SSX Tricky

"Must-play, if not must-buy."

SSX Tricky is definitely not to be overlooked. Many people may dismiss SSX Tricky as a bad game simply because of the fairly bad commercial representation on television and the fact that you can detatch the board from your feet. They're wrong to do so, though, because this game is anything but another installment the never-ending production of over-rushed, underdeveloped Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (THPS) clones.

That being said, I am rating this game as an X-Box game. I have never played the PS2 version, and have only played the GC version in small amounts of multiplayer with my one GC owning friend, when he rented Tricky (though he now owns it).

Gameplay: 10/10

This game is a downhill race/trick-fest with plenty of combat, shortcuts, and expansive, visually impressing courses. First, let's talk about the tricks. This game is called "Tricky" for a reason. Each character has their own set of "Uber Tricks," which are similar to "Specials" in THPS. Get your Tricky Bar up by pulling off some physically impossible snowboarding tricks—or by knocking an opponent to the ground—and then execute an Uber Trick or six. The button combinations are fluid, and you rarely, if ever, find yourself button mashing.

Aside from the THPS style trick system, there are plenty of other elements of this game that are worthy of accolades. The courses are packed with all sorts of terrain and shortcuts, which ensures that you'll never have the same race twice. The courses are made even better by the fast and constantly competitive gameplay, which sometimes becomes dirty. With the left thumbstick, you can control which direction you want your character to punch. If someone's riding too close behind you, simply tap the thumbstick down and watch in satisfaction as your boarder sends the competition to the ground. The combat adds a lot to the way this game is played. You don't find the neck and neck races as you might in most racing games, where one opponent is constantly on your tail, but instead a heated race between all opponents to the very end. The races are very dynamic, and this is one of the few racing games where you can spend most of the race in last place and then take first in the last 10 seconds of the race without an ungodly amount of effort or skill.

For some reason, no matter how much you think you've smoked the computer, the other five racers are right on your tail. Some might find this annoying, but I found it to be fun, since I don't find racing games where you stay leagues in front of the pack to be enjoyable in the long run.

Graphics: 9/10

The graphics are almost as impressive as the gameplay. Every one of the levels is extremely well done, especially the overly-florescent Tokyo Megaplex, which may well give a small Japanese kid a seizure. The clipping is very good, when you hit a wall, you hit a wall. You don't pass halfway through it and fall down so only your feet are visible. The characters are the only reason I gave the graphics a 9. Although they are cartoony by nature and do not seem to take full advantage of the X-Box's capabilities. This may simply be because it's a port and not native to X-Box. Great graphics, but not extremely superb.

Sound: 8/10

The snow-packing sound of landing, as well as the grinding sounds, all of those are good. The dialogue is well scripted and voiced, more so than most games. So. "What's wrong with the sound, then?" You say. The problem with the sound is that it uses the same remixed version of Run-DMC's "It's Tricky" for pretty much everything in the game. The title screen, events (like when you fill up your Tricky Bar), and background music for the races. I'm sick of hearing about how tricky it is to rock a rhyme to rock a rhyme that's right on time. It's Tricky, if you didn't know.

Replayability/Multiplayer: 9/10

This game, like any, can get old after a while. As far as multiplayer goes, this game's a good party game. It's like Super Smash Brothers or Mortal Kombat. It becomes bland if you sit down and play it for four hours, but if you're playing it causally with friends, it's a very fun time. It's also one of those games that transcends the gamer-only enjoyment factor (Couple of other examples: Mario Kart and DDR. Everyone, whether it's a friend that's generally uninterested in video games, a someone who's a complete gaming n00b, or even your mother, can find this game to be a multiplayer blast.

As far as single player replayability goes, SSX Tricky is no Halo, but you should find it fun completing the single player on two or three characters before you find it becoming monotonous. Alone, I'd rate the replayability a 6.

Buy/Rent

Buy it. It's at least 20-30 hours of fun, even if you don't have anyone to play it with, and at the Platinum Hits price of $19.99, you can't go wrong. It trumps THPS 3 (another $20 title) in most areas, especially fun factor. Although it doesn't have as much to offer as THPS 4 (yet another $20 game) does as far as open-endedness and hours upon hours of play go, SSX Tricky is definitely not to be overlooked.

Overall:

Gameplay: 10
Graphics: 9
Sound: 8
Replayability/Multiplayer: 9

SSX Tricky is a very well made snowboarding game with fluid controls, good graphics, and good sound. It's a fun multiplayer game as well, but suffers a bit from being a PS2 port and from decreasing replay value as time goes on.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/29/04