Note: The most important parts of this review are in bold.

Well I’ll be darned. SSX is, without a doubt, the best PS2 launch game. It makes great use of the PS2’s power to create a terrific game. Not only that, but it’s probably the best snowboarding game ever (even though more than half of the snowboarding games out now suck). If you’re looking for a game for your shiny new PS2, don’t hesitate to buy SSX (which I believe stands for Snowboarding Supercross Express).

First off, as always with my reviews, I’ll start off this review by explaining and talking about the different modes of play, levels, and snowboarders in SSX.

You start off with two levels (if you’re playing Freeride, one of the modes, which I’ll explain later) and have to compete in the World Circuit mode to unlock the rest of them. The levels range from a snow-filled city to a melting iceberg to a life-sized pinball machine. These aren’t your average snowboarding areas, to say the least. Anyway, the level designs are fantastic. There’s always something new to keep the game fresh and fun, and all of them feature tons of lush colors. Some of the levels have a plain, normal look, while others have machines and cars and things like that all over the place, keeping the game original. The levels gradually get more difficult and longer, but also become better sightseeing areas (heh). They’re filled with tons of shortcuts, gaps, twists and turns, so you’ll never get tired of the game.

The characters are great. Unlike just about all the other snowboarding games out there, the characters in SSX don’t act like cardboard cutouts. They actually act like human beings (YAY!). They each have a distinct personality, and their personalities are even shown while racing. They taunt each other, yell at each other, and God only knows what else. They move like humans, too! Whoopie! They bend and fall realistically, and if they are just barely about to land a trick or something like that, their arms start flailing, etc. The characters also have some very good designs, too. You can choose from a few different outfits for them, and you also choose what (snow)board you want to use. The characters not only have real personalities, but they also have different snowboarding styles and traits. There are 3 kinds of snowboarders: Freestyle – one that is average for speed, but is best for tricks; Alpine – one that is average for tricks, but best for speed; BX – one that is all-around (those are also the 3 types of boards that there are). Each of the characters is one those styles. I personally like Freestyle snowboarders the best, but the reason they have those styles is so that everyone can be happy. The characters also have voices, too, that match their character pretty well. If you saw them and didn’t hear their voice, the one featured in SSX is probably pretty close to the one you thought of.

So far, we have great levels and great characters. What else do you need? Wouldn’t you like to know…?

There are a couple different modes of play. The most obvious one is the World Circuit, where, like any snowboarding game, you compete in races against the other snowboarders to progress through the game and get medals, points, etc. In SSX, there are three rounds to each race, and you need to finish in 3rd place or higher to progress to the next round (or level). The rounds are Quarter Finals (easiest), Semi Finals (medium difficulty), and (surprise, surprise!) Finals (hardest). If you lose in the any of the rounds, you start over in the Quarter Finals. As you progress in the World Circuit mode, you unlock more levels and more snowboarders. Simple enough.

The next mode is Warmup. This is where you’re on a plain level with a few ramps, etc., and you learn the basics of the game. The voice of Mac, one of the snowboarders, leads you along through the basic controls, including a few tricks and tips. This is a great way for beginners to learn to play the game, especially because it teaches you quickly.

Freeride is just basically like Free Skate in the Tony Hawk series. There are no time limits, no addition of points, no other snowboarders, no racing, nothing. It’s just you and the snow. You can get used to the game, try out new snowboarders, practice your tricks, search for shortcuts, whatever. Just plain ol’ fun.

Race is just like the World Circuit, but you choose the level you want to race on, and it’s just one race.

And possibly my favorite mode (where my competitive side kicks in) is Showoff. It’s only you again, and you choose the level. The game has certain point records that you have to beat to make your own record and to get one of the 3 medals (like, 10,000 points would be a Bronze medal, 50,000 points is Silver, and so on). You have to pull off your best tricks to get a medal. Also, there are special snowflake “multipliers” set up “strategically” throughout the level, and if you go through one of them while doing a trick in the air, it will multiply the amount of points you’d get from the trick by 2, 3, or 5 (there are different colors of the snowflakes). There’s also a time limit, too, because you also have to race to the end of the level. But, there are Checkpoints also placed “strategically” throughout the course that give you more time.

Then there are the two-player modes, which are completely different.

Just kidding. They’re the same; you just can’t do two-player World Circuit. Oh, and by the way, two-player Showoff is a blast.

With all it has to offer, you don’t even have to be a fan of snowboarding or snowboarding games to enjoy SSX.

PS2’s graphical capabilities are showcased pretty well for one of its launch games. That doesn’t mean the graphics are bad, they’re beautiful, but then again, this is only a launch game, so you can’t say that it uses all of the PS2’s power.

