Snowboarding makes its mark with SSX for the PS2

I would like to begin this review with two important facts. First, I have never played a sports video game that I liked, much less considered worth the ~$50 they typically cost. Second, I have an intense hatred for Electronic Arts, the company who developed and published SSX for the Playstation 2. But, as all PS2 owners know, there was a distinct lack of quality games available at the system's launch, forcing some of us to try games we would normally avoid in a desperate attempt to justify the $300 piece of plastic we just bought. Thus, it was with great trepidation that I placed the shiny new SSX disc into my beloved PS2. With two strikes against the game already, I had little hope for an enjoyable experience. Fortunately for me, I was wrong; dead wrong.

SSX is, at its heart, a very simple game. You start off with four characters to choose from and three modes of play: Race, Showoff, and Free Ride. Each character has 4 different attributes: Edging (how well you hold a turn), Speed, Stability (how much shoving from other players you can take before you fall over), and Trick. As each character wins medals in different events, they receive experience points that can be used to boost these stats. Earning a medal for an event on one board will open up that event on the next board, creating a natural progression of stages to play. Earn a gold medal, and the next character becomes available. There are a total of eight characters you can play, each with their own personalities and strengths.

Race mode is fairly self-explanatory. It's you against 5 other riders to see who can get to the bottom first. Finish in the top three, and you advance to the semi-finals. Repeat this for the semi-finals, and you can race in the finals. The final race will determine your medal rank for that stage. First place gives you a gold, second a silver and third a bronze. Race mode has a fair amount of strategy to it in the form of Boost. As you perform tricks, you build up a boost meter. Using boost can give your character a large increase, which is very useful in races. However, to pull these tricks, you need a fair amount of airtime, which will slow you down. This way, racers must learn to balance their tricks to help get the maximum boost for the least airtime.

Showoff mode is your chance to pull off as many big-air tricks as you can in the given time limit. Every spin, grab, or rail slide you do is worth points. Accumulate enough points (and cross the finish line in time) and you can earn your rider a new medal. There are a lot of tricks in this game, any of which can be strung together into huge combos (a la Tony Hawk) for big points.

The final game mode, Free Ride, is simply a non-competitive run down one of the tracks you've opened or play. No time limits, point counters or other riders. Just a chance to practice the slope and maybe hunt down some of those all-important short cuts scattered throughout the stages.

Now that you know a little about how the game works, the real question is "How good is it?" The answer, in a word, is great. More than just great though, SSX is flawless. The first thing you'll notice is the graphics. The characters are beautifully modeled and well textured. The levels themselves are huge, and I mean huge. There are nine stages you can play: five general-purpose stages (for both racing and showoff), a special racing only stage, a special showoff only stage, hidden stage that must be unlocked with codes and finally a special "Untracked" course that can only accessed in Free Ride. Each stage was modeled in exquisite detail and has a distinct personality. I could not find a single flaw, misplaced edge or cut corner on any of the levels.

Beyond the graphics is the sound. This game is filled with great mixes and beats by some rather famous artists (MixMaster Mike from the Beastie Boys anyone?). The music fits the action perfectly and will get your adrenaline going in no time. The only complaint this reviewer had was the limited selection of tracks becomes somewhat repetitive after a while. This is something of a non-issue though, as the action is intense enough to take your mind completely off the music once you really get going.

What really makes this game the masterpiece it is is all the little things you don't notice at first. The first of these, and perhaps most obvious, is that the voice commentator is none other than Razel, one of the champions of modern free styling and beat-boxing. Another little touch is the languages used. The eight different tracks are scattered throughout the world. Go to a track in Japan, and the crowd announcer speaks in Japanese. Go the Alps, and they talk in French. This is also true for the characters. Each will speak to you in their native language, be it English, Japanese, French, or Russian.

Where the game truly shines is in the "Untracked" board I mentioned earlier. This is a stage of nothing but forests, cliffs, and virgin powder all the way down. This board, without any kind of competition or excitement to it, is by far the best time I've had with my PS2. The refreshing change from the frenzied rush of the other boards, combined with a upbeat but soft soundtrack, make this stage the video game equivalent of the skate video. You play if for a few minutes, and all you want to do is hit the mountain and start riding. Explore the stage a little, and you'll come across the ice caves. This section of the board is perhaps the most visually stunning part of the entire game.

SSX is, without a doubt, my pick for the single best game available to the PS2 right now. Its simple yet addictive game play will keep you coming back again and again. SSX reminds us why we play games in the first place; pure unadulterated fun. If you haven't played it yet, go to Blockbuster and drop five bucks. You'll thank for it, trust me.