SSX Tricky

"This is gonna be very, VERY interesting..."

When I first saw this game on the GameCube preview disk, I was sure it would be an awesome game. When I plucked it off the shelf of my local Blockbuster, my expectations were confirmed. SSX Tricky is one wild ride.

Graphics - 8.5/10
Very nice. All the characters, outfits, and boards are very well done. The courses are also pretty nice. Pipes look like pipes, signs look like signs, and ramps look like ramps. Animations are also very smooth. So why am I giving it an 8.5? When all six racers are on screen, the frame rate usually drops. Not the biggest drop, but it is definitely noticeable.

Story - 0/10
It's a sports game, what do you expect?

Sound - 10/10
Again, a job well done here. Crashes, mailboxes getting knocked down, and the sound of the board gliding on the snow or ice, etc. all are sound good. Each character has there own set of taunts, screams, and victory cries, most of which are funny. ''I think I just made yellow snow...''

Gameplay - 10/10
Snowboarding couldn't be better. There are 3 modes; Practice, Single Event, and World Circuit. Practice should be quite obvious. Single event is where you go on a single run in either Race (self-explanatory), Showoff (where the object is to do as many tricks as possible), and Time Challenge (where you must beat a set time). World Circuit is where you compete in Race and Showoff for medals and experience. Medals allow you to unlock more stuff and experience allows you to upgrade your characters stats, upgrade your ranking, and get new boards. While racing, you have a ''Tricky Meter'' which increases by pulling off tricks or knocking other characters down. If you fill it up, you can pull off the incredible and physically impossible Uber Tricks, which include feats like riding the board like a bull or jumping off the board and making it spin. Each character also has a trick book, which lists tricks for the character to pull off. Completing chapters in it unlocks more outfits and if you complete the whole book, you unlock the characters best board. Like I said, snowboarding couldn't be better.

Replay Value - 8/10
Many characters to unlock and perfect, many medals to be earned and courses to be unlocked. However, it can get boring after a while to do the same thing over and over, just with different characters.

OVERALL - 9/10
SSX Tricky is an awesome snowboarding game which GameCube owners shouldn't be without.

Rent or buy? - BUY!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/26/02, Updated 01/26/02