SSX (Xbox 360 / PS3)
Price: £39.99 (RRP)
Rating: 
Sky's the limit: pull of some daring tricks and high altitude
AT first glance, it would be tempting to write this game off as a mere ‘Tony Hawk’s Skateboarding’ on the snow – yet another addition to the aging ‘trick-’em-up’ genre. But do so at your peril, as this is one of the best games of the year so far.
From the spectacular opening skydiving tutorial, to the adrenalin rush you get from taking on one of the world’s most dangerous peaks, SSX delivers in every way – staying true to the original, while giving the series a much-needed reboot into the current gen.
Trick-based gameplay remains at the core of SSX, whether that be on the World Tour mode or competing against other players. But the learning curve is steady enough to get you showing off some of game’s best tricks early on. Players can earn a ‘boost’ for pulling off more tricks, which makes for some very stylish-looking races.
Never be board again: Prepare for some seriously fun descents
Graphics are stunning. Although both the Xbox and Ps3 are aging consoles, the visuals are clear and crisp, providing a unique-looking experience. Visuals still have a cartoon-element look to them, but this is contrasted with some stunning, HD-quality backgrounds that have lost that ‘stuck-on’ feel, plagued by most games of the genre. Character models are well-detailed, too.
The game is helped by a fantastic, eclectic soundtrack – switching from funky R&B to shimmering pop – all of which adds to the thrill of the mountain descent. When you take a big leap, the music softens, before kicking-in at full-blast the moment your board touches the ground again.
Long way down: So it's the perfect time to get your tricks up to scratch
Unfortunately, the game does not have the option of simultaneous multi-player. This means that although you can see your other friends on the slope, there is no co-ordinated start – so it doesn’t matter who crosses the finishing line first. Still, it’s fun to hang out with friends on the Rockies, and the multi-player on the whole is a fantastic package.
Snowboarding games have reached a new peak.
Most watched News videos
- New video shows Epstein laughing and chasing young women
- British Airways passengers turn flight into a church service
- Epstein describes himself as a 'tier one' sexual predator
- Skier dressed as Chewbacca brutally beaten in mass brawl
- Two schoolboys plummet out the window of a moving bus
- Buddhist monks in Thailand caught with a stash of porn
- Melinda Gates says Bill Gates must answer questions about Epstein
- Police dog catches bag thief who pushed woman to the floor
- Holly Valance is shut down by GB News for using slur
- JD Vance turns up heat on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor
- Sarah Ferguson 'took Princesses' to see Epstein after prison
- China unveils 'Star Wars' warship that can deploy unmanned jets
