Customer Reviews

SSX Tricky

5 star:		(116)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Playing SSX Tricky is a love-hate relationship... At least, for me. I absolutely love so much of this game, it's so incredibly fun to play, so unique, so energetic... It's just a blast! But along with that joy comes a whole bucketload of frustration... Particularly in the later levels.

Imagine, if you can, playing SSX Tricky. You're riding down the mountain with trees and other obstacles whizzing past you... You're in the lead, and you're holding 'up' on the controller to keep your character in the crouched position to retain your speed. You're cruising along when suddenly there's a dip that you didn't see coming, and your finger is still holding the 'up' button. Well it happens to be a coincidence that this same button also makes your character do front-flips while in the air, and since you've suddenly become airborne, your character naturally starts doing a flip. The dip comes back up a lot faster than your flip-happy character assumed, and they end up getting a mouthful of snow, tumbling head-over-heels down the mountain while other racers whizz past for the win. Argh. Welcome to SSX Tricky!

I know this may be pretty minor to some people, and probably not enough to warrant taking off a whole star of the game's rating... But I've wanted to throw the controller across the room so many times at little things like this... I just couldn't give it a 5-star rating with a clear conscience.

Annoyances aside, this is an absolutely superb game. The characters are well modeled (A few are also pretty well endowed), the courses are incredibly long and have a very very wide variety to them, the graphics are stellar, the sound effects are incredibly realistic, the music is perfect... I could go on and on.

The funniest part about this game has got to be the commentary. I'm a firm believer that the commentary exists only to make you laugh while playing the game. Often the announcer will give you props by saying you pulled off a "Sweet funky-dope maneuver!" or your character will randomly blurt out, "French toast and syrup!", or even something so intellectual as, "Get those thumbs bronzed!" As cheesy, corny, and lame as they are... They're also good for a great laugh.

Many people have said that this game is more of an expansion of the original and not a true sequel... Well my friends, this couldn't be farther from the truth. While it's true that there are only 2 new levels, the old levels have been COMPLETELY redesigned, re-thunk and reworked. I also own the original SSX and the only level that looks even remotely close to the one seen in the original game is the Aloha Ice Jam, and even that has had some serious makeovers. There are also a ton of new characters to choose from, and there's finally a use for that silly bar on the side of the screen! Ubertricks!

Talk about star of the show, the Ubertricks have taken over the trick scene in SSX, making it faux-pas to be in the air with the board still attached your feet. With your boost meter fully charged, you can catch some big air, press a button and watch your character flip the board over their head, kickflip it like a skateboard, or... Well... Tricks that words can't even begin to describe. I'm sure you've seen the commercials, so you probably have an idea of what I'm talking about.

This is an astoundingly great game, and I urge anyone to buy it, regardless of what console they own. It's also available for both Xbox and GameCube, and it's just as fun on those systems as it is on PlayStation2. Don't let the picky graphics-loving fanboys tell you otherwise. Games are all about having fun, and SSX Tricky has definitely mastered the Fun Department. It's so easy to pick up and play, you'll be playing this game for a long time to come.

Okay, maybe it isn't the most fun game of all time, but my sister sure thinks so. Interestingly, I bought Pikmin for one sister, Super Monkey Ball for another, SSX Tricky for me, and then I find that they completely stop playing those games when they give SSX Tricky one try. Even my dad, who almost never plays games loves this one. But what do I think of it? Well, the gameplay is pretty near perfect, the graphics ARE perfect, the control IS perfect, the learning curve is excellent, and the game is just plain cool. Sure, some people may be able to beat it quickly with one character, but the game is loads of fun, and DEFINITELY the best snowboarding game ever made.

Until yesterday, SSX was by far the best of the PS2 games I've played. Then I played SSX Tricky.

The whole look has been refined. The intro is better, the 3D front end is slick, the tricks are better, and the music is improved. They've even made logical little changes, like moving "Freeride" into a new "Practice" section, rather than being listed as an event under "Single Event."

