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The original SSX on the PS2 was easily one of the most impressive first games for the system, and with SSX Tricky, they went from sweet to sublime. The series has remained exceptional in the world of extreme sports gaming throughout its lifespan, and crossed over from the world of Sony to other systems. Now available on the Wii, it’s clear that EA Sports has gone out of their way to try to take advantage of the unique abilities of the system, and for the most part, SSX Blur is an excellent, if certainly not perfect addition to the series and the system.

Wii, Wii, Wii, All through the snow!

Packing in the usual colorful cast, SSX Blur brings the mountain to you, and with it, tons of extreme boarding and skiing. Going with the innovative open-mountain format seen in the last game, the game has no shortage of acreage to explore and events to challenge you. The story is the usual fare—take on your friends and enemies in a variety of trick and racing events, and eventually become king of the mountain. Because, after all, isn’t that what all of life is about?

The mountain this time around has three different peaks and a total of 12 tracks, but you can just freely bomb down the mountainside completely without goals or direction. The game has a groovy, friendly feel to it, and the learning curve ramps up in a reasonable manner. The game needs that curve, because playing well means being able to utilize the unique Wii controls.

Remote Control

Admittedly, the control scheme is fairly intuitive. The nunchuck analog stick turns, brakes, and accelerates, while the remote is mostly used for crazy tricks. Push the stick forward to go forward and back to break, for instance, while pushing left and right on the stick will steer you accordingly. To turn sharply, though, you can turn the whole nunchuck right or left, and bobbing the nunchuck up suddenly will jump.

The remote lets you flip and spin, and do an amazing number of combination and so-called “uber” tricks. While airborne, tip the remote up or down to flip, and side to side to spin. Performing tricks increases your “groove” bar, which, when full, enables you to pull off an uber trick. Unleashed by holding the A button and then painting a specific symbol in the air with the remote, these tricks are visually impressive but often maddeningly hard to do.

Sensitivity Issues

The lack of sensitivity with the Wii controls is easily the biggest problem in SSX Blur. Even normal spinning and flipping can seem haphazard. Moving the remote in the air leads to some kind of trick, but it’s often a crapshoot as to what exactly you’ll end up with. Controls feel a bit more exact on the half pipes, simply because you’re more confined and therefore more limited when it comes to aerial shenanigans, and it’s easy to bang out a cool array of hand stand, rail grinds, and other familiar moves. 

The control problems certainly aren’t bad enough to dismiss the otherwise very entertaining gameplay thankfully. Most of the time, Blur is a hoot to play, and being forced to constantly stay in motion while playing makes the game feel more involving than ever. Playing well enables you to access the horde of unlockable characters, outfits, tricks, skis and snowboards.

It’s a Blur

Aside from the career mode, SSX Blur includes a comprehensive tutorial to get players up to speed. There’s also the quick play mode to jump right in, and both split-screen and hot seat multiplayer. In the hot seat mode, up to four players take turns in an effort to earn the highest score.

Blur lives up to its name visually as well. The game just doesn’t seem as stunningly impressive as it used to. The graphics look good, though, with slightly cartoonish, very well animated characters and a nicely detailed mountain. Still, Blur has rather muted, fuzzy look overall. There are also occasional spots of slow down, and it’s possible to get temporarily stuck on bits of the landscape.

Another shortcoming in the presentation is the surprising lack of a licensed soundtrack. Instead of an array of bands providing the tunes, Blur uses a rather generic, if passable techno score that does, at least, vary depending on the action.

Feel Free to Wii in the Snow

Although the controls feel slightly unwieldy and unresponsive at times, SSX Blur is still generally a lot of fun. The open mountain, tons of events and unlockable goodies, and motion sensitive controls go a long way to revitalizing the snowboarding genre. There’s certainly room for improvement, but this is one of the most intriguing third-party sports titles on the Wii.

Article by: Jason D'Aprile
Video produced by: Michael Benson