SSX On Tour

Tired of the same old race? Sick of yesterday's season mode, where all you have to do is make it in the top three to win a medal? Good games make that old, boring stuff seem pretty good until a game like SSX On Tour comes along. More exciting than the original, more exhilarating than 1080, and more balanced with superior tricks, SSX On Tour is the game that'll put snowboarding (and skiing) back on the map.

Record-beating numbers of game modes is what EA is known for, so it was a little surprising to see that this game had only two modes to choose from: On Tour and Quick Play. This would've been road kill (or whatever the snow version is) for most games. SSX On Tour is a lengthy challenge-based mode where racing skillfully is just one of the goals that must be met. User-created characters start the mode off with a brief intro of customizable features. Choose between a male or female boarder or skier, then decide what face he/she will have, whether or not makeup will be added, etc. The customization features don't go as crazy as FIFA, a major plus. It's cool being able to tweak every facial feature, but that would've made gamers bored when all we wanted to do was board.

These characters are generic as far as statistics goes. They become unique when you win enough cash to buy new tricks, new attributes, and new boards or new skis (one or the other must be chosen - you can't buy both for the same character).

Racing is a common challenge, but the game mixes it up by throwing in unlikely goals. During a race with multiple boarders you'll have to get 250 meters ahead to win. Crossing the finish line first means nothing. Letting the time run out with you in first place won't affect the game either. Like objectives in a spy mission game, you have to do exactly what it says.

That's just one example. There are several types of group races, trick challenges (score the most points to win), and collection games where you have to find the icons the developers hid throughout each level. The icons can be collected in any of the challenge and usually give extra points to your boost meter.

With the exception of straight races, accomplish your goals before the time runs out or prior to crossing the finish line and the challenge will end, declaring you the winner.

SSX On Tour is a little on the easy side, but there's a catch. You can beat the challenges and meet the main requirements and fail to be the best boarder or skier. Hype is a newly added point system, affecting your rank. PR and excessive advertising works well in the film industry, but you're not a production, you're an athlete. The only way to hype yourself is to be mean. When you see other skiers making their way down the mountain, race by closely for a Close Call or knock them over for a takedown. Apparently everything Criterion invents is gold since this is the third or fourth EA game that has copied Burnout's legendary innovations.

Hype is also earned by completing challenges, which have to be completed anyway to progress. Completed challenges may be entered again at any time.

Exclusive to the GameCube version are three playable characters: Mario, Luigi and Princess Peach. Nintendo had said before that they would use character assets in multiple games to save time and cut back on development costs, and even though they didn't have a hand in SSX On Tour's development, it looks like EA is doing the same thing. Mario's character model is as solid as his NBA Street counterpart, as are Peach and Luigi. They're oddly proportioned in comparison to the other characters, who for the most part look realistic.

Mario and Luigi use boards while Peach likes to ski. They're three of the fastest characters in the game, gliding and spinning through the air like superheroes. Mario is the shortest and thus the overall quickest, but I was able to pull off stunts with each that I just couldn't accomplish with anyone else.

Mario's presence influences the game's sound, triggering classic jingles and familiar voice-overs whenever something significant (good or bad) happens. Certain levels are adorned with symbols of Mario's past: stars, mushrooms, and billboards that promote worlds he visited long before hitting the slopes.

EA has given us another must-have SSX. Perfect controls and near-perfect courses make each race more fun than any the developers have previously made. It's BIG without being repetitive; it's exciting and at times unbelievable without being ridiculous. The rock-dominate soundtrack shows that EA is listening to what we say, replacing SSX Tricky's blasphemous tunes with high-quality music from artists that, with the right promotion, could easily make into Billboard's top 40.

Music isn't everything, but it's nice to have a soundtrack that backs up the game's brilliant intensity.

Gameplay: 9.0
What SSX On Tour lacks in originality it makes up for in controls, trick performances, and the incredibly designed 13 courses (all of which are new). The best part of these courses is that you can't see the shortcuts. The game moves so quickly that the only time I discovered a shortcut was when I'd crash into a tree and bounce backwards. On Tour has a way of doing that – you crash and think you're doomed, then bounce back by being tossed into this hidden tunnel you didn't know existed.

There are a lot of moments like that. SSX On Tour is the first skiing/snowboarding game that sets you free. Course boundaries don't exist. If you want to race outside the mountain don't ask, just do it.

Graphics: 8.0
Very much the same graphical style and effects as before. Jaw-dropping four or five years ago,; today it’s just a beautiful game that’ll be shredded by EA’s Xbox 360 offerings.

Sound: 8.9
Excellent rock music from lesser known bands. Rap is also present, but thankfully it does not make up the bulk of the soundtrack.

Difficulty: Medium
Less strenuous than most extreme sports games, SSX On Tour begins with the easiest challenges they could think of, gradually working its way toward challenges that hardcore gamers will appreciate.

Concept: 7.0
The inclusion of boarders that can ski is anything but a waste. However, there isn't a huge difference between snowboarding and skiing. SSX On Tour is very close to the previous SSX regardless which equipment you use. Boarding is faster and perhaps a little less stable. Choosing to ski gives your eyes something different to look at (as if that were the most important thing. It's not).

Multiplayer: 8.0
Limited to just two players, SSX On Tour is a good, competitive game, but its long-term multiplayer value is not as high as bigger games like Tony Hawk.

Overall: 9.0
I was going to say that this is the best skiing/snowboarding game released on GameCube. Then I remembered that this is a multi-platform game. Xbox and PS2 have had some good titles, but up until now the best boarder for both consoles was SSX. Now it’s SSX On Tour, the most exhilarating ride down the slopes you’ll have this generation. The GameCube version has a character advantage with Mario and friends, but any of the console versions will bring long-lasting thrills to your home.