SSX Blur

"Best of SSX edition"

EA has always played it safe; essentially releasing the same game time and again. The company takes few chances, and as a result hasn't offered much in innovation. With the Wii, however, a new EA has stepped up. One of their first offerings, SSX Blur, completely reinvents a well established franchise. It's true, yes, that the courses were ripped from other SSX games, but think of this as more of a re-imagining for the series rather than a quick, shoddy port.

SSX Blur is by far the most stylized SSX game in the series. Character models have been re-built, textures re-drawn, and even the lighting has been given a brighter, warmer feel. There's little resemblance between Blur and other SSX games, aside from familiar characters of course. EA has done a complete overhaul of the series, and even those who have played previous SSX games will find the game visually refreshing. Unfortunately that is visually refreshing and oddly familiar. This is because EA recycled courses from previous SSX games. It's disappointing that new courses weren't made specifically for Blur, but at the same time it makes the game a very comprehensive “best of” compilation.

SSX Blur is not only the definitive SSX as far as course selection, but the newly implemented motion controls are vastly superior to the traditional analog setup. Blur is the best showcase of motion controls so far on Wii. The game utilizes the nunchuck and wii remote in a way that feels and works great. Tilting the nunchuck left and right steers while the remote is used mainly for tricks. When in the air, flicking any direction with the remote initiates a spin or flip. The nunchuck can then be used to perform various grabs, or if the uber meter is built up, a special move can be executed. Uber tricks involve “drawing” shapes in the air with the remote and/or nunchuck. These are incredibly difficult to execute, and it becomes overly frustrating very quickly. It can be quite rewarding to execute a particularly difficult uber trick, but generally this is throw-your-remote-through-the-TV kind of frustrating. Fortunately executing standard tricks is very satisfying and relatively easy to do. Admittedly SSX Blur is difficult to get into. The learning curve is extremely steep and requires quite a bit of patience. This game is as hardcore as they come, so don't expect to carve up the slope with your grandma. Once the learning curve is overcome, SSX Blur's control scheme feels very natural and intuitive.

There are three mountain peaks that can be opened in the single player campaign which offer up quite a variety of slopes and half pipes. Each peak has a variety of events including race, slope-style, slalom, big air, and half pipes. Races and slope-styles (trick attack) are where the real fun is, while big air and half pipes are a nice, quick diversion. Slaloms, on the other hand, are pure evil. Initially these events seem impossible to beat, and indeed will take several tries. The placing of the flags is just so that it takes impossibly quick and sharp maneuvering. Be warned, slaloms are very, very frustrating.

After completing so many events, tournaments will be unlocked. This is where most of the stats and outfits are earned. Unlike previous SSX games, the clothing options are not very robust in Blur. Each character only has one or two costumes that can be unlocked. That's it. Some don't even have any unlockable costumes. After seeing the insane amount of customization in SSX 3, this is a major disappointment. Getting outfits and stat points can be rather confusing; there doesn't seem to be any method to the reward system. Some events won't award anything, while others will unload five stat points.

Leveling up characters is important too, as the stats earned in the single player campaign carry over to the two player mode. This is an odd design choice because it puts characters on vastly different playing fields. If you're really dedicated you could level up every single character, but the best thing to do is decide on one or two characters you like from the beginning and just work on them. Playing with a friend is a lot of fun, and both race and slope-style modes are included and fully intact. There are a lot of strange glitches when playing two players, from frame-rate issues to falling through the course, but for the most part it runs smoothly. One odd feature is that if one player falls too far behind, they will warp right next to the other player. This is probably to help with rendering, but is really annoying as it can throw off a match in race mode. These annoyances are small compared to the quality entertainment the multiplayer mode has to offer.

EA skipped the traditional licensed music selection in favor of an entirely original soundtrack. While purists might be angered by this move, the compositions by Junkie XL should not be discounted so quickly. The soundtrack is absolutely incredible, and it reacts dynamically with the game. Junkie XL's electronic styling's fit the game well and really adds to the experience. This is easily the best video game soundtrack ever produced.

Final comments:
SSX Blur is an excellent example of what can be achieved with motion controls. Using the nunchuck to carve feels great, and aside from the difficult uber tricks, the trick system is intuitive and fun. EA's decision to recycle old courses makes Blur more of a best of SSX package, which certainly isn't a bad thing, it just would have been much better to see new slopes. The visual overhaul is refreshing and far more stylized than any other SSX game. Blur stands as one of the best Wii games available for the hardcore crowd; just be warned that the learning curve is very steep.

Score: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/25/07

Game Release: SSX Blur (US, 02/27/07)