SSX On Tour

Being a skiing and snowboarding enthusiast myself I always found a soft spot for games like Amped and, of course, the SSX games.  Yet when it comes to arcade-like gameplay and monster tricks it’s EA Sports Big that does it right.  Once again we hit the powder with SSX on Tour for the Xbox so grab your board (or skis) and lets hit the mountain once again.

SSX on Tour isn’t big on game modes.  Basically there’s a Quick Play mode that lets you play various different types of events with familiar characters from past SSX games or join a lengthy tour in the game’s Tour mode.  Tour is the main mode of playing the game and it has you creating your own character.  You can choose from a male or female character and - from only a very limited amount of options (sadly no Tiger Woods PGA Tour type player creation tool here) - you can dress up your dude or snow bunny the way you like.  Here’s the cool part, though, you can be a snowboarder or opt to use skis.

You’ll be hitting the slopes pretty quickly in the game as you participate in a one-on-one race that introduces you to the mountain and its many twists and turns, hazards and collectible items.  Once again it’s all about making a name for yourself and after winning the qualifying race you’re free to pick from a nice number of novice events to work your way into the tour.  Here you can select jumping events (the qualifying jump must be pretty high) or maybe a trick event (earn X amount of points by successfully pulling off various tricks).

After completing a few of these novice events you’ll find yourself officially on the tour and as a result your name will be on the leader board.  The more challenges you complete the higher you climb up the chart.  Medal events, seen as stars on the mountain map, hold challenging races and events.  You’ll go up against various different boarders and skiers (defeat them and you unlock them for use in Quick Play mode) and earn money (to use in The Village where you can purchase gear and clothes) and hype.  You can also upgrade your skills and earn cool new moves like the Donkey Kick.

Once again the controls are the type you can simply just pick up and start playing with little instruction.  The game’s controls are still pretty loose, allowing you to concentrate on pulling off monster tricks that earn you more points.  Pulling off combos is tricky but with the right board or skis you can pull off new types of tricks.  This time around you can easily recover from a bad landing by repeatedly hitting the X button.  The good part about this is that you’ll have plenty of time to learn many of the game’s coolest tricks since the game’s Tour mode is pretty lengthy.  It almost makes up for the lack of online multiplayer.

SSX on Tour’s visuals are sharp, wonderfully detailed and easy on the eyes.  From its hilarious notebook-come-to-life presentation (complete with unicorns playing electric guitars and adoring fans head banging as you jump over them on your board), the game looks good.  The character models are also nicely detailed and look amazing as you pull off tricks.  The mountain itself is gorgeous, with various different areas that are filled with dazzling sights.  You’ll even find other skiers and snowboarders doing their thing.

Sound-wise this game is great at bringing the mountain to life with the swooshing sounds of a board or skis on the powder and the obvious scraping sound as you grind objects.  You’ll even hear other people playing in the snow, often yelling back at you for brushing past you or poking fun when you eat it.  The ambient noises take a backseat, though, to the game’s soundtrack that plays over every event.  It’s a mixture of alternative tunes (from Louis XIV or The Hives) and heavy metal (from hair bands like Dio to Motorhead).  Really, if Iron Maiden tunes have become a shredder’s anthem then I haven’t received the memo.  Still you can always edit the playing list.

SSX on Tour might not redefine the series or the genre but it remains to be the most fun you’ll have on the mountain without breaking a leg.  There are challenges aplenty and a variety of neat tricks to pull off so if you’re looking for an extreme sports game with plenty to offer then look no further.  If this is your first time playing an SSX game be prepared to become a fan with this one.  

Gameplay: 8.8
Whether you pick skis or a snowboard, hitting the powder still feels as good as SSX Tricky.  The challenges are nothing new but still loads of fun.  This is a great pick-up-and-play game for any extreme sports fan.

Graphics: 8.5
The game is not bad on the eyes either and the environments are beautifully detailed.  The characters look great in motion thus making for some pretty spectacular air tricks.  It’s just too bad that character facial features don’t offer much of a variety.

Sound: 8.5
There’s plenty of ambient noises and other skiers/snowboarders yell out to you but other than that you’ll be listening to the game’s Ok soundtrack.  Those cheesy heavy metal guitar riffs after you complete a challenge just kill me.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
The timed challenges are still tough and some races can be so hard that you’ll be starting over often.  Upgrading your skills and gear is definitely necessary.

Concept: 8.5
While not that different from past SSX games, this mountain is still pretty big and there’s the freedom to pick the challenges you want to complete first.  The new moves are cool but the character creation tool is very limited.  No online?  Why, EA, why?

Multiplayer: 8.0
There are plenty of challenges to share with friends but no online multiplayer in a game that screams Xbox Live online goodness is just painful.

Overall: 8.9
Not a huge departure from previous SSX games, SSX on Tour is still the best extreme snowboarding game available.  Never taking itself too seriously, it’s all about the ultra cool tricks and pulling them off within a huge environment will surely put a smile on any fan’s face.