ssx blur comes out tomorrow
- Thread starter cheapmonkeyz
- Start date
trunksx34
CAGiversary!
i am a huge SSX fan (played the crap out of all of them but On Tour), but I gamefly'ed this one. I thought that carving and regular trick controls were OK, but not incredibly Intuitive or exceptional in any way. I definitely didn't like the "toggle landing" mechanic; I would have loved a 1:1 ratio tilt function for aiming a landing flush with the mountain.
Also, this may put me in Skip from 1up's "not good at the game camp", but I could not pull off an Ubertrick in the tutorial at all, and I tried like 20 times. I hate how there is no feedback or tracing on the screen to tell you how close not close you were (see the trauma center Star for reference) .
I'll probably put a little bit more time into this game, but for now my EA Big game of choice is NBA Street Homecourt on the 360. However, I will be eagerly awaiting a proper next-gen SSX.
Also, this may put me in Skip from 1up's "not good at the game camp", but I could not pull off an Ubertrick in the tutorial at all, and I tried like 20 times. I hate how there is no feedback or tracing on the screen to tell you how close not close you were (see the trauma center Star for reference) .
I'll probably put a little bit more time into this game, but for now my EA Big game of choice is NBA Street Homecourt on the 360. However, I will be eagerly awaiting a proper next-gen SSX.
[quote name='lilboo']So, is this a "Wait for it to be $20-$30 and use a coupon from Best Buy" kind of game?[/QUOTE]
God yes. My kid tore off the plastic last night so I'm committed. We played it for an hour after completing the tutorial and in my opinion, it's a rental at best. The first problem occurerd when the Wii crashed right after clicking on the first menu screen. It then crashed 2 more times shortly after starting the first tutorial. The fourth time it worked fine. Frozen gamescreen, not a black screen, with a horriible, high pitched, buzzing speaker noise.
I also couldn't pull off more than 1 ubertirck in the tutorial. As Trunks said, on screen feedback would have been nice to see how successful your tracing is during the trick.
The most frustrating thing has to be the lack of responsiveness of the controls. I could not get the nunchuck to register a front grab by tilting down to save my life. I also could not register a jump by flicking the nunchuck up 50% of the time. Carving and tricking was an absolute joke when the wiimote seemed to have an interrupted signal for half the game.
I had to take 25 runs in the first slalom tutorial becuase the nunchuck wouldn't register a turn. Same with the jumping one as the Wii didn't feel like registering a jump on the very first ring for another 15-20 tries. It also took me at least 20 runs in the flipping tutorial. I would make a flip or spin and it wouldn't score it in the counter. Funny thing is that it worked fine during the actual game. I'm starting to think maybe I have a defffective nunchuck. Before anyone says anything - yes I installed fully charged batteries before playing.
And the people who think the graphics are good on this game need to lay off the crack pipe. Avalanche 1080 looks as good as this. If this is the best looking Wii game to date then Houston, we have a problem. This is almost dreamcast quality, much like Tony Hawk Downhill was. Bad all around value for $50., IMO. This game should be $29.99 max.
God yes. My kid tore off the plastic last night so I'm committed. We played it for an hour after completing the tutorial and in my opinion, it's a rental at best. The first problem occurerd when the Wii crashed right after clicking on the first menu screen. It then crashed 2 more times shortly after starting the first tutorial. The fourth time it worked fine. Frozen gamescreen, not a black screen, with a horriible, high pitched, buzzing speaker noise.
I also couldn't pull off more than 1 ubertirck in the tutorial. As Trunks said, on screen feedback would have been nice to see how successful your tracing is during the trick.
The most frustrating thing has to be the lack of responsiveness of the controls. I could not get the nunchuck to register a front grab by tilting down to save my life. I also could not register a jump by flicking the nunchuck up 50% of the time. Carving and tricking was an absolute joke when the wiimote seemed to have an interrupted signal for half the game.
I had to take 25 runs in the first slalom tutorial becuase the nunchuck wouldn't register a turn. Same with the jumping one as the Wii didn't feel like registering a jump on the very first ring for another 15-20 tries. It also took me at least 20 runs in the flipping tutorial. I would make a flip or spin and it wouldn't score it in the counter. Funny thing is that it worked fine during the actual game. I'm starting to think maybe I have a defffective nunchuck. Before anyone says anything - yes I installed fully charged batteries before playing.
