SSX Tricky

"Cool Game (pun intented, hohohohohohoho)"

Hello everybody! This is my first review (well it will be if this one doesn't get rejected)so I'll introduce myself a bit. Instead of splitting the game into sections and giving each element a seperate score I'll go on about the game, then at the end discuss the pros and cons and re-write the score. If you disagree with me feel free to email me and shout at me a bit. Be warned though, unless you seem funny and/or stupid I won't reply. Now lets get started on the game...

This is one of those games with 'Attitude'. For a start the characters all say something when you select them. I write 'say' but i mean 'shout'. In game they also shout many things. After pulling tricks they'll shout something, after crashing they'll shout something, after being overtaken they'll shout something, they shout before and after the match... so basically they shout a lot. The characters are interesting, like a white guy with a huge orange afro, but this doesn't stop them being annoying.

Gameplay in this game is a very mixed bag. At times this can be a really fun game, but at others it'll annoy the hell out of you. I never played the PS2 version so I don't know what the controls where lik on that but on gamecube lets just say that they're not the best in the world. All is fine when you first get into it, the 3 shoulder buttons do a trick, which can be mixed and matched in 7 ways, a makes you jump (or like in tony hawke's games crouch before a jump), b boosts or tweaks tricks, y returns you to the main course after crashing etc. and holding x will allow you to spin tricks. The problems come with the tricks however. The main problem is that because (unless your special) you won't have enough hands to hold X and and tap b etc. so you'll need to use the d-pad to spin. After a bit of practice you get used to how small it is but because of this fact i was constantly pressing diagonally when i NEEDED, not wanted, to press just left or right.

Graphically this game is quite bland. The visuals are a PS2 standard and many parts of the long tracks feel repeated. The characters feel nice and very solid but they are the nicest looking part of the game. The boards leave nice trails in the snow (and strangely the ice too) and snow flies up when turning but sadly some of these things are lacking in multiplayer. The multiplayer is very fun but unfortunamtely the camera being only half a screen makes it a lot harder than it ought to be.

Sound effects are in general good (apart from the already mentioned characters) such as nice crashing and crunchy snow sliding sounds. The music is not really my type of thing but is by no means bad. It has many techno rap tracks by quite well known artists, but, like I said earlier, it was not the kind of thing I'm into so I will not go any further.

The game will last you a long while. Completeing it woth every character will take quite a while and, although you will have already done it as someone else, its still fun. Then theres the fun multiplayer to keep ot going.

Pros and Cons

+Fun game
+Interesting characters
-Anoying characters
+Interesting and good level design
-Levels can be repetitive and only 2 are completely original
+Will last a long time
-but you will be repeating stuff you have already done as other characters

All in all I enjoyed (and still enjoy) this game but its by no means the greatest game ever and I'm sure there are many people who will no like it's repetitiveness and annoying characters.
7/10

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 07/17/02, Updated 07/17/02