The courses themselves have been completely overhauled. The revisions to Snowdream, Elysium Alps, and Merqury City Meltdown are great -- just enough of the original courses remains to make things seem familiar, but they're sufficiently different that it's a whole new game. (As a concrete example, the first major shortcut in Elysium Alps, behind the Danger fence, is still there and largely unchanged. The second major shortcut, the series of cliffs above the ice, is completely re-done.) The Tokyo Megaplex is, well, a new pinball game. Pipedream is entirely re-done, and is now a reward for completion of the showoff events, rather than a course to be raced on its own. And the new courses, Garibaldi and Alaska, are fascinating -- I feel like it will take me two weeks just to figure out the different options on the course, let alone off the course.

The new characters will add depth for those who like having a broad range of digital people from which to choose. The Hollywood voice talent is less interesting in the game than it is on the included DVD material, which shows snippets of how the game is designed, animated, programmed, and then "voiced."

All in all, it's a distractingly good improvement. I rented it instead of buying it, but now I can feel the (...) money disappearing from my wallet.

Let's face it...SSX was *the* premiere launch game for the PS2...the premiere game that came completely out of left field, and became the first must-have for the console. As such, Tricky already had a lot to look up to, and loyal, starving fans (like myself) sat on pins and needles as the excitement grew...as SSX DVD evolved into a full-fledged sequel. What more could we ask for?
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A LOT. Believe me. How about a lot less frill and fluff...and more substance, EA? The silly little extras in Tricky are, for the most part, an incredible nuisance. It can take as long as a full minute just to go through the flashy menus to start up a race/showoff run! Imagine how quickly this grows tiresome. The celebrity voices, with few exceptions, are rather terrible, and there is such a small amount of dialogue that it gets old awfully fast. The dialogue itself is poorly written ("Why so snarky, sparky?" "Psyman says: BIG HAIRY DEAL!" "Lesser luck next time!" are a few of the worst).

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This may all seem like opinion to most...so let me let you in on SSX Tricky's biggest flaw (which most pro-review sites didn't notice, somehow)...EA, in all its effort to make the game look as pretentious as possible, didn't spend enough time playtesting the tracks. There are actually rough pixels littered all over every...single...track. Imagine riding down a track, having a perfect run...and your presumably "professional" rider falls flat on his face for no apparent reason. This is because the graphics in certain areas were not smoothed out appropriately, and these glitches stick out like invisible rocks all over every course. It is beyond infruriating, and while it's true that it gets a little better when you improve your rider's stability rating, this is completely unacceptable, and those old-hat SSX fans will find themselves resenting Tricky's flashiness, and longing for the refinement of the original SSX's excellent courses.
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The game's difficulty is also nowhere near the original's. It is possible to gain a gold medal - showoff or race - your first time down the track in World Circuit. I did it several times...while in SSX, you had to figure out where every Snowflake was, and practically memorize the course, to get a high score. I got over 500k on Garibaldi on my 3rd Showoff run...more than five times the Gold Medal requirement. This, in my opinion, murders the replay value...again, nowhere near SSX.
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To SSX owners and fans: Please, rent before buying. I am a HUGE SSX fan myself, and have been looking forward to this one for a long time...I was absolutely crushed and frustrated by what I found. I can't even go back to the old SSX anymore...because I miss the uber-tricks (which are, admittedly, a nice, if not somewhat overdone, feature)...and the new graphics (which are excellent). Maybe in a few months, sigh...
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To those new to the series...go pick up SSX. It is TONS better than Tricky...and if you don't already own it all ready...you NEED to. Besides, it is much cheaper than Tricky...better game, less cash. 'Nuff said.
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Maybe next time around...if only there were a way to put the two games together...oh well...there's always Metal Gear 2...sigh...

By Matt Goodwin

I bought a PS2 for my 10 year old last year and never had any interest in using it myself. Then I discovered SSX tricky. Awesome! From the soundtrack to the incredible graphics, from the gameplay to the characters, it doesn't disappoint. Best of all, the game is easy to learn, so newbies (including those of us who don't snowboard) can enjoy it right out of the box. You can zoom down the slopes, hit massive jumps, and pull off incredible tricks on your very first try.

