SSX Tricky

"Hold on to your board! It’s time to get Tricky!"

A much needed sequel, SSX Tricky is here, this time with new characters, venues, boards, and a tricked-out Uber super-trick system. But, is the game live up to the hype? Heck, is it even worth buying?

Gameplay - 10/10
This is, of course, the biggest factor in a sports game. All the trick buttons, the jump buttons, everything has been placed out perfectly, so you’re not fighting the controller to push some button. It’s pretty easy to get wrapped up and play hours on end, trying for new venues and high scores. The best part is new the SSX world - the Uber trick system. With the touch of a few buttons, your character does a physically-impossible stunt, like doing the worm on his board. There is also a Tony Hawk like level up: you get some points, and add them to whatever attribute of your rider’s.

Story - 6/10
Can’t say much here. I mean, it’s a SNOWBOARDING GAME. Sports games just don’t have story lines. Come on, people. But, I must say, with the idea of your character going around a leveling up, the developers do put a little story element in there, somewhere. In fact, all the characters have their own rivals and friends before you even begin the game. But, EA (the developer) probably could have put some more story in, but all the concentration goes to snowboarding.

Graphics - 9/10
Wonderful graphics. Simply wonderful. While boarding down, you see all the ramps, grind bars, and all the other essentials in amazing detail. In the background, there are huge crowds cheering, snow capped mountains, and even advertisements featuring all the game’s characters. All the details are there, with some extra. The developers didn’t just do basics here.

Sound - 10/10
Each stage has it’s own selection of 3-5 soundtracks to listen to and to choose from. As well, the music fits each stage perfectly. You get the excitement of “Reality Detached” in the techno-world of Tokyo Megaplex, or the soothing orchestra sounds of “Unfinished Symphony”. In all, anyone who plays will like the music, or at least not find it annoying. The sound effects are fantastic as well everything has been added, such as the continuous scraping of the board on the snow, the thunks when your character hits their head on a grind rail, and a slew of curse word right after that.

Play Time - 8/10
The game does a good job of keeping you busy for a while. There are different modes for each venue. These are like the trick-scorin’ Showoff mode, or the generic Race mode. To get everything completed for a single venue, you have to run down it a few times per mode, so it’s not like you go down a track once and you’re on to the next one. In total, you’ll probably spend about 25 hours on it.

Replay - 9/10
Not perfect, but no one will be happy to play the whole game with just one character. There are 12 characters to be, so you won’t run out of places to play anytime soon.

Total - 9/10
I loved this game, and you will too. It had wonderful graphics, crazy stunts, awesome audio and video, and just generally kicked butt. So, right now, go to your closest video game store and buy this one today!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/02/03, Updated 01/02/03