Being born in New York and raised in Florida, snow is something that you never see in Hot Weather. Through the video games, I got the chance to try and understand this mysterious culture. There are a lot of snowboarding games on the market, making it possible to ski the slopes. I tried a few and wasn't real impressed. I was told that I should get SSX and that I wouldn't be disappointed. My friends told me that it was the only reason to buy a PS2. Needless to say, I was hesitant, but I bought it anyway. All I can say is, they were all right. SSX is the coolest snowboarding game.
The Game its self is an EA Sports Big title, and let me tell you, it's fun.. The gameplay consists of your standard racing fare. There are two modes Single Event and World Circuit mode, each containing up to four events. Single Event Mode is like instant racing; you pick any of the four events and go. World Circuit Mode gives you the chance to play an entire season and is the only place where you can unlock all of the courses. Let's break down the events:
Race Event: Real simple, cross the finish line first and you win… You can still kick the tricks, but they're not necessary here.
Showoff Event: Total trick mayhem. The more tricks you pull off the more points. This is where you have to show who's boss in order to unlock all of the courses and gain skill points and new boards for the riders.
Freeride Event: No rules, no regulations, just you and powdery stuff flowing down the mountainside. Great for finding your line and all of the cool shortcuts that riddle the courses.
Warm-up Event: Cool for newbies, get all the tips before you find yourself neck deep in a snowdrift on the side of the course.
Like I said, the events and modes are pretty standard, but it's the courses that make the game. There are seven truly twisted courses and also an eighth super-secret course, each of which provide for an awesome balance between totally unreal courses and a fantastic physics engine. Your ride down the mountain will take you all over the world from Mercury City Meltdown in the states to Aloha Ice Jam in Hawaii to Tokyo Megaplex in Japan. From the names it should already be clear how wonderfully weird these courses are, now add loopdy-loops and pinball-style obstacles and you might just begin to truly understand the unique gameplay of SSX. An added feature is the use of an adrenaline meter. The more tricks you land, the higher your adrenaline level. Make sense? If you don't do any tricks, you suck… I mean, your adrenaline level will decrease. But what is it for, you ask? You use what is called the boost from your adrenaline level to increase your speed. At higher adrenaline levels, you get more of a speed boost. Somewhat like nitro in standard racing games.

The Graphics Make the game even better, the graphics are nothing short of stellar. The riders are all punks and the models are well done with big baggy pants for the boys and fluorescent, skin-tight, hoochie tops for the girls. They are brought to life during gameplay with excellent trick and riding animations. Attention to detail can be seen in every second of play through small things like snow rushing over the board and the spray from cutting tight turns.

The courses are realized with excellent texture choices and smooth curves; not to mention the bandstands filled with an animated crowd. The lighting is also prime rate. In courses like Snowdream and Mercury City Meltdown, where you ride at night, stadium floods light up the course perfectly adding another dimension through the use of shadows and the abrupt transitions from light to dark between each new bank of lights. Do you Think they can make a better game.

Recommended: Yes