Although easy to learn, it is tough to master and incredibly addictive. The advanced courses are very challenging, and no matter how good you get, you always want to take 'just one more run' to pull off better tricks or beat your best race time.

The game world is very realistic. You can ski off the course in search of a shortcut to the bottom, jump off cliffs looking for big air, grind on any surface (rails, fences, billboards...) and elbow your opponents in a race. There are traditional courses that look like a ski resort, but also courses through city streets (jump too high and you might hit a traffic light!), through untracked powder in Alaska, and an enormous terrain park.

There are multiple characters to choose from (male and female), each with a different personality. My daughter actually enjoys spending time putting different outfits on her favorite characters before each race.

I have also played SSX3, and there have been several reviews comparing the two. Here is my take:

1) Tricky is mode based- you navigate menus to select a course, choose racing or tricks, etc. SSX3 feels more like a day at the mountain, where you free ski over to a race, then to a halfpipe and so on. Which is better? It's really a matter of taste.

2) Tricky tries to build up rivalries between the characters. If you knock over an opponent, they develop animosity and gun for you in future races. Also, there is PG rated trash talk at the end of each race. I think the trash talking gets old (and repetitive) pretty quickly, but I enjoy the elbowing during the race, especially in two player mode :)

3) The music in SSX3 is more diverse, and you can customize your music as if you were carrying an MP3 player. As others have noted, SSX3 even seems to adjust the music to match your riding, with big crescendos when you land a jump.

4) I like the commentator in Tricky- he pumps things up. The commentator in SSX3 seems dull in comparison.

5) Tricky seems easier, especially for the novice. The first few courses are confidence builders, which is good for younger kids and adults who are only casual gamers, like myself. Also, tricky has a practice area where you can interactivley learn new tricks.

6) Tricky is about half the price

You can't go wrong with either version. However, I'd say Tricky is better for the budget minded, younger kids or casual gamers, while SSX3 is probably better for teens, serious gamers or hardcore snowboarders.

Sequel to the sleeper hit of the PS2 launch SSX, this is, but in many ways it is much much better.

The first major improvement you see in this game is the amount and variety of different playable characters in this incarnation. There are a total of 12 this time around instead of six, and they are voiced by some very big names covering the gambit of film (Lucy Lui, Billy Zane, and David Arquette), music (Macy Gray and Ryan Wall aka DJ Precise), and of course circus freaks (Jim Rose). All of these voices really bring the characters to life and make them that much more entertaining. They all have numerous costumes and boards you can use as you complete their Trickbooks.

The courses are magnificent, they are stylish, large, and oh yeah fun baby, bigtime. All the courses are back this year, but they've changed enough that you have to learn them all over again. One minor complaint is with Merqury City Meltdown, I liked the way the city was in SSX, it was a bit darker and more ominious, this version isn't bad mind you, its just a bit brighter and friendlier. I really must say I love the fog/cloud effects because it really makes you feel like you are soaring down a mountainside at breakneck speeds.

Mmmmmusic, let me just say one thing here... Rahzel is back again, and the beats are way way Phat to keep you groovin' down the hill. Ok, that was 2 things, I know, but SSX tricky is all about pushing the envelope, right?

The trickstyle concept is also back, but with a serious vengence. Now you can perform Uber tricks when you get big air, and if you do enough of them you can Superboost your way to the finish line. The Uber tricks are tasty as hell, because the boarders release from the board and perform some death-defying tricks that will awe and amaze.

Simply put this game is super dope, ultra phat, and more fun then dropping Nsync into a lion pit, and that's saying something.

SSX was one of the best PS2 initial releases in the US. SSX Tricky takes all the cool aspects of the first game and pushes them further. Lets take a look...

1) The Courses: We have two new courses, and all our old favorites have been totally revamped. The revamps are so different that they can be considered brand new. The new Pipe Dream you have to see to believe! Gerabaldi, the new first course (Snow Dream is now the second course), is perfect for new players to learn the ropes, and a blast for advanced players to rack up bazillions of trick points on.

