Many will be familiar with EA's SSX snowboarding franchise. It's always been one that never really took itself too seriously and had a personality the size of Everest, however at the same time it allowed players at least a modicum of dignity. As the above scene illustrates, its migration to that little white cuboid console results in a little of that dignity being lost, at least at first. The most notable feature of the game is the way it controls. Now, instead of the having your method of playing the game in the form of a single controller, the two sides of your device of interface with your onscreen counterpart are split asunder.
Using the nunchuk to steer by tilting it from side to side you'll make your way down the slopes powdered with snow, a quick yank and your character will hop a little. As you approach jumps you'll initially do so in anticipation of your whole upper body resembling Animal of the Muppets as he played the drums. Here, as you're launched into the air as if by some unseen cannon, the remote is used to perform your tricks. Initially this feels as though the flips and spins you're performing are completely random but as you spend longer you come to the realization that your physical actions are actually linked to what's going on the screen and it's then that the mad flailing gives way to a more controlled, understanding flicking of the wrists. After a while of getting acquainted with the controls and getting the left and right sides of your brain to play nice together, heading down the Blur's slopes is quite a blast but it's these controls that are the game's main issue.
A lot of the game is Uber. It's a shame about the controls though.
As explained, the trip down the slopes is mainly controlled by the nunchuk and this works extremely well, with the game picking up on almost every nuanced movement the player makes. A simple twist from left to right controls the course that your character cuts through the powdered snow. However, when it comes to pulling off tricks, there is a lack of responsiveness to the tweaking of the remote which can become frustrating when in mid air. And whilst these gesticulations can be fun, for the most part the player can feel rather divorced from the action on the screen. Along with the basic set of flips and spins, there is also the addition of ubertricks to your stable of moves.
Ubertricks are, as the Germans would say when speaking English, super tricks that score extra points. They can be performed only when your trick meter, which grows as you complete simple moves, is full and are executed by drawing a shape in the air with your remote. Unfortunately the game's responsiveness to these is incredibly inconsistent. Whilst you are able to practice the these moves within the pause menu, many times we would draw what we thought was the trick only to be disappointed by what seemed to be a random manoeuvre by our avatar.
There are a few segments to SSX Blur and these deviate little from those in the game's previous incarnations. Starting of at the top one of the three mountain peaks, each unlocked sequentially, the player is able to snake their way down to different areas of each mountain to one of the events which include halfpipe, big air, racing and slalom. There's a good mix here. Most are great fun, but some are more enjoyable than others. Especially notable is the fact that slalom is a nightmare the control. It seems from the get go that the difficulty in this area of the game is out of step with that of the rest of the events that you’ll play.
There is a certain appeal to the funky art direction of previous SSX games and this is still around. The characters have a more fun and cartoony visual feel to them this time, which speaks both to the Wii and the not-overly serious SSX franchise well. The little visual touches such as notes appearing out of your snowboarder or skiier when they're pleased with what they've just achieved, along with them getting covered head to toe in powdered snow when initially getting up from a mishap add to the fullness of the character models. The environments are, for the most part, fairly conservative, with the occasional gargantuan jump or almost never ending set of rails. However, they still maintain the sun-drenched white powdered beauty of previous SSX's. Zooming down the mountain speed is conveyed incredibly well with blur effects and other visual trickery, especially when you enter tight places. There is a bit of frame rate stuttering that you'll experience on some occasions, however this is not game ruining.
Extreme skiing hasn't looked this cool since the '80s.
Blur's sound is great and is relatively unobtrusive. Ice and snow crack and puff respectively under ski's and boards and it feels as though you're really there, flying down the mountain. All along you'll be hassled by a radio presenter, who’ll let you know a little about the events you’ll be involved in. We imagine that this is the sort of thing that may annoy some. However, we had no issue with his inane drivel.
Plenty of unlockables and things to sink your teeth into scatter the various pathways cut into each snowy peak. Unlockables of boards, clothing characters and courses allow for hours of treasure hunting. There are also icons that are scattered across each slope which, when collected unlock more of those frustrating Ubertricks.
A great deal of fun can be had with SSX Blur. Whilst control of the game is occasionally problematic, twisting and turning the nunchuk creates an incredibly immersive experience. It’s a shame that the same ability to make the player feel part of the game is not transferred over to other half of the controls, being the Wii remote. Blur carries the flag of the series relatively well, however it is definitely not the SSX title that raises it the highest.
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