The game follows the same format of it's larger console brethren. There's the
standard races, trick showcases, new boards, new riders, and all of the courses. The game
even opens with a mind-blowing FMV intro that has to be seen to be believed. Aesthetically,
the game is pretty much perfect. That is, until you actually hit the gameplay portion.
Imagine if you can a Sega Saturn version of SSX Tricky; a first generation Sega Saturn version of SSX Tricky. Throw in some Daytona USA style pop-up and a broken frame-rate and you'll have a pretty good idea of how this one runs. The riders themselves are poorly animated sprites and have serious collision detection problems that are completely unforgivable. Riders will appear on the horizon even before the horizon. A sense of speed, something handled so flawlessly on the PS2, is completely missing from this version.
To go along with the graphical issues are the blatant control problems. Since everything moves at a snails pace, pulling off tricks is downright impossible. Even the much applauded Uber-tricks look awful (that is assuming you can pull them off). Turning requires more luck then skill, punching other riders doesn't amount to much, and trying to catch any major air is an exercise in frustration.
If anything is even remotely right with this game, it's the music. Everything sounds a
bit washed out admittedly, but the techno tracks have all been captured with minimal loss.
Sadly, all of the celebrity voices have been cut out, the announcer called in sick, and
the game is now completely devoid of personality. Must be that all the processing power is
being used on the graphical engine (sarcasm off).
There is no logical reason for this game to be in anyones game library. It's a blatant attempt to capitalize on the good name of SSX. This is NOT SSX and don't let the box fool you. The only thing this game has in common is the fact that it's a snowboarding game, and it's a pitiful one at that.
