Uber tricky
Cons: Steep learning curve for controls
Nintendo wants gamers and non-gamers alike to be able to pick up the Wii’s wireless, motion-sensing controller and easily play intuitive games.
With a learning curve as steep as the mountains you snowboard down, "SSX Blur" is not one of those games. What it is, though, is a fresh direction for the long-running "SSX" series — and the best-looking Wii title to date.
To use the game's parlance, the controls are uber tricky, dude. "SSX Blur" will have you shaking both arms in every direction like the drummer for a heavy-metal band — it’s the Wii's unique version of button-mashing. But the controls are exhilarating once you get accustomed to them — and it takes hours of diligent trial-and-error for that to happen.
The Wii remote is used for mid-air flips and spins. The nunchuk attachment handles jumps and board grabs. That may seem simple, but it's not. Gestures, rate of speed and ramps can result in seemingly endless combinations.
The controls for "SSX Blur" bring to mind the old adage about Texas Hold'em poker: minutes to learn, a lifetime to master.
And gambling certainly comes into play when you're trying to string together mid-air moves -- because if you attempt one gesture too many before hitting the ground, you'll wipe out and get zero points. New to this game is the Groove Meter, which rises as you string together aerial acrobatics. Fill it to perform an Ubertrick by tracing a pattern on the screen for bonus points. Five levels of music play as the Groove Meter goes up — better tricks, better music. The sound effects and voice acting are excellent, as well.
"SSX Blur," created exclusively for the Wii, is polished and complete -- this is no rushed tech demo like the infamous "Red Steel."
The weaknesses of "SSX Blur" are baffling and unnecessary. At first, it appears you need to snowboard down the mountain to each event. The instruction manual doesn't explain that you can pause at any time and go straight to races. And neither the manual nor in-game instructions divulge the importance of finding Ubertrick medals. Getting one unlocks it for use in competitions. And without Ubertricks, it's impossible to win the Big Air, Slopestyle and Half-Pipe events.
Winning unlocks more characters, gear and events -- which include tournaments, head-to-head challenges against other characters and solo trick competitions.
Slaloms are the game's most brutally difficult event. So it's unfair that you must win slalom tournaments to unlock two other mountains and all their corresponding events.
Multiplayer also is disappointing in "SSX Blur." It offers just two modes: Splitscreen, in which two gamers face off side-by-side, and Hot Seat, which allows up to four players to compete, one at a time. In the end, the positives for "SSX Blur" far outweigh the negatives. The game looks, sounds and controls great -- if you're willing to put in the time.