SSX

Overall: B+
Violence: A-
Sexual Content: A
Language: A
Drugs/Alcohol: A

Platform reviewed: Sony PlayStation 2
Publisher: EA Sports
ESRB rating: E

Holding the snowboard in my hands, I studied the two bindings affixed to it. Try as I might, I couldn't imagine staying in a controlled upright position with my feet strapped into them. Returning the board to its place in the window display, I queried my teenaged son, "I thought a key part of keeping your balance was having two feet that moved independently of each other?" His reply brought to mind similar two-decade-old exchanges I'd had with my father when he said, "You old guys just have no sense of adventure." "Oh, we still have a sense of adventure," I replied, "It's just that years of experience and an understanding of our limitations have replaced the testosterone-charged need to show off." "In other words," He shot back, "You're too chicken."

Whether you're a seasoned snowboarder or a faint-hearted newbie, SSX (Snowboarding Supercross) by EA Sports will have you carving up the slopes in snow time at all. Prior to boarding, you'll be required to choose from a field of four riders (others become available as the game progresses), each of whom have different skill potentials. Boards are then selected based on character abilities, and whether you intend to perform tricks or travel at breakneck speed. And, if you've ever set foot on a ski hill you'll remember that style is a big part of the sport, so you'll also be required to choose an outfit. Keep in mind that board and outfit choices are also limited at the outset, with access to locked ones depending on your ability to achieve certain objectives.

Now that you're stoked and ready for a wild ride, there are several ways to bust the gate. You can Warm-Up (practice things like turns, jumps, and those inevitable landings); take a Free Ride (try out various levels to become familiar with the terrain and those time-shaving shortcuts); Show-Off (allow the hot dog in you to flaunt your trick skills); Race (some quick and dirty boarding just for the fun of it); or enter the World Races (serious racing action where you must finish amongst the top three in a field of six prior to advancing).

To begin with, your primary goal will simply be to cross the finish line. But even if you complete the course without falling, there are ways to improve your time in order to achieve those elusive first-place bragging rights. For instance, proper cornering consists of three separate steps, the mastery of which will save precious time. Speed checking--the art of slowing down--allows a rider to enter turns and jumps at a controlled speed (something I seemed incapable of), thereby avoiding the wasted seconds required to fall out of a tree, or peel yourself off the side of a boulder. And although big-air hang-time actually slows you down, each stunt performed has an attendant degree of difficulty that augments your point totals and gives your adrenaline meter a much-needed boost (which in turn translates to a higher top speed).

Extreme boardercross action takes place on some of the wackiest venues you've laid eyes on, including: Elysium Alps (you'll be flying high above the trees when you find the shortcuts on this mountain); Merqury City Meltdown (nighttime boarding through the streets of a snow-covered city); Mesablanca (there's not a lot of snow here--the trick is in finding what little there is); Tokyo Megaplex (imagine being inside a gigantic pinball machine--watch out for those flippers!); and Aloha Ice Jam (just you and your stick shredding an iceberg that's being towed into a Hawaiian port). Although there are only eight courses in total, they are expansive runs that can take a rider going full-tilt upwards to ten minutes to complete. When you take into account the two-player options that are available, SSX can easily provide many hours of good-natured competition (especially when the trash-talk starts happening). Another plus for parents is the fact that the only content concern comes in the form of a little pushing and shoving for position (no cuts, no bruises, no broken bones--only damaged pride).

Speaking of knocking over an opponent, I think I'm ready to take up my son's challenge...

Jim Fleming

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