And the people who think the graphics are good on this game need to lay off the crack pipe. Avalanche 1080 looks as good as this. If this is the best looking Wii game to date then Houston, we have a problem. This is almost dreamcast quality, much like Tony Hawk Downhill was. Bad all around value for $50., IMO. This game should be $29.99 max.
regisphilbi0
CAGiversary!
- Feedback
- 3 (100%)
Dang, I am definitely gonna wait on this game. I want to play it but I am not gonna pay $50 for it- I'll wait for it to be $20 or $30. Form the sounds of it, this will happen soon.
Its not as bad as some people make it sound. It requires alot of patience. I too had trouble even completing the tutorials. The first few hours are pretty frustrating. Then...it just kinda clicks. I couldn't get through the slaloms on the second tournament...did it 10 times only getting 15 out of 25 flags. Then....I just kinda did it. Got all 25. Did it every time after as well. Just keep playing and you'll eventually get the hang of it. I think it would be weird going back to the old way now.
Rented this along with Sonic yesterday, and I'm enjoying both. This one definitely has a steep learning curve. Even figuring out the basic grinding took a few tutorial levels, but now feels incredibly natural. Jumps, grabs, tricks, all are pretty simple once you run through the tutorial a couple times.
As is common, I think the only thing I haven't gotten the hang of yet is ubertricks. I think I've landed a few of the loop ones, but I need to go through the tutorial a few more times to get the hang of it.
Managed to make my way through a few Quickplay races without any trouble, minus completing any ubertricks, and it's really enjoyable. I feel like I'm repeating my Sonic mini-review and just changing the game name, but both are great rentals, and probably solid pickups in the $20-$30 range.
As is common, I think the only thing I haven't gotten the hang of yet is ubertricks. I think I've landed a few of the loop ones, but I need to go through the tutorial a few more times to get the hang of it.
Managed to make my way through a few Quickplay races without any trouble, minus completing any ubertricks, and it's really enjoyable. I feel like I'm repeating my Sonic mini-review and just changing the game name, but both are great rentals, and probably solid pickups in the $20-$30 range.
Robobandit
CAGiversary!
- Feedback
- 11 (100%)
Ubertricks are easy too, at least the first four are.
All you need to do is just press A and make the motion. Don't be in a hurry, just relax, enjoy your trip through the air on a jump, and draw the shape slowly.
I think it is the sense of urgency that makes Ubers seem hard. Once you've got some big air and you're comfortable with the motions, it'll feel like you have all the time in the world to pull them off.
For me it was like going from not being able to do the ubers to being able to do 2 Ubertricks before I hit the ground even off of a normal course jump, not the halfpipe.
The trick for big points is the point multipliers.. if you can hit those while cruising through the air in your trick and nail an uber, say hello to massive points!
One example, is on Compilation, slopestyle.. there are 10x multipliers in a few spots. I hit one of them last night and pulled off 2 ubers before I landed, and I got 700,000 points for the one trick. I had almost a million before I even hit the halfpipe at the end of the level, I broke 1.5 million but didn't make it across the finish line
Once the mechanics "click", as others have said, the whole game really just flows and feels totally natural, even the ubertricks.
All you need to do is just press A and make the motion. Don't be in a hurry, just relax, enjoy your trip through the air on a jump, and draw the shape slowly.
I think it is the sense of urgency that makes Ubers seem hard. Once you've got some big air and you're comfortable with the motions, it'll feel like you have all the time in the world to pull them off.
For me it was like going from not being able to do the ubers to being able to do 2 Ubertricks before I hit the ground even off of a normal course jump, not the halfpipe.
The trick for big points is the point multipliers.. if you can hit those while cruising through the air in your trick and nail an uber, say hello to massive points!
One example, is on Compilation, slopestyle.. there are 10x multipliers in a few spots. I hit one of them last night and pulled off 2 ubers before I landed, and I got 700,000 points for the one trick. I had almost a million before I even hit the halfpipe at the end of the level, I broke 1.5 million but didn't make it across the finish line
Once the mechanics "click", as others have said, the whole game really just flows and feels totally natural, even the ubertricks.
