SSX tour takes up the mantle from where SSX 3 left us - a crazed snowboarding game to celebrate the fact winter is coming in fast. But is it worth the extra cash or should you just stick with your current version? We find out.
Our quick take
Winter may be coming, but SSX Tour doesn't bring enough to the party to warrant the extra spend over sticking with SSX 3 or picking it up on the cheap.
The ability to customise your character and ski on skis will appeal to someone gamers, however there just isn't enough extra to recommend over previous outings.
SSX Tour - PS2 - 3.5 / 5
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While the menu system has changed dramatically to previous versions of the SSX series, what is under the shell is basically the same. You complete in a Tour of slopes to become crowned the SSX Tour icon.
Courses, routes and tracks all vary depending on your progression through the game and you’ve got to complete a series of different goals to get ahead.
The goals range from racing another player to performing a set amount of tricks in a certain time. They are varied, but the monotony of the courses will soon disappoint. It is not that they aren’t varied in their jumps and detail, it's just for the most part you can’t see the wood for the trees.
Changes to the latest incarnation are the ability to create your own player and for the first time you can choose to ski on skis. Either way we found no real difference in the way they responded over a snowboard and it really comes down to personal preference alongside whether or not you want your boarder/skier to have a goatee or be clean-shaven.
Aside from the tour routes, to get you into the action, the game offers a Quick Play zone where you can complete the challenges in the Tour zone without any benefit or messing up your performance.
It’s a good job too, as annoyingly there isn’t a tutorial or practice mode in the game. Want to perfect those big air moves? You’re going to have to find a course and a race that suits your needs to try and fathom out the moves. This is fine if you are a hardened pro at the SSX series, but hopeless if you’ve never visited this genre before.
To recap
The ability to customise your character and ski on skis will appeal to some gamers, however there just isn’t enough extra to recommend over previous outings