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Electronic Arts
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Electronic Arts
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Sports
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1-2
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12.11.01
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SSX Tricky
I've played two other versions of this title and I have to say, that
nothing has changed in between the original release of SSX Tricky for the PlayStation 2 and the two other releases for the Game Cube and now for the XBox.
If anything, there is a sort of disapproval for the XBox version of the game,
as well as the Game Cube version based on the simple fact that the game play
has been slightly altered in the control section based on the limitations of
the way that the game is played! Because of the lack of buttons, tricks that
you would have found in the Play Station 2 version have mysteriously been cut
out of this version (as with the Game Cube) and unless you've played the
Play Station 2 version, then you really won't miss them at all. Something
that I've found with this version of the game, is that it is relatively hard
to play and get some of the higher trick totals simply because the controller
is extremely bulky and if you've played other versions of the title,
you'll find this out in short order. Aside from all of that, the game play
and the overall basis of the game, story, characters and otherwise hasn't
changed since the original release and it is one hell of a crazy ride down
several different slopes!
Graphics
Visually, the game is full of eye candy and not as muted as the first one
seemed to be. With the new additions to each stage, new paths and shortcuts,
new and old, you'll find that SSX Tricky is one cut above the first in this
area! With the characters ranging from the cute (Kaori) to the truly psychotic
(Psymon) you'll find that SSX Tricky offers more variety in the visuals
department than the first one did. All of the stages have simple lighting, but
heavy detail in the way that they are all set up.
Even the tricks and the outfits that your character of choice wears looks
sleek and well defined, and the Uber Tricks are something that have to be seen
to be believed! There is nothing like watching a character in mid air release
his board, pick it up, spin it around their neck and then drop it to the snow
before they land to really make you appreciate what good programming and
testing time does. Plenty of snow boarding game makers can take plenty of
lessons from EA Sports, because this one does have the right stuff.
Sound
The audio here in SSX Tricky is first rate, with some high profile names
doing the voices for the characters. Billy Zane (Sniper, Titanic), Macy Grey,
David Arquete, and Jim Rose (Jim Rose's Freak Show) all perform the voices
for the characters that you find here as well as other high profile names in
the entertainment world. To add into this, the tracks are mostly mixed by the
Beastie Boys DJ to create a truly pulse pounding and adrenaline pumping
soundtrack that keep the pace of the game at a full clip. The voice acting of
the introduction with the selection of boards and outfits as well as the
overview parts of each stage really make an impact on the ears and will leave
a lasting impression!
Gameplay
The gameplay is all about hot and heavy racing with plenty of flashy
tricks thrown in for the hell of it. Most people when they pick up a game of
this type, they look to see what kind of tricks they can do from the very
beginning. In the original SSX, you had several good looking tricks that you
pulled off with some monstrous effects to win either medals or increase your
little turbo boost meter to help you through the rest of the stage. In SSX
Tricky, it works on the same basis that the better your trick and the faster
you spin, the better off your boost total is going to be. Now, where the first
one merely enhanced your speed, SSX Tricky offers you a new Tricky meter that
allows you to hammer out some Matrix-style tricks that not only catch your eye
but add up for high scoring combinations. Through doing special Tricky
maneuvers, you'll find that you can light up the word Tricky and therefore
give yourself an infinite Super Boost through the rest of the stage!
The game is divided up into two sections in the World Circuit series that
allows you to do either a downhill race of the Show Off competition. Both of
these allow you to build up your character statistics in order to better their
attributes in the form of speed, trick speed, edging and stability. The better
the medal that you receive, the better your attribute distribution points are
going to be in which you can turn your rider from a fresh meat rookie into an
SSX Master! The Race option pits you against five other racers in a three heat
race across several stages which encompass all of the original tracks and two
new ones (Garabaldi and Alaska). You would probably think that the stages
would all be the same, but the tweaking on the game play really shows in which
the stages have been redesigned to add more challenge in both the downhill
racing and the trick competition! Most of the changes that you'll see is
with the overall layout of the game, in which you have to learn to utilize the
shortcuts that permeate the stages, both new and old.
The Show Off competition allows you to pull off the various tricks while
collecting point multipliers to increase your score into the hundreds of
thousands. In Show Off, you'll find that all of the stages with the
revamping have really paid off, considering that the stages in Show Off are
geared for tricks and tricks alone! Grinds and high flying jumps litter the
stages, and the better the trick, the higher your boost until you hit the top
of the adrenaline meter and turn it into Tricky Mode. In Tricky Mode, you can
then start turning out super tricks that range from BMX moves {Barspins,
Superman) to MX moves (Nac Nac) to other various X-Games style maneuvers that
are really out of this world. Again, the better you do in the competitions,
the better your medal and the better your medal, the better your attribute
point distribution will be. In gaining the gold, you can unlock other
characters and new boards as well as new stages to compete on, and with enough
tricks, you'll unlock new character outfits to wear during your races.
The bulky controller that the XBox offers does plenty to turn the game
play challenging with every passing move. To be honest with you, if I had my
choice on what it was that I could do with the controller design, then would
not be it! With the lack of extra buttons, some of the grabs and otherwise
have been taken out of the game due to lack of functioning control set up. If
you can actually get the control down to a science, then you may find that
there is very little that has been taken out. This essentially cuts down your
possibilities on the different tricks and what you can do with your rider,
which will catch most SSX fans off guard, simply because of the strange lack
of tricks.
However, in order to pull off those insane looking Uber-tricks, you have
to hit two of the top triggers along with one of the facial buttons. Something
that can be done though, is the change up of different button sets, which can
ultimately change the game for you and this will help to get your comfortable
with a decent set up. For those of you who have played the PlayStation 2
version of the game, you'll find that the severe change in the way that the
game handles and trick buttons are going to take a little getting used to. If
you've never played the game before though, then you'll find that the game
plays like a dream with just a little practice and a working knowledge of
what's going on with each of your riders!
Bottom Line:
Overall, SSX Tricky is the game that SSX was to the Play Station 2. If
you've played the original game, then you'll know exactly what I'm
talking about, but if you've never played the series before, then you're
really in for a good treat. With the amount of character, tricks, options and
stage redesign, you're really looking at a game that shows what happens when
you do a good sequel. Other than the cheap difficulty at some points, there
really isn't much that I can find with the game that is wrong, or even
remotely wrong, other than Eddie. There isn't a reason to have hair that big
and that orange in any type of game. For the SSX fan, or EA Sports junkie, SSX
Tricky is a game for the XBox that will truly test your ability to use the
overly large controller and make a master out of you in a couple of short
days!
-Drew Guirey
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