Great game specifically for the hardcore
The SSX series finally arrives on the WIi. Iv always loved the series, but I was a little concerned while picking this game up because of the controls. Fortunately they turned out perfectly fine.
Design
SSX Blur follows basically the same structure of SSX 3. There are 3 peaks. In the beginning only the first peak is unlocked. You can ride around to enter events or tournaments. Or you can freeride down the slopes doing various challenges that are scattered around mountain. To unlock the other 2 peaks you will need to compete in tournaments.
Gameplay
The gameplay of this game is really what makes it stand-out and unique. To control your character use the analog stick on the nunchuk. But that won't really make go far. To really dig in those swings your gonna have to twist the nunchuk while holding the analog stick in the same direction. It sounds more complicated then it is and it should take you around 15 minutes to get used to this control scheme. After that it really becomes second-nature. To jump you simply have to flick the nunchuk upwards. Also to speed up you need to hold the Z button. If you fall down your gonna have to shake the Wii-mote and nunchuk up and down quickly to get back on your feet.
When you are in the air is when the controls really get tricky. You have to swing the Wii-mote forwards, backwards, to the left or to the right to do a trick. Its really not that hard but it certainly takes some getting used to. To land you press the A or B button and you character will get in the right position to land.
Ubertricks
The ubertricks is rally the biggest complaint most people have about this game. Personally, I don't have a problem with them.
So to perform an ubertrick first you need to have a certain amount of groove in your groove-meter. You get this by doing some tricks, grinding rails and some other stuff. When you have enough groove you can launch into the air and get ready to perform an ubertrick.
The first thing you need to do is to point your Wii-mote at the screen while keep your hand straight. Now press the A button and draw the shape it shows on the screen. The shape can be anything from the circle to a heart. Performing these ubertricks do take practice but after a while you will be able string together 2 or 3 of them which feels incredibly satisfying.
Modes
There a couple of modes in SSX Blur. Career is where you will be spending most of your time. You also have Quick Play, Tutorial and Multiplayer.
Unfortunately the multiplayer didn't get much focus from the developers. The box of the game is actually a misleading. It shows you a Wii-mote with the number 4 on it. So you would think it has 4 player split-screen. Actually it only have 2 player split-screen. Also when playing with a friend its only you and your friend shredding down the slopes. There is no option to turn on the computer players. This makes the multiplayer matches quite boring.
There is also another multiplayer mode called Hot Seat. In this mode 4 players can join and each one gets a turn. The winner is the one with the best time or score. This mode definitely gets boring quickly.
Its extremely disappointing that there is no online play. If there was the final score would no doubt have been a lot better.
Presentation
The graphics of this game are pretty good. Nothing special. The character models look more cartoony this time which looks pretty cool. The music is pretty awesome and actually plays according to your speed. So if you slow down the music will also slow down. There is also this DJ guy called DJ Atomika who will be talking to you through out the game. He is also really cool.
Overall
Overall SSX Blur is a great game. You just need to get those ubertricks right. As a multiplayer game its not so special.
If your looking for a great snowboarding experience on the Wii, SSX Blur is the game you want.
