For a family Christmas gift, we received the PS2, along with a few games. Among the few games we own, 'SSX' is the family favorite. All of us enjoy playing this from my husband to my oldest daughter. Many Friday nights, we can all be found having family 'SSX' tournaments.

In 'SSX' you'll choose a character, a board, and a course to race. While there are several characters, the game could be improved if there were a few more. You can customize the characters' outfits, for those of us who are fashion conscious. As you progress through levels, more characters and board options become available to you. My usual character of choice is Elise, a blonde hottie that really moves down the slopes. Each of the characters is totally different from the others, which is something I enjoy. They also have different attributes that allow for different outcomes in racing.

Generally, I'm the sort of Mom who doesn't allow her children to play video games containing too much violence. While this game does contain some violence, the rating of 'mild animated violence' is correct. It really is very mild. For example, during a race you can knock an opponent out of the way, possibly causing him/her to fall. Some parents will find this too much violence for their children; I'm not bothered by this.

We have two different snowboarding games; both 'SSX' and another called 'ESPN Winter Games'. Although the latter is more realistic-looking, I find that 'SSX' spends much more time in the game system. I've tried to play 'ESPN Winter Games' several times, but find it to be more frustrating than fun. Maybe this is the 'old school' video game player in me. Having grown up on 'Donkey Kong' and 'Pac Man' I suppose I have an affinity of sorts with the more "cartoon-looking" games.



Recommended: Yes