ssxreview

It's a pretty rare thing when a game comes seemingly out of nowhere and absolutely rocks its platform. Well, the recent list includes UFC for Dreamcast, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater for PSX and Crimson Skies for PC -- and now, the incredible SSX for PS2. Brought to life by EA Canada, this unsponsored, unlicensed snowboarding game is all about speed, shortcuts, crazy tricks and seeing who's the most insane person to ever step on a snowboard. Beautiful graphics, huge courses, great multiplayer and infinite replayability round out the
package to make this hands-down the best game on the PS2.

Anyone not living in a metaphorical cave -- for this exercise we're just going to assume that people who live in actual caves don't do a great deal of gaming -- these last few months has already heard of SSX. Once thought to be just a pretty snowboarding game that would be lost among the sea of PS2 launch titles, EA Canada's troubled project surprised everyone by being the best damn thing the console has ever seen. The only dissident voices heard -- and even they were won over after they actually played the game -- were
from the hardcore snowboarding set, and there's a reason for that. SSX has little to nothing to do with actual snowboarding. It is instead a racing game with some Road Rash-esque violence thrown in; a Tony Hawk's Pro Skater with bigger tricks, more air and snow; an arcade thrill ride that still has tons of depth for those who want to delve down. It is, in a word, brilliant.

Choosing one of eight different riders -- four are available to begin with, the others must be unlocked -- players begin a career that alternates between two major events, the downhill race and the show-off course. Each of the riders has a different mix of the basic skills (speed, tricks, edging and stability) as well as different maximums that can be achieved. So, although the distribution of experience points makes it possible to raise all of the different traits, the teenage Japanese girl will never be as stable and intimidating
as the huge German guy when he's maxed out. This makes character selection important, for while that big lug sure can kick the crap out of people on the downhill, he's hard as hell to win trick medals with.

The race itself centers on a group of 24 insane snowboarders that tear down the side of a mountain while attempting impossible-seeming shortcuts and occasionally smacking each other in the head, all in an effort to finish in the top three and so make it to the next heat. There are three races for each course (quarter, semi and finals) and placing fourth or worse at any point throws racers completely out of the competition. One of the quickest ways to lose a solid
lead is with a big wipeout, and while it may be tempting to just play it safe on the races, tricks are important here as well. The beloved turbo meter that is so intricately linked to the world of arcade racers is attached to tricks in SSX, inspiring otherwise careful riders to pull 900-degree diagonal spins while hitting that coveted Fillet o' Stale Fish.

When racing is too much of a time commitment -- some of the tracks are up to seven minutes long, which times three can kill an afternoon quick -- or the new tracks are just too intimidating, it's time for the show-off mode. In this over-the-top stuntfest, players speed solo down the same tracks usually reserved for racing and attempt to hit their biggest, most intense tricks. Point multipliers in strategic locations and secret spots make this mode just as viable as the
racing.

What really makes SSX the game it is, though, is track design. From the first gentle downhill through an urban sprawl, a giant pinball machine and a glacier that's been towed to Hawaii for the occasion, every track is huge, detailed and, best of all, preloaded. Thanks to the PS2 there's nothing like draw-in anywhere to be found in the game, as the entire five-minute plus levels are simply loaded in beforehand. Add in more shortcuts than any game in memory, and the result is the best experience to be
had anywhere on the PS2.

The Bottom Line: Go buy it. Now!