2) The Characters: We lose Hiro and Jergen, and gain a bunch of new characters. Of the new ones, my favs are Brodie, Psymon, and Marisol. The old characters get a face lift too. Elise is totally hot now. The things the characters yell out in mid air (and at eachother) are pretty cool and sometimes funny. There is a new feature that creates relationships between players. If you knock someone down enough times, they become your enemy and will gun for you in future! You can also make friends and they will try to help you out. You can unlock the characters a lot more easily than in SSX 1, too.

3) Tricks: The addition of Ubertricks is the bomb. You get off your board in mid air, do some insane tricks, then get back on it. You can do multiple Ubertricks in a row if you have enough hang time. You will really dig nailing a big Ubertrick while flying through a red showflake for over 100,000 points, trust me.

If you liked SSX 1, Tricky is sure to satisfy. If you're new to the SSX series, this is a great game. One of my favorite things about SSX Tricky is that girls can get into it just as much as guys.

SSX was my favorite game for the PS2 until SSX Tricky came out. SSX Tricky has more tracks, better tracks, and more and better characters, as well. The tricks are much easier to master with the new Trick Book feature.

Some reviewers have complained that this game is not as polished as the original, and that there are problems with the tracks. I do not think that is true, I think that there is a lot more attention to the abliity levels of the riders, and until you get the ability attribute levels of your characters up to a certain level, they will occassionally fall down. It is more realistic that way.

I cannot recommend this game highly enough. I can't wait for SSX 3!!!

My first ever Play Station experience! My husband bought one whilst on a rainy vacation this summer and our first game was SSX Tricky - our visiting friend had the older version so recommended it to us and our three children (ranging in age from 6-10).

Anyway, we all had a whale of a time playing and got to know the characters well. We all had our favorites (mine is the whacky Psymon!). You can be competitive, either against another player or the characters themselves, you can practice your snowboarding skills and crazy tricks - no, I've never snowboarded either, but I feel as though I have now - and you can watch the characters build in skill level the more successful you make them become, whilst at the same time "unlocking" new venues, snowboards and outfits.

All in all, being total novices as far as Play Station and snowboarding are concerned, we as a family find SSX Tricky 100% fun (and I must admit it's quite addictive, as I find myself trying to get a better medal or testing out a new venue with my pal Psymon after the kids have gone off to school!!).

All I hope is, when my kids start snowboarding eventually, they don't try Uber Tricks for a while!

If you're looking for a game that appeals to all ages and offers hours of gameplay without getting monotonous, then SSX Tricky is for you!

I literally have a hard time putting down the controller - I'm THAT hooked. That's pretty high praise from a household where our PS2 will usually go for days without being touched, and has only been used as a DVD player in recent months. That has all changed with SSX Tricky, which has to be the most addictive & entertaining game I have played.

While I can be "all thumbs" on some of today's video games with complex moves and combinations, it only took me a few tries before I was performing ultra cool trick combos on Tricky. My kids (age 7) picked it up pretty quickly as well, and are just as addicted as I.

I have to report that SSX Tricky lives up to the hype, despite some reviews to the contrary. It is obvious from reading numerous reviews that the expectations for games have grown beyond games' abiility to deliver. And that's just sad, really. Because SSX Tricky is undoubtedly a solid effort from EA's "BIG" label, and is unbelievably enjoyable for hours on end.

Now, bear in mind that I am not a typical "gamer" and don't take some (apparently) critical factions into consideration, such as frame rate and 3D rendering - but what I do consider important after plopping down my fifty bucks is whether I (and my kids) have a good time with a game. SSX has delivered in spades!

My seven year old twins and I enjoy taking turns choosing players in World Circuit mode and enhancing each rider's abilities following medal winning runs. We have each developed an affinity for different characters, and that's another positive attribute of this game - good characterization.

It's really possible to enjoy Tricky on so many different levels: it's a great, easy game for one player on Single Event mode - or it's a challenging, entrancing game that draws you in on World Circuit mode. I find myself looking forward to the next track and next level of competition.

After seeing that some people were disappointed with the game, my only question is - what more did you want? I was left wanting nothing else...except another turn at the controller.