#30 SSX

Game Info

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: EA Canada

Platform:  PS2

Genre(s): Sports

Players: 2

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Release Date: October 26, 2000

Intro: 

From the time you put in SSX, you know it's going to be fun.  The Player Characters are introduced briefly in sports-show-like format and each has a unique personality.  The intro shows the game and effectively draws you in to make you want to play.  The music, the courses, the characters, everything in this intro is built to entice you into playing this game.

Getting Going:

Starting this game can be summed up in one word: decisions.  You have them.  Each player character has a unique set of skills and a style all of their own.  Each comes with a personalized set of tricks to unlock.  Unlocking a defined number of skills earns you unlock-able clothing options.  Winning three races unlocks new venues to play at.  You can customize your outfit, customize your board and view the tricks your PC can perform all before heading out on the slopes.  For a racing game, I found the slopes easy to maneuver and not at all twitchy.  It was easy to get going right from the start and be successful in a game that is outside of a genre I have ever played. 

Fun: 

For me, this game just defines fun.  In the past, I have chosen every game I've played for story and character development.  I've gone for immersive gameplay.  In SSX, time just slips away.  I was laughing, sitting on the edge of my seat, standing, involved.  It's even fun to watch the PC wipe out!  This game is a complete joy to play.  My only complaint was about a bug that caused me to reload the game.  I was shoved off-track by an NPC into a pole and my PC was unable to do anything to get away from the pole.

Visuals:

With 3 camera angles to choose from and lots of things to take in, this game offers a lot of eye candy.  If you go off-track, the game doesn't end in a black wall, but darkened fields and a moonlit sky.  You can ski around the stands and obstacles and even find your way back on course!  The speed and the graphics are so smooth that you feel like you are, yourself, racing headlong down that hill.  It's exhilarating.  It doesn't measure up to the graphics of today, but the polygonal characters add to the fun of the environment.  It is doubtful that a more realistic-looking game would add to the experience.  Indeed, it might detract from the game if it seemed more real and less like a game.

Sound:

The soundtrack, barks and sounds of swishing snow make this game more immersive.  Your own environment falls away as the music pumps you up and creates the pacing this game needs to create the race environment.  NPC's yell at you as they run you over or knock you down.  PC's have their own personal set of happy and disappointed phrases.  All of this works together to make the characters and the game well-rounded.

Intelligence:

As stated above, the player characters and non-player characters have personalities and this came through during the races.  It seems as if the NPC's work together to take you out in the final round.  A randomness to landing jumps for PC and NPC alike was apparent and helped me to feel as if I wasn't just trying to beat a computer.  NPC's would run me over and go around, which, again seemed random and not as if they were on a fixed track and I'd simply gotten in their way.

Immersion:

Simply said, I didn't want to put this game down.  The hours literally slipped away.  I tried all four initial player characters and noted the differences in each.  I customized all of my characters.  I took them through warm-ups and noted the differences in their abilities.  I found myself identifying with the characters and their various skills and personalities.  I found myself rooting for them and talking to them as they goofed or succeeded.  For me, this game quickly became interactive. 

Cameras: 

The game offers three camera angles to choose from and super-smooth transitions.  The camera control was seamless for me. 

Controls:

I found this game to be smooth and not twitchy at all.  Often for me, racing games are twitchy and I have a hard time keeping my characters on track.  This did occasionally happen in SSX, but overall, I could tell that this was a personal problem.  The game offers a lot of trick combinations, much like Tekken.  Trying out the various tricks gives you the opportunity to upgrade your character's outfit.  It's worth the effort.  There was a downside to all of this, however.  The challenge level always amped up in the third round.  I found it easy to get into the top 2 spots in the quarter final and semi-final rounds of my races, only to be blown away, consistently landing in 5th or 6th place in the finals.  You have to play all three races again if you lose.  The camera seemed faster, the NPC's became brutal and it was apparent that the learning curve for the third race was steep.  This didn't take away from the gameplay, but was apparent in the controls.

Ideas:

The number one thing I noticed in this game is how the music helps guide the pacing.  EA did a fantastic job of using music and smooth transitions to guide me through the course and make me feel present in the race environment.  I also think that this is the first time I really noticed how the graphic interface can affect the mood.  Instead of feeling truly competitive, it was simply fun.  If it were drawn more realistically, I think I would have felt more like I was competing for a medal and less like the simply fun.  Decisions are made prior to the race.  The race itself is simply entertaining and interactive.

Memory:

This game is definitely a permanent part of my library.  It was refreshing, unexpected and completely enjoyable.  If I were to describe the high point of this game, I would say: "SSX is a fast-paced, rocking, snow-boarding game with a lot of interactive decisions, witty characters, and engrossing gameplay".