DeaconKnowledge
CAG Veteran
I think I have to disagree with the bad reviews it got. I've been having nothing but fun with Blur once I learned the controls.
It's got a high learning curve, but if you stick with it it's absolutely amazing.
It's got a high learning curve, but if you stick with it it's absolutely amazing.
[quote name='DeaconKnowledge']I think I have to disagree with the bad reviews it got. I've been having nothing but fun with Blur once I learned the controls.
It's got a high learning curve, but if you stick with it it's absolutely amazing.[/QUOTE]
I also disagree with the reviews. The game is extremely fun once you learn to really play the game. Its a blast to play and it has very good music too; the soundtrack is great.
It's got a high learning curve, but if you stick with it it's absolutely amazing.[/QUOTE]
I also disagree with the reviews. The game is extremely fun once you learn to really play the game. Its a blast to play and it has very good music too; the soundtrack is great.
Cisco327
CAG Veteran
[quote name='botticus']As is common, I think the only thing I haven't gotten the hang of yet is ubertricks. I think I've landed a few of the loop ones, but I need to go through the tutorial a few more times to get the hang of it.[/QUOTE]
To anyone having trouble doing ubertricks, press start in-game, go to the ubertricks menu, and there's a place where you can practice inputting them. After several tries, I was able to get the shapes down, and then when revisiting the tutorial it made a huge difference. One thing I found was that the shapes had to be bigger than the screen itself, and I'm even using a projector, so I just had to exaggerate them and they worked fine.
To anyone having trouble doing ubertricks, press start in-game, go to the ubertricks menu, and there's a place where you can practice inputting them. After several tries, I was able to get the shapes down, and then when revisiting the tutorial it made a huge difference. One thing I found was that the shapes had to be bigger than the screen itself, and I'm even using a projector, so I just had to exaggerate them and they worked fine.
Dude, definitely get it for $25 or $30. The controlls can be difficult at first, but after that, it's sweet. I paid $38 around when it came out, and I still think it was worth it. I think the people that don't like this game just don't take the time to get the controls down. Once you do, it's really an awesome game.
I wrote a review a while back:
http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/13146.aspx
I wrote a review a while back:
http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/13146.aspx
SSX Blur: Snowboarding at its Best
As the first snowboarding game for the Wii, I wasn't expecting anything spectacular from SSX Blur. Man, was I wrong. So grab your board (or your skis) and get ready for the ultimate winter sports experience.
To start off, there is no real storyline for SSX Blur. You just pick one of the goofy, cartoon-like characters and ride around the slopes to find various tournaments or events to compete in. The different types of competitions are: Race, Half-pipe, Big air (performing tricks with 2 or 3 giant jumps), Slalom (weaving in and out of red and blue flags) , and Slopestyle (racing down a slope, earning as many points as possible by performing tricks). Out of all the events, Slalom is definitely the most difficult. One wrong move and you will have missed a multitude of flags, greatly adding on to your time.
Get ready to fly.
From the beginnning, you have four characters to choose from, each with his or her own board and pair of skis. You can improve your players' stats by winning tournaments, or single events. Coming in first place on certain events will also unlock new characters and slopes. There are also various challenges throughout the "Freeride" portion of the mountain(s) which allow you to unlock new boards, skis, and/or outfits for your character. Multiplayer is pretty standard with split-screen racing; it was slightly disappointing to find that no online play was offered.
[Gameplay]
When I first got the game I felt like it was way too hard; even the basic mechanics seemed almost impossible to master (I acutually contemplated selling it on eBay). Fortunately, by the second day of playing the game, I hit the learning curve, became used to the controls, and now it's a blast to play. The control scheme makes the game really immersive; you simply rotate the nunchuck and move the control stick for turns and speed adjustment and wave the wiimote a certain way for tricks.
The tricks are executed pretty smoothly for the most part, but half the time I'm not trying to perform a specific trick; waving the wiimote around in random directions causes the character to perform a plethora of various flips and spins. To compensate for this, there is an art to actually landing the tricks though. The "ubertricks," however, are a completely different story. A specific shape or pattern is drawn with the wiimote to perform the trick. Some of the ubertricks are pretty difficult to get down at first, but they are worth mastering because they reward you with major points.
