SSX Blur
Posted April 25, 2007
The early success of the Wii can largely be attributed to the fact that it is very easy to pick up and play. Nintendo’s motion sensing controller has allowed developers to create intuitive control schemes that are very easy to learn. With SSX Blur, Electronic Arts somewhat steps away from that trend by implementing a set of controls that takes quite a bit of time to master. While the game is well executed on several levels, some difficult aspects to the control scheme will most likely be a turn off to the majority of Wii owners.
Gameplay:
For those unfamiliar with the series, SSX games are EA’s take on extreme snowboarding and skiing. SSX Blur is the fifth iteration in the series and represents the first entry on a next gen console.
At the outset, the controls to SSX Blur feel as though they make solid use of the Nintendo controller’s motion sensing capabilities. Carving, aka steering, is accomplished primarily by tilting the nunchuk to the left or right. For less sharp turns, you use the thumbstick to guide their character. The game also allows steering controls to be customized so that either the nunchuk or thumbstick is used, instead of a combination of the two. This was a wise choice, as both options have a nice feel to them on their own, but sometimes feel a little sloppy when used together.
Performing stunts and tricks plays a large role in SSX Blur and the controls for these have mostly been mapped to physical motions. Flicking the nunchuk up will cause the character to jump. While in the air, the Wii remote can be flicked in any direction to perform a forward, back or side spin. Buttons on both the remote and nunchuk are also used for a variety of actions, such as grabbing your board, throwing a snowball at an opponent or using a speed boost. Responsiveness tends to be good for all of these actions.
The controls mentioned so far take some time to get used to, but function adequately enough and are not a barrier to enjoying the game. Unfortunately, there is more. To win events, thereby progressing through the game, you must perform uber tricks. At their core, these basically consist of drawing random shapes in the air with the remote and nunchuk. Some are fairly basic, but others are quite complex, requiring multiple lines and shapes to be drawn simultaneously with both the remote and nunchuk.
While they are an idea with interesting potential, the uber tricks are horribly implemented within the game. Many of the uber trick patterns are too complicated, but even the simple ones are difficult to pull off consistently. One of the simplest patterns consists solely of a circle. In one of the game’s practice modes, where the only activity is repeated drawing of the uber trick patterns, I was able to draw the circle to the game’s satisfaction about half of the times I tried. In game, that number dropped to around one out of ten attempts. Long story short, skillfully pulling off uber tricks is overly difficult, to the point of nearly ruining the game.
Very few of SSX Blur’s competitions can be won sans uber tricks and winning competitions and tournaments is the only way to unlock additional challenges and content. All in all, it is an extremely frustrating experience. At the peak of my frustration with the game, I quit trying to pull off specific uber tricks and simply took to wildly waving my controllers around in front of me. Amazingly, it caused my character to perform an uber trick. I soon found that this approach would work a decent amount of the time. So while pulling off a specific trick is very difficult, waving the controllers around like a rabid idiot will possibly get enough uber tricks to win some events and progress through the game. All in all, the implementation of uber tricks is enough to seriously mar what would have otherwise been a fairly solid game.
Graphics:
SSX Blur is one of the best looking games to be released on the Wii to date. Instead taking a photo-realistic approach, the game is cartoonish and highly stylized. Despite its weaknesses, SSX Blur does a nice job of demonstrating how solid choices in art direction can help hide the relatively weak graphical horsepower of the Wii.
Audio:
SSX Blur fails to make much of an impression in the sound department. Generic upbeat music plays during events. Sound effects are present, but are not particularly impressive and take a backseat to the music. A commentator pipes up from time to time, managing to avoid being too irritating while adding nothing of substance. Overall, the audio is very average.
Overall:
SSX Blur could have been an excellent game. Instead, its uber tricks make it a cumbersome affair that most of the Wii’s target audience will not enjoy at all. For big fans of the series or those who love very difficult games, rent it and see if it happens to be your cup of tea. Everyone else is safe in skipping it entirely.
Gameplay:
For those unfamiliar with the series, SSX games are EA’s take on extreme snowboarding and skiing. SSX Blur is the fifth iteration in the series and represents the first entry on a next gen console.
At the outset, the controls to SSX Blur feel as though they make solid use of the Nintendo controller’s motion sensing capabilities. Carving, aka steering, is accomplished primarily by tilting the nunchuk to the left or right. For less sharp turns, you use the thumbstick to guide their character. The game also allows steering controls to be customized so that either the nunchuk or thumbstick is used, instead of a combination of the two. This was a wise choice, as both options have a nice feel to them on their own, but sometimes feel a little sloppy when used together.
Performing stunts and tricks plays a large role in SSX Blur and the controls for these have mostly been mapped to physical motions. Flicking the nunchuk up will cause the character to jump. While in the air, the Wii remote can be flicked in any direction to perform a forward, back or side spin. Buttons on both the remote and nunchuk are also used for a variety of actions, such as grabbing your board, throwing a snowball at an opponent or using a speed boost. Responsiveness tends to be good for all of these actions.
The controls mentioned so far take some time to get used to, but function adequately enough and are not a barrier to enjoying the game. Unfortunately, there is more. To win events, thereby progressing through the game, you must perform uber tricks. At their core, these basically consist of drawing random shapes in the air with the remote and nunchuk. Some are fairly basic, but others are quite complex, requiring multiple lines and shapes to be drawn simultaneously with both the remote and nunchuk.
While they are an idea with interesting potential, the uber tricks are horribly implemented within the game. Many of the uber trick patterns are too complicated, but even the simple ones are difficult to pull off consistently. One of the simplest patterns consists solely of a circle. In one of the game’s practice modes, where the only activity is repeated drawing of the uber trick patterns, I was able to draw the circle to the game’s satisfaction about half of the times I tried. In game, that number dropped to around one out of ten attempts. Long story short, skillfully pulling off uber tricks is overly difficult, to the point of nearly ruining the game.
Very few of SSX Blur’s competitions can be won sans uber tricks and winning competitions and tournaments is the only way to unlock additional challenges and content. All in all, it is an extremely frustrating experience. At the peak of my frustration with the game, I quit trying to pull off specific uber tricks and simply took to wildly waving my controllers around in front of me. Amazingly, it caused my character to perform an uber trick. I soon found that this approach would work a decent amount of the time. So while pulling off a specific trick is very difficult, waving the controllers around like a rabid idiot will possibly get enough uber tricks to win some events and progress through the game. All in all, the implementation of uber tricks is enough to seriously mar what would have otherwise been a fairly solid game.
Graphics:
SSX Blur is one of the best looking games to be released on the Wii to date. Instead taking a photo-realistic approach, the game is cartoonish and highly stylized. Despite its weaknesses, SSX Blur does a nice job of demonstrating how solid choices in art direction can help hide the relatively weak graphical horsepower of the Wii.
Audio:
SSX Blur fails to make much of an impression in the sound department. Generic upbeat music plays during events. Sound effects are present, but are not particularly impressive and take a backseat to the music. A commentator pipes up from time to time, managing to avoid being too irritating while adding nothing of substance. Overall, the audio is very average.
Overall:
SSX Blur could have been an excellent game. Instead, its uber tricks make it a cumbersome affair that most of the Wii’s target audience will not enjoy at all. For big fans of the series or those who love very difficult games, rent it and see if it happens to be your cup of tea. Everyone else is safe in skipping it entirely.