SSX Blur looks and sounds good, but the controls leave something to be desired.
(-) The controls are unwieldy and difficult to get used to
I was previously not too interested in the snowboarding category, I would mostly go for racers, fighters, and action games, but I happened to be out on Black Friday and found this on sale for just four dollars at a movie gallery and didn't know what to expect of it. But once I actually started playing the game I was surprised.
The graphics in SSX Blur are great. The snowboarder you are playing as is cartoon animated, which gives the game an atmosphere very appropriate for Wii owners. The snow mountains are bright and colorful and have a lot of visual flair going to them. The frame rate is smooth as you trail down the hill, I haven't noticed any hiccups. And there are also smaller details added to the experience, such as when you crash your character is covered in snow and it remains there the rest of the race.
The sound is also great. Unlike SSX On Tour which consisted of mostly rock and punk soundtrack songs that I found to get old after a while, this game has a dreamy orchestrated bouncy music piece that changes every time you get into another race. And as you pull of tricks on your way down the hill the layer of the music gets higher and higher, and once you crash the music stops for a second and starts over as it was before. The music is joyful and energetic and I found it very interesting and a pleasure to listen to.
The controls are where I draw my complaints thought. You move your skater entirely with the nun-chuck and move the Wii remote during jumps to pull off tricks. I found the turning to be pretty stiff and takes a little while to execute, and the bottom screen instructions for the Wii remote's movement during the jump to pull off a trick doesn't always work the way its supposed to. I totally agree with Gamespot that this game has an equal level of frustration as it does a level of joy.
There are also several multiplayer modes where you can have one other player compete against you, though I prefer just the races and the time attacks. To unlock more characters and levels for this mode all you have to do is find a short cheat through the Internet. I find it odd how you have to type the cheat every time you play if you want this content, it doesn't save onto the memory of your save. But I didn't find that too much of a problem because it doesn't take that long to type two cheats anyway.
SSX Blur has cutting edge graphics, level design, steady frame-rate and some very pleasing music, but the controls are uneven and pretty difficult to get used to. It's great for a bargain ben purchase and definitely an experience that should be had for winter sports fans as well as others who could possible have some fun with a game like this. I didn't think I would take all that well out of it, but it turns out I am pleased by what I got.