SSX Review
A successful reboot for the franchise that ditches local multiplayer in favor of expansive asynchronous options
For the first time (at least in my memory), SSX actually has a storyline that is more than just “win the competition” or “become the best snowboarder around,” although honestly, it really doesn’t amount to more than that if you think about it for more than five minutes. Griff, a former SSX character, leaves SSX to conquer the world’s nine deadly descents and become the coolest cool bro dude in all of history. Team SSX, which now stands for Surfing, Snowboarding, and Motocross apparently, won’t stand for it. They must travel across the globe, conquering mountains faster and better than Griff can. It’s a pretty pointless story and one that SSX doesn’t need. It is only hurt by the fact that a majority of character backstories and personalities are conveyed to the player through dreadfully cheesy motion comics and goofy “extreme” cutscenes. That said though, I was happy to see DJ Atomika making a return. He is unquestionably my favorite fictitious video game DJ of all time.
I believe it is worth mentioning, especially since so many other people seem to have an issue with it (at least initially), SSX does not include any simultaneous local or online multiplayer. While these have always been present in past SSX titles, the multiplayer landscape has changed dramatically since SSX 3. While I do miss its inclusion, the times in which I would be playing locally with friends is not nearly as often as I find myself playing RiderNet. I can only assume that EA Canada chose not to include it in order to keep all of the players on RiderNet, rather than fragmenting players between live multiplayer and things like the Global Events. Most of the asynchronous aspects of the game only work well with a large number of players. It is just good to know this ahead of time that way you don’t set aside time to sit down with a friend at home only to realize you won’t be playing anything together.
The one fundamental problem I had with the game is its new rewind feature. For some reason, this mechanic has found its way into a majority of racing titles today, and now it has blended over into other sports as well. In race events, using rewinds only rewinds your character while the rest of the players continue to move forward in time (making it even more difficult to overcome your mistake). In trick events, it is useful when used the first time in a match, allowing you to recover your combo, but any subsequent use not only removes your combo instantly but also knocks you with a serious point penalty (making it more difficult to win). The only place that it really makes sense and works as intended is in the game’s Survive It missions, and there, it doesn’t penalize you, but you are limited to a certain number of uses.
All that said, SSX is one of the most successful franchise resurrections over the past several years. The core mechanics and central atmosphere that made SSX the standard upon which all other snowboarding games were and are judged are all here and for the most part, have been improved (the new control methods) or built upon to create new and interesting experiences (Survive It). While some may miss the lack of simultaneous, local multiplayer, the game’s largest addition RiderNet keeps the activities and incentives coming well past the game’s usual lifespan. Global events, a wealth of gear to collect, and constant competition makes this an SSX that feels simultaneously new and old. For the most part, that is a great thing.
Our ratings for SSX on Xbox 360 out of 100 (Ratings FAQ)
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