SSX: Bluuuuuur!

Phate · 18 Jun 2007 at 13:05

Hey all,

Got this game a few weeks back and got my Wii back on the weekend so finally got around to playing it a fair bit!

First Off, Graphics.

The framerate on this game is SOLID no slow down at all, no matter how fast I pound the pixelated version of me down the mountain or if there are any avalanches, or fireworks going on, it's constantly smooth and very pretty. Bit annoying that the game doesn't use the full screen and even though I've got everything set to 16:9 it still doesn't use about half an inche either side but meh, you don't notice it after a while.

Menus

Very easy to navigate, nice and colourful.

Controls

The controls are very easy to get used to and you can pick them up very quickly and give you a good feel to the game. To go forwards you use the nunchuk joystick and to make slight turns again you use the joystick, to make a sharper more severe turn (or to spray snow everywhere

) you twist the nunchuk and he will move appropriately and will carve the snow. It's done very well and doesn't feel unresponsive, but not twitchy at the same time.

For flips, spins, and ubertricks you use the wiimote, flips and spins are self explanatory, ubertricks means you have to draw shapes in the air to perform them (they do look awesome though!) sometimes using just the wiimote, or more complex tricks involve the nunchuk as well. Tricky to get used to, but once you get used to the motions and the feel and the flow you can pull them off nicely.

Oh and to jump when you come to a ramp you can either use A or twitch the nunchuk upwards and he will jump, no delays, very responsive, so you can really leave it to the last minute and then FLY - is a great feeling.

Lots to unlock throughout the game, from what I can see there are 3 peaks with lots of challenges on each one with all the charactors, about 30 playable people at a guess.

Very good game on the whole, and where the controls are so responsive it really shows what the wiimote can do, one of my biggest fears when the Wiimote was dreamt of was the response times in games and this seems to have got it spot on.

Haven't played multiplayer yet (having to much fun in single) but will let you know when I do.

Thanks for reading

Nismo · 18 Jun 2007 at 13:11

I thought the controls were unresponsive and frustrating, and the game itself very average

Hooray for differing opinions!

Logsi · 18 Jun 2007 at 13:13

Teletraan-82 said:
I thought the controls were unresponsive and frustrating, and the game itself very average

Hooray for differing opinions!

I agree with you.

Josh

Phate · 18 Jun 2007 at 13:13

Teletraan-82 said:
I thought the controls were unresponsive and frustrating, and the game itself very average

Hooray for differing opinions!

How close were you to the sensor bar?

I found the closer I was the worse the controls were.

If I set on my bed say 8ft away the controls are perfect!

Kojak · 18 Jun 2007 at 13:26

Teletraan-82 said:
I thought the controls were unresponsive and frustrating, and the game itself very average

Hooray for differing opinions!

I agree and the frame rate was prone to dipping on the odd occasion. Not a bad game but weak when compared to others in the series.

Kreeeee · 18 Jun 2007 at 13:55

Teletraan-82 said:
I thought the controls were unresponsive and frustrating, and the game itself very average

Hooray for differing opinions!

I agree, I really don't rate the game at all compared to its analogue stick prequels.

Nismo · 18 Jun 2007 at 14:28

Phate said:
How close were you to the sensor bar?

I found the closer I was the worse the controls were.

If I set on my bed say 8ft away the controls are perfect!

About 8 ft away. I didn't suddenly decide to play SSX closer than the rest of my Wii games

TheOtherOption · 18 Jun 2007 at 14:53

I got SSX a few back and while its good fun for quick blast on the half pipes or down a slope it hasn't had me hooked as much as i'd hoped ..

The music is catchy and the frame rate I didn't think was too bad at all - it does look pants in two player though - unbelievably blocky

jklc · 18 Jun 2007 at 16:38

One of my faves on the Wii. It looks and plays nicely. The learning curve is probably too steep but when you get to the point where you can finally perform multiple ubers, its worth it. The problem is no one else is willing to put in time to play it so I'm on my lonesome in single player. Had similar experiences with Red Steel with the controls.

cb_linus · 18 Jun 2007 at 18:30

Got this game around the week of release. It's pretty good fun with some lovely scenery. Learning curve put me off for quite a while but I started playing it again in the last coupla weeks or so - finally unlocked the second mountain and did my first uber trick yesterday - it's great fun if you're prepared to tackle what can be a steep learning curve.

One of my favourite things about the game is how well the music is integrated into the game play, gives a real sense of achievement and immersion when you are doing well.

As far as the controls go, most of the time very responsive - I think if the uber-trick system was more forgiving it would be more fun. I haven't played any of the other SSX titles so can't really compare the control system to previous SSX games, but using the nunchuck to control movement (carving left-right, jump etc) seems much more natural than the control system of a normal control pad on something like Amped & Amped 2 (both fun games too).

Finding challenges on the slopes can be a bit frustrating as the game doesn't seem to distinguish between ones you've completed or not, and they're not always easy to find.

Overall, I'd give this an 8 out of 10 possible snowmen. It'll get another half to one snowman when I'm used to the controls more (i.e. pulling uber-tricks off with ease)