5 stars (A great addition to an awesome series) - Let me start off by saying I have only been playing the SSX games for a little less than a year. My son got a PS2 for Christmas & someone gave him a copy of the original SSX. Since neither my son nor I were familiar with the game mechanics for this type of game, the learning curve was pretty steep, but we eventually got pretty good & started moving thru the game. As we got better, we bought the other titles (SSX Tricky & SSX 3) and thoroughly enjoyed them. So we were both excited when the release date was announced for On Tour. Of course we went back & started playing the previous three while we were waiting for the ship date to arrive.
Finally, we got our copy on 10/12. I wanted to wait until I had some time with the game before I posted my review. It can be summed up in two words ... IT ROCKS !!! I have been playing with nearly every free moment I have and after an estimated 20-30 hours of gameplay, I just got up to a number 1 ranking. While I still have a lot of contests to finish (The upper level trick competitions & shreds are brutal) I'm already looking forward to starting all over again as a skier this time. Anyway, let me give you the high & low points:
1.) The game mechanics have been simplified. Ubers have been replaced by monster tricks. The simplest of these just require pushing the right analog stick in any direction(after your boost is full) and are available to your character right out of the box. The bigger monsters (think Super Ubers from "tricky" or Monster Tricks from "SSX 3") have to be bought & require pusing the analog stick in a specific direction, then rotating 90 degrees either clockwise or counter-clockwise. Makes for an easier learning curve, but doesn't detract from the gameplay. Rail ubers (excuse me ... Monsters) are back too. Therse are like the ones in SSX 3 - just use the shoulder buttons once you're on a rail. As for the addition of skiing, I'll admit I haven't done much of it ... yet. The only thing about it that bothers me is that it reminds me of using an Alpine Board from the previous titles. You can get caught facing backwards & this can affect yor speed. I will say, however, that it's MUCH easier to turn around - just push the two analog sticks in oppsite directions.
2. The soundtrack is the best yet. I LOVED SSX 3's soundtrack, but this is even better. The second I heard the opening to "Run To The Hills" during the opening cut scene I got chills. A lot of alternative & old school rock, with some hip hop thrown in for good measure. I'm gonna need to get the CD because the songs keep running thru my head even while I'm not playing.
3. While the "open mountain" feel from SSX 3 isn't there as part of the navigation screen, you can still cruise through everything by selecting "Freeride" from the Map screen. As before, most runs run into something else, allowing for one long cruise that takes about 20 minutes, and there's plenty of alternate routes & shortcuts along the way. And while I think the menu graphics are a bit much, they don't detract from the total experience.
3. The graphics are as good as SSX 3's, and the attention to detail is even better. The addition of name brand sponsors throughout the courses adds to the sense of realism. And the blurring effects to enhance the feeling of speed when you kick in the boosters will have your pulse pounding in no time.
4. I'll agree with prevoious reviewers that the customizations of your own character are pretty generic, and that the returning characters have lost some of their personality, but I really don't feel that this detracts all that much from the ovearll "funness" of the game.
5. As has been mentioned there is no on-line play. But since I don't have my console setup for online play, it's no skin off my nose. Besides, the only people I really want to play is my son & his friends anyway.
Overall, I think this is a fine addition to the franchise. It's deep, I'm looking forward to trying my hand at skiing, and the soundtrack is big & broad enough that you won't get bored with it anytime soon. If you're a fan, don't hesitate to get this latest installment. If you've never tried the SSX games before, take a chance ... I'm sure you'll get into it & end up hooked.
5 stars (Small dissapointments- but you can live with them) - First off, let me say this. SSX 3 is by far the best snowboarding game ever. On Tour takes a few steps back, as well as a few steps forward. When you first put the disk in the PS2, you will see that the game has a very unique and cool art style based on heavy metal. It is basically Napoleon Dynamite's sketches, if he were obsessed with the rock-on hand symbol or unicorns playing double-neck guitars. Some of the art is cool and imaginative, and some is just plain stupid. Going with the Metal theme, all of the uncreated riders present themselves like rock stars. Remember Psymon the fugitive from Tricky and 3? He's back, but he has a huge pink Mohawk. The gameplay is pretty much like any SSX game, but it has a few major changes. For one, the right analog stick is now used to do Monster tricks(no more uber tricks). While Performing a monster trick, the camera will slow down and move to the rider's side. Just moving the stick in any direction will make the rider take a foot off of their board. Good tricks cost event reward money, but it is worth it to see your rider take off his board and play it like a guitar. You can also make your rider a skier, but the only difference between skiing and boarding are the different tricks. On tour has a great soundtrack and sound effects. The soundtrack features a lot of Indie rock, classic heavy metal(including Motorhead, Iron Maiden and Def Leppard) and some rap. The sound effects are great, including great WHOOSH sounds when you are going extremely fast. The graphics are the same as SSX 3, but the Blur effects are better and the created characters don't look as sharply as they should. In the Tour mode, you create your own boarder and do Big challenges (now called SHRED events) and medal events until you are ranked the best rider on the tour. It is a lot of fun and it will take you a long time to complete. The character customazation isn't as good as, say, NBA Street V3, but there are good amounts of clothes and goofy costumes that you will like. You can still ride down the mountain freely, but you can't choose any events to do. There is still splitscreen Multiplayer, but online play has been cut out. That is fine, as the Tour mode is the main mode of play. There are now other riders on the mountain that are like traffic in the Burnout games. You can hit them or narrowly avoid them for an extra boost. Overall, SSX On Tour is a great snowboarding game. Anyone who is interested in skiing, snowboarding or the SSX series should definately check this game out
3 stars (Kind of a disappointment) - I own SSX 3 and think it is one of the best games in my library. It's a very well produced game that is also one of the funnest PS2 games made. Naturally, I was very excited about the release of it's sequel, SSX On Tour. True this game is an improvement on some areas: better lighting effects, a more intense sensation of speed, larger, more involved tracks and just as fun as SSX 3. But let me focus on the reasons why I later sold this game on an online auction five days after I bought it.
The main complaint is that there is a loss of that whole-mountain feel we all know and love from SSX 3. Why is that feature missing in this game? No longer does freeride mean that you can cruise down an entire peak and choose mission/races/challenges at your leisure with the option of instantly transporting to such missions. Now, everything is back to a menu system and you are teleported to missions. The game also lost some personality. Sure, there is a new "rock star" presentation, but really this is limited to sketchbook menu, HUD's and an edgier soundtrack. Gone is the EA radio DJ, the eclectic soundtrack playing acid jazz, hip-hop, house music, etc. Forget about customizing a character and developing a career. As other reviewers have pointed out, character creation is generic and career development is uninvolved. Win events to move up in ranks. As events are won, money is earned. Use this money to buy boards and accessories. Get enough money and buy three boards that max out your player attributes and, basically, your're good to go. This attribute development is also a flaw in my opinion. No longer can your buy skills for your player, but instead they are dictated by the board you equip. |
