SSX On Tour Review (no fat)

Game Description

Though the game does not deviate from the essence of the SSX franchise that earned popularity in the console market, it has been drenched with elements of rock n roll and features a radical soundtrack and characters that resemble rock stars. The fast paced action is peppered with stunts and tricks that are beautifully rendered on the small screen of the PSP. As an added bonus, Electronic Arts have incorporated a skiing mode into the game.

Simply stating, SSX On Tour is all about creating your rider, earn medals, perform tricks and rise and shine in the snowboarding ranks.

SSX On Tour Gameplay

EA Sports have encapsulated an entire mountain into the small screen of the PSP. While some amount of scaling down and feature cuts is always inevitable when a game migrates from larger screens to smaller venues, the developers compensate for the loss with added features and a great new theme of rock n roll.

Unlike the console versions, you don't get to create your character from scratch. Instead you pick from a male or female character and take on challenges. As you progress, you get to unlock new characters and slopes.

The game's main mode is it's single player mode, The Tour. In this mode, you set forth and conquer events, grabbing medals along your way and unlocking newer events. There are three types of events, Slope style (where you slide down the slope and perform your tricks), Race (achieve breakneck speed, take on opponents and win based on speed) and Big Air (showcase your tricks on special courses). For your efforts you can win a gold, silver or bronze medal. Though the core of the game is snowboarding and performing tricks, you can also grow in stature and rise in rank on a leader board.

SSX On Tour – The Moves

Maneuvering your board is pretty simple and there are plenty of control combos that can be used to trigger a wide range of tricks. The simpler tricks are easy to perform but negotiating some of the complex ones can cause a few heartaches. It also requires a series of stunts to rake in major points and pull out all the stops. The gameplay does suffer when it comes to executing major stunts and the fact that most games come with inadequate documentation doesn't help.

Overall, the game has hours of fun to offer for PSP owners. The events are varied and the decent graphics and sound make it a fun experience.

SSX On Tour Graphics and Sound

The Rock n Roll theme is one that is appealing and adds a great dimension to the intense action and breakneck speed of the game. Intuitive use of camera angles and decent representation of slopes and snowboarders makes this game, visually appealing. However, there are times when the camera zooms in t tad too much and it becomes more and more difficult to handle the slopes.

The sound track that includes Iron Maiden, the legendary metal band, is a huge bonus and something that recommends the game to a large audience.

SSX On Tour Summary

There is a minor problem with lag during multiplayer games, but the problem is accentuated when the song changes and the EX Trax announces it. Apart from that, the game fares well on the PSP and provides a funky experience filled with some unorthodox musicians and skateboarders…that’s the mildest way to describe the unicorns and cats featuring On Tour.

The game might not set well with players who have experienced this or it's predecessors on larger screen consoles. But then again, it's not fair to draw comparisons of this sort. Simply stating, if you have a PSP, it deserves to go ‘On Tour’

SSX On Tour Cost

SSX On Tour currently retails at $49.99