I'm not a huge sports gamer. Sure I'll sit down with a Tiger Woods game every now and then, but I typically don't find myself eagerly awaiting the yearly arrival of a new Madden. There just isn't enough going on in a typical sports game to keep me playing it for more than a sitting. Maybe it's the realism that does it, which would explain why SSX has always appealed to me.
SSX hasn't lost its charm. That is what makes it what it is. If the team behind this had gone with their original idea that looked like the Call of Duty bros hitting the slopes, the franchise would have lost what makes it special. To me SSX is colorful characters doing quadrupole back-flips at mach speed. You'll find that here. You'll also find a huge selection of mountains to either race, trick, or survive on.
These mountains are tweaked versions of the actual thing. Apparently the SSX team used satellite mapping to create their models of the mountains and then went in and designed slopes around them. They all work well, though some more than others. I haven't actually enjoyed a survival challenge in the game up to this point. The slopes designated to survival tend to be either narrow with trees popping up everywhere or full of giant pits that become really hard to avoid.
Survival is tough, but the beginning of the game provides few challenges. I didn't have a problem finishing the the Rockies' slopes (half of which is the tutorial), or the other two stages in the main campaign. But after that I started cursing silently to myself more and more often to the point of giving the game an evil glare every time I found my character frozen to death or in a pit.
Freezing is something I definitely had to contend with. Each mountain range seems to have its own unique dangers. Whether it's loosing oxygen on the Himalayas or contending with giant sheets of ice in Siberia, I knew my character's death was an eventuality until I adjusted my style of play. I understand why the variety is there, it just isn't always fun to deal with.
What is fun is collecting geotags, the main component of online play. These tags are icons that players can leave on slopes for others players to collect that rewards them with bonus xp that can be used on upgrading a chosen character in the game, of which there are quite a few. Of course to collect this xp you'll need to input your online pass that comes with the game. I'll save a rant on those things for another time.
The game also has a currency system that hands out money when a track is finished. This money can be used for buying new clothes, boards, and gear. I didn't worry about the clothes too much since they were only pallet swaps with no real effect on the game. The boards on the other hand have stats that show whether it is best suited for races or tricks. I always checked to see if there were any amazing new boards available after a race since the store randomly changed what it was selling as I progressed through the game.
I'm glad I gave the game a chance. It proved to me that SSX still has something to offer. That something may not be enough for a lot of people though. As the title of this states, I've only put around four hours into the game, and at this point I'm not sure I want to put another four in. What SSX provides is apparent withing the first hour. I'm sure there is a lot a more seasoned SSX player could milk out of this game, but I don't think I'm going to be the one to do it.
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