SSX On Tour
SSX On Tour For Your PSP
Believe it or not, SSX On Tour does not mark the first time in the series has been ported to a handheld – which is actually an SSX GBA games out there that is not half bad. What this does mark, however, is the first time a reasonable facsimile of the console versions could be pulled onto a handheld. Although not an exact port of the PS2 version, SSX On Tour for PSP is an impressive game, though it will not do anything for you if you grow tired of the series.
Instead of a big, wide open mountain, the challenges and races presented in a similar manner to the early SSX games. This simple approach works well on the handheld, but the actual way things are displayed leaves much to be desired. Simply choose whether you want to race or compete in a stunt challenge, select the course and event, and you’re on the road. There are also some mini-challenges where you have to paint certain things, jump through hoops, and a number of other things. These are not too interesting, but they are a decent conversion, if you only have a few minutes to play.
New series this year is the addition of skiing. There is actually not a huge difference in how it feels to board or ski, though it’s pretty easy to end up back on your skis. You can still go skiing when backwards, but you’ll have to find time to spin around so you can get maximum speed and air out of mares. A great addition to the way the game plays is that you now can get out of a trick that has gone awry. If you screw up a trick, mashing the square button repeatedly will prevent you from taking a nasty spill. You get no points for the trick, but you save yourself lots of time if you are able to remain upright. It feels right at home here and it is something so simple that you wonder why it was not in the series from start walking.
Controls do not lose much in transition to the PSP, but one big question; the push button is also a “grab” button. It is a huge problem while you are promoting it results in you get your table every time you get the slightest bit of air. Eventually you learn to take account of this, but even then you are likely to dry out because of this issue. Most of the tricks look the same and there are lots of other grab and tweak buttons, it’s pretty doubtful that people would have gotten upset if one of them was taken away, so there could be a dedicated boost button. Most people seem to use the d-pad when playing the game, but those of you who prefer analog will probably have a hard time getting used to the way the analog core feel when controlling your character, it feels a little sluggish and inaccurate.
You will not be hopping on the internet to play against friends from around the country, but On Tour does not support multiplayer via local WiFi. There are several different modes to choose from, and while the menu system is a bit tricky, the game is lag-free and fat to play.
SSX on Tour actually has some pretty cool menus, although the PSP version, they’re sometimes hard to figure out. They are hand drawn and mostly in black and white, with splashes of color here and there to bring those opportunities. It almost looks like a fifth grader’s sketchbook come to life, and it just looks cool. Unfortunately this is one of the only changes to the game style that works well. The characters are even less personality than they did in the console versions, and while you will not miss them yell out slogans every time they do a trick, it would have been nice that there is some way that for them to feel alive.
SSX On Tour’s frame rate is very impressive and does a good job of communicating a sense of speed. It will occasionally stuttering, but considering how smooth it is most of the time, a little hiccup here and there is forgivable. There is also a lot of clipping, especially when you are in an area with lots of trees. There are not many fancy effects on the PSP, which is on the PS2, but there are some nice little touches as fireworks and lens flair. The courses are nice, and the draw distance is impressive – there’s not much else you could have asked here – the graphics are impressive.
Although it was not a problem on consoles, this camera is often problematic. It seems to be lower and a little closer to your rider who can make it difficult to see where you’re going. This is especially a problem when you make sharp turns or off trails.
The music is just what you’d expect from an SSX title. This is one of the few games where the much-maligned EA Trax add to the game – there are lots of punk, rock and hip-hop to keep you grooving down the hill. Def Leppard, Hot Hot Heat, Jurassic 5, Gold Finger, Queens of the Stone Age, Blackalicous and many others are part of the well-rounded soundtrack. You get no celebrity voices here, so David Arquette fans will have to look elsewhere for their fix. I actually really enjoyed celeb voices in SSX 2, but On Tour is no worse off without them.
If you’re still a fan of the SSX series, there’s no reason other than the $ 50 price tag is not picking up the PSP version of On Tour. It’s a technically impressive game that manages to capture most everything the series is known for. If you grow tired of the series, and you hope to play it on the move could re-kindle your interest – it’s probably not going to happen and it’s not worth dropping fifty bucks to find out.
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