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SSX: First Impressions

Written by Ryan Johnson (RyanDJ) Friday, 24 February 2012 09:40

SSX

Of all my friends, I was the only one to really dig the first SSX, but when Tricky came out, it was a dorm room staple. With only one save file, each member of our group called dibs on a particular character to master, and war was waged with our on-the-slope avatars. We played year round, and filled school snow days with virtual boarding. Every single character was mastered. Tricky had magic: when 3 came out, we found ourselves returning to Tricky. Later, I had no interest in even buying On Tour: the seriousness/grittiness originated in 3 was at the max, and I couldn't bring myself to buy the game where each and every jump was marked with a "metal sign." I was positive the magic was over.

The new SSX was very promising to me due to its original lack of acceptance on the internet. When announced, it was uber-gritty to the point there was internet backlash that caused EA to rebrand the advertising to show how extremely over the top and off the wall it was. When I heard the demo was out, I planned to download it when I got home. I YouTubed a trailer, and honestly went NUTS upon hearing Run D.M.C.'s "It's Tricky" in the background. I knew we were back on track.

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I jumped into the wonderfully put together tutorial and learned the new control scheme, but honestly was waiting for the ability to return to the classic offered after the tutorial. I tried out both modes, and eventually found the new scheme to be very convenient for the Xbox. I started out with SSX and Tricky on my PS2. If I had a PS3, I'd be playing the classic no doubt, and this may in fact sway me to finally buying one due to my preference of classic controls, however the general placement of the bumpers on an Xbox controller make that scheme more difficult than the newly modified control scheme.

SSXMac

EA has returned to form, adding enough of the old goofy and extreme to today's realism to make this feel like THE true Tricky sequel. When I maxed out my boost meter with T-R-I-C-K-Y and Run D.M.C. showed up again, it felt so classic I had to instantly pause and contact the college crew. With today's online matchups and the new challenges you can send to your friends, we will be able to get as close as possible to our college days from halfway across the country.
Buy this game for a taste of one of the best games of the last generation with a perfect blend of modern additions! Amazon has it right there at this convenient link for $59.99. Through Amazon, you gain instant access to Mac's Level 6 Snowboard and get a $10 Amazon credit! The game releases February 28, so this offer won't last long! See you on the slopes!