Ubertricks are especially handy in the Half-pipe, Big Air, and Slopestyle events.
[Graphics]
The visuals of the game are stunning, as far as Wii standards go. As of now, Blur boasts some of the best graphics available for the Wii, second only to Twilight Princess (and perhaps Sonic and the Secret Rings). The only real downside (as a result of the intense load that the graphics impose) is that there can be slight framerate issues at times (i.e. 1-2 seconds of lag during a race). Fortunately, these moments of jerkiness happen very rarely and have no major effect on gameplay.
Enjoy the eye candy.
[Sound]
The music seems to fit the game very well; the funky techno soundtrack definitely gives the game a more modern feel. While none of the tracks are particularly catchy, the music will have you tapping your feet to the rhythm. On another note (pun intended), the sound effects of the game are amazing. The developers seemed to have put a lot of effort into making everything sound as realistic as possible. The grainy sound of board on snow is pleasing to the ear and adds to the immersive experience. It's almost as if you are on the slopes yourself, flying downhill at 60+ miles per hour.
Duuuuude.
[Nit-picks and Extras]
Compared to past SSX games (Tricky for example), SSX Blur is much more "grown up." The developers have definitely made an attempt to target a slightly older, more mature audience. In the process, however, the storyline is sacrificed. For example, the new characters seem to have a lot less personality; in general, everything is more cut and dry. The main voice acting is done by the radio DJ (who has some very dorky lines), while the actual characters only muster grunts of pain or shouts of triumph. This is only a minor complaint, but the developers could have done a little more with the characters to make the game more personable, so to speak.
Changing boards of skis is also more complicated than it should be. In order to swap out your current board, you have to quit to the main screen and restart from the top of the peak. This can be annoying, especially when you need a different board that better suits an upcoming event.
Also, a tutorial section exists for new players, which is almost essential for being able to enjoy the game at all. I like that fact that, unlike other games, the tutorial is not forced upon "new" players; it is accessible for when you need it and ONLY when you need it.
[Conclusion]
All-in-all, SSX Blur is an innovative new take on snowboading. Whether you've played the past SSX games or not, you will most certainly enjoy this game. If nothing else, it is worthy of at least a rental.
[Abbreviated version]
Pros:
Awesome graphics
Intuitive Controls
Realistic Sound effects
Cons:
Characters' lack of personality
Minor framerate issues
No online multiplayer
[Ratings]
Gameplay: 8.5/10
Controls: 9/10
Graphics: 8/10
Sound: 10/10
Replay Value:7.5/10
Overall: 8/10
------------------------------------------
Note that I also posted this review on the Nintendo Nsider forums...
Feel free to leave any comments/criticisms!
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this game. I've never played an SSX game previous to it, but I like the controls and love the music.
I think CheapyD had mentioned that after being used to the dual analog controls, he felt like this game lacked the same precision as the previous ones. So that may be something to consider.
I rented the game, and after a few days decided it was worth a purchase. Of course, being a CAG, I only spent $25 on it.
I think CheapyD had mentioned that after being used to the dual analog controls, he felt like this game lacked the same precision as the previous ones. So that may be something to consider.
I rented the game, and after a few days decided it was worth a purchase. Of course, being a CAG, I only spent $25 on it.
It takes a bit of time to get used to the controls. I was getting pretty frustrated in my playthrough on it during my rental, but after giving it a bit of time I was able to pull of the ubertricks without much of an issue.
It just took me a bit of time and patience.
It just took me a bit of time and patience.
Mr. Roper
Banned
Isn't this game basically ssx 3 courses. I have ssx3 on ps2 and was wondering if it is basically the same. SSx is my favorite racing series but doing mad tricks and constantly tweaking and changing them off big jumps was the best part of the game. SSx blur seam very limited trickswise compared to the first games in the series.
I want to get it for 15 bucks as long as it doesnt have the same courses.
I thought the original had better tracks than tricky.
I want to get it for 15 bucks as long as it doesnt have the same courses.
I thought the original had better tracks than tricky.
bread's done