EA's formula for SSX is getting old, but it still delivers a great play experience...for now.

User Rating: 8.1 | SSX On Tour PSP
By Venantius | Review Date:
The SSX series has a long history of being the best snowboarding series available: from SSX Tricky to SSX 3, EA has managed to innovate and re-hash the game in such a manner that even though the gameplay was largely the same, they felt like new and different games every time. It was to be expected that some of this experience might be lost when creating a handheld game, and it is true that some of it has been, but the real issue of why SSX: OT doesn't live up to the hype seems not to be related to the game's console roots.

The gameplay in SSX: OT is largely the same as in any other SSX game, with one primary difference: the addition of skiis. While playing on skiis is largely the same as snowboarding, there are obviously different tricks and moves that come with them, which serves as a nice addition. However, using skiis means that your character will fall more often, which struck me as inconvenient and unbalanced, especially when there are races that force you to use skiis against snowboarding opponents.

The race maps are all exceptionally well designed and fun, and there are a reasonable number of them to be packed on a UMD. However, the game forces one to play the same map up to 15 times in order to complete the game, which was a major source of ire when playing; being forced to do the same map over and over again with different level opponents is only fun up until a 4th or 5th time, after the 10th it is very old. Furthermore, some of the racetracks were only unlockable towards the very end of the game, which made the track repetition of the simpler races somewhat un-necessary had the content been spaced out a little more.

The graphics are amazing in SSX: OT, and are everything one has come to expect from an SSX game. Your skiis/snowboards trail behind as you pull off stunts in the air, the maps are immaculately designed, and everything is richly textured.

The sound for SSX: OT is similarly excellent, continuing EA's record of choosing excellent soundtracks from major artists to infuse their games with. Songs like LCD Soundsystem's "Daft Punk Is Playing At My House" never get old.

The game's replay value is somewhat limited in that by the time you complete the game (or "tour"), you will already have played each racetrack at least 10 times, and may not be eager for a return to the same tracks. However, multiplayer play does promise to be good, even with the same tracks, simply as a result of the incredible number of shortcuts and jumps inherant in each track.

All in all, SSX: On Tour is a great game that delivers a rewarding play experience. It does get old after you've been playing it for long enough, but the detailed tracks, beautiful graphics, and great soundtrack promise to have you coming back for more.

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