonScion Eon179,521
    01 Mar 2012 01 Mar 2012
    15 18 12
    SSX is the newest snowboarding game since SSX tricky back on the play station 2. For more then seven years SSX has remained on the side lines of other snowboarding games such as Shawn White snowboarding to Adrenaline Misfits, but does this glorious return keep the game's roots of what made SSX fun or should the game have stayed on the bunny slope?

    Story:
    The original SSX games never drew on a story driven snowboarding game so it was a shock to see in this installment. Players start off at the Rocky mountains and gradually make their way around the world taming the nine deadliest mountains around the world. However, the players must complete each mountain to gain new allies and win before a drop out snowboarder named Griff does. Each mountain contains three slopes along with three to five trails on each slope. The slopes are divided up into different styles such as Race it, Trick it and survive it. The creators of SSX truly knew what made it's predecessors fun, because the death defying leaps of faith still send players into the air while performing the impossible of tricks. The game is roughly about five hours long due to the short levels on the mountains, but this game forces people to come back to improve their score in explore mode as they compete with friends for the most tricks or the best times down the mountains.

    Music:
    SSX always had a fresh, upbeat music and this installment is no different. With each track playing it is not impossible to enjoy the song while performing a mute grab. Each song is layered to the beat of each mountain perfectly. Even the tricks themselves seem to hold a place for the music being performed as well. If most of the songs were downloadable snowboarders will have no distaste playing these songs while riding down the mountains.

    Control:
    The controls to SSX are that of Tony Hawk with the button mashing or Skate with every trick being programed in with the direction of the right analog stick. Before the game begins players are introduced to a tutorial screen asking their preference of controls. After the selection is made each trick is broken down giving the player enough time to get comfortable with the game and their play style.

    Multiplayer:
    Although the option to race against friends or rivals head to head does not exist in the game itself, players are introduced to the games ghost rider feature. When an Xbox live friend gets to the end of the run, their time and score is immediately uploaded to the Rider.net server. Then everyone will see how well their friends did and can try to beat their score. There are also global events which allows players to compete with one another on specific mountains to earn credits in the game. Each credit can be earned to buy new boards, suits, mods, and gear to help players improve their scores online. Although the ghost feature is fun to race against, it is still more fun to race against another person on the mountain instead of their ghostly apparition.

    SSX has been gone for a while and now players can see why. With each mountain geographically correct in terms of location and features the SSX team seems to have a bright future ahead for themselves. Let's just hope future slopes have fresh powder and not compact ice.
    4.0
Hide ads