It’s time once again to shred some ice… that’s snowboard lingo right? We’re down with that…fo’shizzle or something like that! We are talking about EA’s glorious return to the snow and mountains with forthcoming release of a new brand spankin’ new SSX title and of course we have the low down for you here at the Arcade.
Console: Xbox 360 / PlayStation 3
Players: Single / Multi / Online
Release Date: 2nd March 2012
Developers: EA Canada
Publishers: EA Sports
Genre: Sports
Price: TBC
Way back when, SSX was one of the first games that we ever played on the PlayStation 2 – first released as part of the Sony Consoles launch way back in 2000, the game despite receiving some serious accolades failed to impress on the market and was quickly followed by a multi-platform release in the form of SSX Tricky. Unfortunately this sequel also crashed in terms of sales and it wasn’t until three years after the first game was released would the SSX series catch a break in the form of SSX 3.
Since then the games have found their place in the world of gaming and are today regarded as some of the most fun and competitive sports games in their field.
With the release of the demo on February 21st we can officially say that the magic hasn’t been lost anywhere and we’re eagerly awaiting our chance to take to some of the more serious slopes that aren’t available in the demo.
Gameplay
What is there to say about the gameplay? Well if you’ve only ever seen someone else play you could hazard a guess about how the game operates – you select a snowboarder, pick a slope and tear down hill, picking up speed, tricks and points. It is pretty straight forward and simple to grasp. Utilising one of two systems to pull off various stunts and tricks – you can choose to use the buttons or the right joggle stick to perform feats of gravity defying acrobatics (personally we were all for the button bashing our fingers just aren’t trained for joggle moves just yet!) – you will race for fastest time, compete for the highest score and chase down opponents.
Avalanches, helicopter jumps and wing-suits are all a fun addition to the game adding to that rush and the insanity of the game. Old favourites return with combo tricks back again to allow players the chance to execute seriously high scores. On top of that players will be glad to know that this title will according to EA have a more open world feel to the game with players having a wider selection of routes choose from on their downward slope chases, the invisible walls that prevented off track boarding in previous games still feature but have been pushed far beyond the regular limits.
Screw up a jump? Messed up a tricky combo? No worries, with a score penalty and a ticking clock, you can choose to rewind your game and attempt the high jump again or try and land that awkward combo once more.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect to the development was the use of NASA software, developers created 27 mountain regions based off 9 real world mountain-scapes and players will be able to board down the likes of the Himalayas, the Rockies and the Alps to name just a few.
North American PS3 players will receive Mount. Fuji as an exclusive content release while European players will be able to avail of the Japanese mountain by pre-ordering the game.
Graphics & Soundtrack
SSX features the same sharp colours of the previous game, bright colours clashing against the snow covered terrain of mountain ranges. Shadowing and snow splash effects have been incorporated into the scenery to add even further depth to the playability but that’s enough about how pretty the game looks on to the soundtrack.
SSX games have always featured some of our favourite soundtracks and this new title is no different. Here is just a sample of the music featured in the game:
Run-D.M.C. – “It’s Tricky” (Pretty Lights Remix)
Pretty Lights – “Hot Like Dimes”
The Qemists – “Lifeline”
The Naked and Famous – “Young Blood”
Noisia – “Could This Be”
DJ Shadow – “I Gotta Rokk” (Irn Mnky Swagger Mix)
Camo & Krooked – “Portal”
Flux Pavillion – “I Can’t Stop”
Two Door Cinema Club – “Something Good Can Work” (The Twelves Remix)
You’ll quickly find yourself lost on the slopes listening to some brilliant music…exactly like what real snowboarding is like right? Eh who cares! It’s all cool to us!
SSX is set for release March 2nd! See you on the slopes!
Editor-in-Chief, part-time super villain and hoarder of cats. If you can’t find me writing, I’m probably in the kitchen!
