POSTED 11/3/12


SSX

EA Sports
PS3 (also on Xbox 360)

It’s long-accepted marketing wisdom that sex sells. Oops, the EA Sports people speeled it rong...

OK, so it’s an initialism of snowboarding, surfing and motocross. Familiar with previous series outings? Be comforted that despite changes, the ‘go that way really fast, if something gets in your way turn’ mantra remains, along with some familiar faces.

The big new thing is the real world. EA Sports picked the brains of NASA boffins, then distracted them whilst yoinking some geekily-named data that allowed them to recreate actual Earth mountains all topographically correctly. So, say hello to everywhere from Africa to Alaska, New Zealand to the sunny, welcoming hugginess of, erm, Siberia.

Everything about this SSX is big, or rather BIG – that’s the word capitalised, not an acronym. Through three challenge types – race, trick, survive - runs are BIG, stunts are BIG, speed is BIG, shit to run into is BIG, ouches after running into shit that is BIG are BIG and, pleasingly, soundtrackiness is BIG. Including an eclectic mix from wacky monochromatic Swedes The Hives through to current darlings Foster the People, tunes are somehow mixed on the fly to suit action. Voodoo, witchcraft or just clever tech? Hmmmmmmm, It’s Tricky...

New controls are introduced, however if you’re cueing a sentence commencing with “In my day...” then chill gramps, a classic method’s jammed in. From whizzing through the air like a mangled propeller to grinds longer than enduring Nickelback songs, once grips are getted to flow is increased as human pinballing’s decreased.

Customisation isn’t abundant, but you can change suit colours, plus kerching boards and survival options like armour and oxygen tanks. Those craving simultaneous multiplayer are flicked the finger though, as it isn’t live. Instead you take on ghosts for slope-slapping supremacy in an Autolog-like affair.

Despite a lack of the K12, dude, SSX is better – but not better than secks.

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