Surprising how such a good game could be so frustrating.
Design:
Pros: Smooth user-friendly interface, Great deal of modes to play, Hot-seats gives other players a chance to play, Top-notch SSX fun.
Cons: No online-play, Very steep learning curve from the start.
Score: 7.0/10
The SSX franchise has always been about going down a slope as fast as possible and being as stylish as possible and Blur is no different. The game pits you with the same features as the previous entries of the series, though the only gripe is that there is no online-play in the game. Seeing as the Wii is capable of online-gaming and how the previous entries of the SSX series had online-play, Blur just seems like a GC version of the series. The game does offer multi-player up to 2 players split-screen and a cool feature found in most party games called the Hot-seat so that everyone gets a fair share of playing. The interface is very cool and easy to use. It feels like you're using a mouse as you click and select options. The game does have a hefty learning curve and will take a lot of patience for anybody to enjoy the game to it's fullest.
Gameplay:
Pros: The motion controls work!, Trick system isn't too hard to get used to, The game just feels like it's made for the Wii.
Cons: VERY HARD!!
Score: 6.0/10
There are always two things that matters when it comes to decent gameplay. One of them is that it's playable and Blur succeeds with flying colors. The game works very well with the motion-controls and feels very good just going down a slope with nothing but skillz. The game just feels like it's made for the Wii and that's a huge accomplishment right there, seeing as many Wii titles just don't feel right at home on the Wii. The other thing that matters most is a decent difficulty and that's where the game fails to deliver. It truly is a game for the hardcore and it shows. The controls aren't complex but if you go into the tutorials menu you will see so many thing you have to master, it's ridiculous. It took me a whole weekend just getting decent with the controls but then there is smart AI and the further you get on the peeks, the better and smarter become the AI. The game certainly isn't impossible, but it's very difficult. Besides that, the game works very well with the Wii mote. Many of the franchises main deals are back such as tricks, railing, half-pipes, etc. The trick system is pretty simple, but the game doesn't offer the great amount which was offered by SSX Tricky on the Xbox. All in all, good use of the Wii mote, but complicated as hell!
Presentation:
Pros: Sweet animation, Nice powder effects, A very glossy/stylish look, Great music, Amazing sense of speed, All in all one of the best production values on the Wii.
Cons: Some annoying textures here and there, A few clippings.
Score: 8.5/10
When people say the Wii can't handle next-gen graphics, they really don't have to when they can simply make their games look much more stylish and colorful. SSX Blur is by far, one of the best looking 3rd party games on the Wii, which isn't a port. As stated above, the game looks very stylish, sounds very good and just has a sense of speed like no other. The game has a few clippings here and there, but all in all the production values are very high with this one.
Trash or not?
The SSX series has been down hill for a while and this title is no mold breaker, although, no matter what, it's one of the better 3rd party contributions to the Wii and really shows the Wii can look just as sexy as most 360/PS3 titles. Sure the game may have a steep learning curve and has no online-play but the motion controls, once mastered, feel very rewarding and the game just looks spectacular and just hits the spot filled with the better Wii games.