|
Hey guys and gals.
I picked up the game yesterday, but didn't play it until evening when I went to a friends..
We played 2 player and then took turns going through some of the one player "Conquer the Mountain" mode.
The game is suerb. Really, it is.
The graphics are breathtaking, and there is zero draw-in.. The framerate also moves along at a speedy pace. I have yet to see slowdown in abundance, and that is amazing, considering that there isn't draw in or even "fuzzyness" on distant objects.
Instead of commenting on the sound, graphics, and gameplay in depth, I will just say they are all superb. It is an incredibly well done game that I have been unable to find any negatives for at this point.
The aspect of the game that I love and would like to take a minute to focus on is the incredible amount of freedom this game allows.
You can access the various events in the game through menus (like the earlier versions of SSX), or you can go into "Free Ride" and work your way down the mountain, encountering exits (think highway road system) that you can take to a specific race or challenge.
Also, just before entering the start area, you can branch left and take a "Free" run down the course, without opponents, time, or scoring. It's basically a free run down the course.. A way of trying it out before doing it officially against opponents and the clock.
The races themselves are very well done. So far my favorite race has to be the one that involves me racing my rival down the peak.. No set course.. They put you on a mountain top with him and the first one to the bottom wins. This is a simply amazing experience, because you can literally go anywhere.. There are huge drops and ample opportunities to bust tricks off of these drops.
If I had to pick just one thing I loved about this game it would be the amount of freedom it provides its users. You can work your way through the game via menus and such, but the more fun way is to just start out in "Free Ride" and snowboard to the various locations.
The last race on peak 1 has you racing down the entire peak against other racers.. I haven't done it yet, but it sounds incredible, given the immense size of the peaks.. And there are three of them.
Characters have a ton of unlockables that actually help them, but also look neat. Attributes are increased through earnings, and that is also how one buys cool items that both benefit the boarder and make him/her look spiffy.
Honestly, the game is just amazing. I went online last night and checked it out, but didn't play, as I would get owned. There are lobbies, Quick Play options, and the rooms were quite full for being release day.
I am not sure what else to say, except that this is the one game that has lived up to the hype. Generally hype (especially over-hype) kills games, but in this case SSX 3 came out on top, and that this makes it a true gem of a game.
I have it for PS2, but I have read it is solid for the Cube and XBox as well.
__________________
"Yes, I rather like this God fellow. He's very theatrical, you know, a pestilence here, a plague there. Omnipotence. Gotta get me some of that." -Stewie
|