SSX Tricky

Review - Costumes, haircuts, and Snowboards. A lethal combination.

‘Resist Gravity’, ‘Intense racing rivalries’, ‘insane uber tricks’, ‘mind blowing worlds’ and ‘massive adrenaline rushes’ are all promised on the back of the box, and for once EA’s sound-bites would seem to be justified, for SSX Tricky is a most thrilling ride indeed.

Published under Electronic Arts’ new sub-brand EA Sports Big label, SSX Tricky for the Playstation 2 continues and enhances from their first SSX title with panache. All the original tracks are here with two wild new ones, too. Travelling down slopes that snowboarders can only dream of, with the option to do tricks that snowboarders would drool at, this game has to be one of the best of its type on any platform.

One of the most impressive improvements to the original game is the way the race and show off versions of the same track differ; geared respectively towards either flat out racing using your boost or added rails and elevated ramps for radical grinding and flipping. Although the original SSX tracks were superbly designed a lot of them didn’t differentiate between the two game styles. Now it really is like playing two games in one.

At the start menu there are DVD Extras, which consists of interviews with the Game Creators, voice actors, development screens and a comical section where you see the developers trying on the costumes for each of the riders. Right from the word go this game grips you with its opening sequence, music and character visualisation. The opening DVD driven menus are stylish and easy to use.

Your first trip down the beautifully rendered Garibaldi opening slope will leave you gasping for more. Grinding along pipes, rails and wires in the show off event. Breaking through glass signs to find shortcuts. Maxing your speed to obtain maximum air, all contribute to the immense arcade playability of this game. However, be careful not to get too wrapped up in the jaw dropping scenery before landing!

If you want to try something other than racing, there is an option to just show off all the tricks that you have learnt. Learning your tricks couldn’t be easier too, with the trick tutorial option that first demonstrates to you, then lets you try the tricks, easily showing you which buttons to push at which times, or allows you to just have some fun and punch your way down the slopes, knocking the other characters over and earning extra boost. Not to mention enemies. As you progress, earning gold medals, unlocking tricks that you would have practised, and obtaining new ranks for your character, you unlock new tricks, boards, outfits, characters and slopes.