SSX On Tour Preview

Time for another preview I guess. Now I will preview a game called SSX On Tour for the PS2, XBOX, and Gamecube. There is also a PSP version but I don't care about that. This is the 4th game in the GREAT snowboarding series called SSX. Oh wait, this time it isn't just a snowboarding game! They are adding.........skis. When I first saw screenshots of it and didn't know they were doing this I thought I was just seeing double. I was wrong. I really don't think it's a good idea but they always make the SSX games good so I believe this will be good too. The good thing about this is it will add more variety to the game (like it wasn't already different enough). Now to the characters, there are many differences between On Tour and the last 3 SSX games. First of all, there are 10 characters, 3 of which are new. Now I have looked closely at my copy of SSX 3 and the screenshots of On Tour and the only 2 characters I can make out are Elise and Kaori (I am preeeeeetty sure those are right). Though there are only 10 characters, there is much more to the character system - you can make your own character this time. So if you REAALLY missed some of the characters that have been taken out of the SSX games (I know I miss Brodi, he was really cool) you have a chance to try and re-make them! Also you get to choose a symbol that will accompany your Oober (or if you like the real name, Uber) bar. There is also the addition of Monster tricks, one thing I have to say before I explain them - DIDN'T THEY HAVE ENOUGH TRICKS BEFORE?!?!?! Well anyway monster tricks can be done once you have completed enough tricked out moves, time will slow down and you will be able to do all sorts of different stuff then. I'll let you figure out exactly how you do it all, I think (THINK) you're smart enough to do that. Also there will be 3 new game modes/events, Shred, Monsters of Metal, and Style Blasters. No info has been released about Monsters of Metal and Style Blasters and I don't think I want to even begin to guess what the heck they're about. Shred events are all sorts of one-on-one challenges like trick-offs. Also the tracks will be much more streamlined so you don't get tricked and think you're going off onto a shortcut and then get told you are out of bounds and get reset onto the track. There will be other skiers and snowboarders on the mountain too. That means now you can turn snowboarding into Burnout and crash into every single skier on the mountain - I've been waiting to do that. There are actually rewards for doing this too! The more you almost crash or actually crash into skiers - the more Hype you get which means more people will want to challenge you. If you beat them in the challenges - you unlock them as playable characters. It's that simple! There will also be hidden challenges called Boasts for all you people who like finding every single rail and grinding it (just like me). The one VERY BIG - no wait HUUUGE mistake EA has made is the lack of freaking online play. This is the age of online gaming and most games without online don't do very well. One other thing - IF you have a Gamecube - you shall be rewarded (it's about time!)! In the Cube version, you will be able to play as the 10 characters from the other versions plus Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach. There will be a place called Nintendo Village at the bottom of the mountain too with all sorts of fun junk that helps Nintendo advertise. I will leave you to discover all that's down there though. That is it. Will SSX pull off as many tricks as it's prequels have or will it be one big faceplant? We shall find out after the October release date.

Preview by Ton