Although On Tour is a good game, it just isn't the same SSX that we've come to know and love.
This game offers a little more than the previous games, such as skiing and a create-a-character function. However, the create-a-character is somewhat limited. Skiing is only a minor enhancement, as it gives you awesome new tricks but less hangtime. In addition to the add-ons, On Tour has some cut-backs; you can't shred as your favorite original boarders like Moby, Zoe, Eddie, Elise, or Psymon, and there isn't any free-roaming down the mountain like there was in SSX 3, nor are there any official starts to a race; you're just sort of "thrown in" to one. To make it all worse, On Tour has a punk rock theme to it which makes the whole background to the game a little too goofy.
The snowboarding and skiing in On Tour is a little more realistic than in the past games; you won't be free falling down the side of any cliffs for more than a few seconds, and the race tracks themselves have more freedom to them and have a great "outdoors" look to them with plenty of trees and realistic snow. The sound effects are decent, but there isn't any monologue or dialogue like in the previous games, and I don't really appreciate the choices for the soundtrack.
Altogether, SSX on Tour is a fun game that will no doubt give you those moments of thrill, but less so than the other entries into the series. I would recommend getting this game only if you don't already have any of the previous SSX games though, because you may be slightly disappointed.
Score: 7.7
Grade: B+
Preference: Good