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"Being
my first review on the GameCube somewhat ends a
traditional streak of Dreamcast reviews; but
enters a new era. A small tear ran down my cheek while
writing this. Thus I cannot forget my gaming roots; and
can assure the masses that DC reviews will keep
coming."
The PS2 kickstart...
From the opening bell of the Playstation 2 release; the
dogma of bad games plagued the first of the next-gen
systems. Electronic Arts produced the original SSX
and saved the PS2 from an inevitable early death.
Sure this is arguable, but I purchased all opening
released games; and only SSX stood as truly cutting
edge.
With brilliant graphics, amazing gameplay and hardcore
fun; SSX proved itself worthy and as a token of its
success gets its well-deserved sequel. While it's not
really a sequel, but more like SSX v. 1.02 .
For those not familiar with the series here is a brief
run-down. Glued to the current "extreme" type
sports; SSX is a high-intensity snowboarding game with
anti-sim written all over it. Those few looking for a
real-life snowboarding game; keep on truckin'. This is a
balls-to-the-wall, high-speed, eye-popping arcade port.
During each competition (either showoff or race)
you are awarded with medals. By earning medals you
unlock a variety of venues; from new riders, boards and
outfits to new courses. In addition to
"un-locking" these features, you are given
points which you can distribute to your character to
increase attributes. The attributes range from speed and
handling to tricks and stability.
Producing mind-numbing tricks is pseudo-easy. Hold down
the jump button (big green), and let got at the top of a
peak to send you soaring skyward. Once in the air, use
your d-pad to flip and spin your way to big points. Add
in some grabs by using the shoulder buttons and other
experimental combinations you will be snagging those
medals left and right.
-start hint-
The really earn big points, and serious vertical try the
following. "Pre-charge" your jump prior to
letting go of the jump button. Do this by holding your
d-pad in any direction. When you let go of the jump
button, your trickster will spin, roll or twist like a
madman; giving you gyro-matic goodness!
-end hint-
A year later...
Winning a bid from EA Big , GameCube fans
rejoiced when hearing that SSX Tricky originally
created for the PS2, would be ported to the GC. Highly
anticipated, my expectations were high. I put a number
of hours into the PS2 version, and was anxious to see
how my GC ranked up against the Sony juggernaut.
Adding six riders and eliminating two of the original,
we get a total of 12 competitors this season. With
celebrity voices to boot, the characters are highly
enjoyable and even more personable than before. Most of
the tracks from the previous year are here, but they
have been revamped and extended if you can
believe that. Two other courses were added, and each
level is amazingly long.
Tricky mimics the first in the series and mirrors
gameplay. As the saying goes; "If it ain't
broke, don't fix it." That parable my father
told me at a young age fits well, and I have no
complaints. EA did throw a few bones at us giving
us some new goodies, but kept the premise simple and
identical to the original.
Super-uber-duper
The biggest addition to Tricky is the new "uber"
trick variations. The standard "power" meter
on the right of your screen increases as you produce
neat-o tricks. Once the bar is filled, the catchy
"Tricky" song will play... you know... "IT'S
TRICKY.. UH HUH.. ITS TRICKY" You have
20-seconds to complete a uber trick in addition
to your regular move.
These uber tricks are incredibly wacky, but surprisingly
not stupid. I was afraid that what the crazy
jump did for Crazy Taxi 2 would do the same
in this case. An ultra-easy, super-cheesy move would
ruin the complexity and fun of the originals.
Uber tricks can be performed mid-air by pressing the
red-button and a shoulder button. Different
combinations, of course, produce different uber moves.
These can range from simply spinning the board
underneath your feat, to lying down on the board
spinning like a propeller. I still feel like a kid a
Christmas when I hear that familiar Tricky tune
blare as I await the next jump to propel me into uber-heaven!
Talk about points, you can easily rack up 100k point
moves during these times.
So, I have to give props to Electronic Arts for giving
us something new, without taking away the fun the
original produced. The uber-moves are a superb addition
to the game, and if you loved the first; you will
totally dig this extra.
The knife in the chest...
When comparing Tricky side-by-side with the GC
and PS2, the PS2 wins hands down. It if obvious that
this is a port from the PS2 to the GC and not the
other way around. What made the original SSX vastly
successful, was the wonderful control that paralleled
the timeless PS controller. There is no doubt that EA
designed SSX for the PS controller and not the GC
controller. Is it unplayable? By no means. Does it
detract from the game though? Hell yeah.
Again, I realize that this was ported from the PS2 to
the GC, and expected some slight draws. With the
four-shoulder buttons incorporated on the PS, I was
wondering how they were going to pull it off with the
GC. With only two-shoulder button on the GC controller,
pulling off old-school moves took some adjustment.
Now, giving credit where credit is due; the transition
from one to another was as good as could be expected.
After a few hours of play, I was back in business and
pulled off some insane aerial tactics. While, it is a
bit more difficult pulling off variable moves, the game
still rocks hard.
The twisting of the knife...
Ok, I can understand how things could get a bit twisted
when it came down to control. But what I couldn't
understand was why the PS2 version looked so much
prettier. The GC version seemed somewhat jagged compared
to the smoothness of the PS2. Not only were the
character models affected, but also the framerates
seemed noticeably lower in the GC's rendition.
I'm not saying it is horrible. I'm not even saying it's
not brilliant. What I am saying is that the PS2 version
is noticeably better. I think EA rushed this one a bit,
by trying to get it in for the holiday season. By no
means did they utilize the gaming engine to near its
capacity.
Aside from a bit of lower FPS, the GC did produce
some stunning effects that weren't included in the PS2.
Some of the fog effects were jaw dropping. Lighting
effects were shockingly not as good as the PS2.
Still, I get giddy at times as Mac flies threw
the fog. Amazing.
Like Matt Stover's' field goal... It's GOOD!
As objectionable as can be, Tricky is a good
game. Heck, it's a great game! Sure I was a bit
disappointed in the porting from PS2 to the GC, and sure
I wanted the GC to "wow" the industry; but
overall this is an amazingly fun game.
For those who have the Ark of the Covenant in
consoles this is a nice addition to your gaming library.
It is a solid release, and even though it could have
been better, still is a blast to play. Even if you
played the laser off your DVD ROM on the PS2, you will still
get hours of enjoyment out of Tricky .
Prior to the porting of Tricky a great deal of
effort went into it making sure it didn't ruin the
playability aspects of the original. From celebrity
voices to big-name musical artists SSX Tricky has
it all. But, if given the choice of the PS2 or GC
version; I would easily pick the PS2.
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