Snowboarders look fantastic. They each have a ton of animations, AND they aren’t choppy. The snowboarders are animated fluidly and with a large variety of vibrant colors. Like I said earlier, they act like real human beings, so they have many different animations for falling, landing, hitting people, etc. The snowboarders’ clothing is animated realistically, too. It gets brushed by the wind, sways, and sags like real-life. There are many facial expressions used, and the faces look great. Tons of detail has been put into them. And that’s just the snowboarders.

Levels looks fantastic! Tons of lush colors shoot out at you as you race down the mountains. There are insane amounts of detail in them. You can read things like signs and pick out objects even while you’re racing at (game) speeds of up to 100 miles per hour…WITHOUT STRAINING YOUR EYES. Everything is fully detailed. From the cars and buildings to the snowflakes and (fully 3D) trees, it all looks extraordinary. And yes, snowflakes fall in some levels, and it doesn’t look like cr*p, either. It looks realistic. Also, while you’re snowboarding, your snowboard “carves” (I think that’s when your board leaves a trail behind you) through the snow. And it looks plain COOL. Oh, must I comment of the level designs? Excellent. They are flat out excellent. They are always new and original so that you never get bored. Although there aren’t too many levels, that doesn’t take away from the quality of the ones that are there. My personal favorite is the secret level “Untracked.” What is it? Picture an enormous, snow-covered mountain without any courses or tracks or anything like that that will lead the way for you. Also, take away any start lines and finish lines, including checkpoints. So, you have an enormous, snow-covered mountain, right? Now add your snowboarder, a helicopter to drop him/her out of, and you have untracked. Oh, also add in a ton of huge cliffs and other things to add to the excitement. It’s amazingly fun, especially since you can go anywhere you want and it’s so life-like.

So, the graphics are incredible. They are very realistic and have detail by the VERY, VERY LARGE truckloads. SSX is probably the best-looking PS2 game out now.

The sound has a unique system, and it’s one that I hope will be used more often in sports games. Let’s say you’re riding around on a level, music playing normally, when suddenly you jump off a huge ramp. The music will slow down and fade out while you do your trick. If you land it, the music can either go back to normal or, if you did a great trick, pump up. If you miss landing the trick, the music can slow down a bit. The music blends perfectly with the gameplay.

The music is great, too. It features a ton of rock, techno, and hip-hop songs that suit SSX very well. That’s basically all I can say. The music matches the gameplay perfectly, and the songs are great.

But, I can say a little more about the sound effects. Just like everything else, they’re very realistic. The sound of the board scraping the ice, snowboarders screaming at each other, car alarms…it all sounds terrific. The snowboarders’ voices, by the way, are excellent. The voice acting is very good, and it sounds like the way someone normal would talk. The voices are of very high quality, too, and you can always understand what they’re saying.

The sound is…awesome. What other way to describe it is there?

The gameplay has been covered in the first part of the review. The different modes, levels and characters will keep you playing for a very long time. Also, the game is just plain fun. Especially in multiplayer modes. Overall, the gameplay is superb. This game is amazingly fun, and you’ll be instantly hooked.

The control system is also very unique. Along with being unique, it’ll also be a b*tch to get used to for fans of the Tony Hawk series.Why? Let me explain the control system for you. First of all, unlike the Tony Hawk games, when you hold down the “X” button to jump, you can’t turn, so you should only press and hold “X” before you do a trick. Second, instead of pressing a combination like “Right, Down, O” for a trick, the control system in SSX kind of forces you to “make your own trick.” For instance, instead of a combination of buttons, you hold down any number of the shoulder buttons (R1, R2, L1, and L2) to perform a grab trick. You can hold 1, 2, 3, or even 4 of them at a time. And the longer you hold them, the more points you will get for the trick. For something like a front/back flip, you hold forward/backward on the left analog stick while pressing “X” to perform a front/back flip. If you continue to hold the left analog stick after the flip, you will perform a double, triple, etc. front/back flip. If you hold the left analog stick diagonally forward/backward, you will perform a twisting front/back flip, and you can do as many rotations as you see fit. You can also add in a grab to get more points. Also, while doing a grab trick, if you press and hold “Square,” you will tweak out, or modify, the trick, earning you more points than normal. So, you really do “make your own trick,” in a way. Also, I think I like this control system more than the Tony Hawk series, mainly because you have more freedom and you don’t have to remember a bunch of combinations to do tricks. Overall, it’s a great control system. It’ll take some getting used to, but once you do get used to it, it sticks with you.

Well, there’s my review. Like I mentioned at the very beginning of the review, SSX is probably the best snowboarding game to date and is definitely the best PS2 launch game. It combines a realistic feel of snowboarding with some fantasy elements to make a marvelous game. And, again, it’s a blast to play in any mode. If you have a PS2 or ever plan on getting one, pick up SSX. You won’t regret it.

Overall Rating - 9.5

Recommended: Yes