Since its release earlier this year for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, SSX has been nothing but a party for the gaming community, with competitive leaderboards, challenging slopes (especially the Deadly Descents — ouch) and a soundtrack that just won’t quit when it comes to “keeping you in the groove.”
EA Sports has been making minor improvements to make it feel even better, including a Classic Pack featuring a new set of courses on Mt. Eddie, as well as old-school uniforms from the old-school SSX3. For that matter, they also threw in a new Free Ride mode and a 3-2-1 racing mode, both available for no additional charge. The game will soon add real-time multiplayer where you can race against a friend rather than having to compete against a “ghost” from their best uploaded time.
Still, we got to thinking… what else does SSX need to add in order to really compete? It’s already got a lot of great content going for it, but we just can’t help but think there’s just a few more pieces to the puzzle that they can add to make it the “ultimate” ride down. So, with that, we’ve got some suggestions as to what EA Sports can do to make this ride down the mountain smoother than ever.
Split-Screen Support
We love the idea of SSX getting online multiplayer, giving us the option to race down the mountain in a full-blown battle for first place. But what if you’re playing off-line, or you just want to goof off with a buddy in the same room as you? With that, we’d like to suggest split-screen multiplayer. While the option may seem a little “old-school” compared to hopping on Xbox Live or the PlayStation Network to compete, it’d actually work to a great effect.
Sure, the screen would be slightly cramped up, and you might miss a helicopter or two to trick off of, but, really, what better feeling is there yelling at your friends while you both race down the mountain, keeping an eye on one another? EA Sports may want to consider this along with their other multiplayer patch. Nothing beats the full package.
A Little Leniency On the Deadly Descents
One of the bigger parts of SSX that COMPLETELY pisses me off is having to deal with the Deadly Descents courses. These are courses where you have so many rewinds that you can use as you work your way down mountains where death is literally around every corner. Sliding across ice, fighting your way through tree limbs, struggling to breathe…it can be a real pain. Some of us haven’t even been able to see what the entire mountain is about because of the requirement to beat these courses before moving on.
I’d like to suggest to EA Sports something that they offer in other games — a chance to get a little leniency. I don’t mean just a “Buy All” option when it comes to unlocking the higher-up courses, I mean lightening up on the difficulties as a whole. Allow for full rewind capability in the Deadly Descent courses (at the sacrifice of leaderboard times, obviously), and maybe even provide some breathing room for courses that require an oxygen tank or a wingsuit. For some people, simpler is better.
The Ability To Modify Tricks
This may be a bit more technical than the other reasons, and honestly, some tricks are better than others when it comes to execution. But still, EA Sports should consider including an option to customize the riding style of the player, not only their momentum but their grab abilities, and perhaps even the option to put together their own super move. While it may seem “outlandish” with what they put together, they’ll certainly be on the same level as the super moves exist now. I mean, can you imagine anyone pulling these off in real life? And surviving the 90-foot drop off the mountain? Maybe with luck. And a hell of a lot of skill.
More of That “Classic” SSX Vibe
We already know that EA Sports added some “classic” terrain to SSX through the Mt. Eddie course…but why stop there? The company has a whole line of games in which they can pluck classic courses, so a new mountain pack only makes sense. There are some really excellent tracks from both SSX Tricky and SSX 3 that we’d love to ride through again, from mountain towns that light up with neon to cool runs through night time courses that really make you feel groovy after a tough day at work. The series did get its start with these over-the-top locales, so we really can’t think of a reason why EA wouldn’t bring them back to some extent…even at a minor price.
More Tracks…and More DJ Atomica
Okay, this may be a personal preference more than anything, and there’s nothing wrong with the current SSX soundtrack, both the default one in the game and the one you can mix in through the Xbox Media Player. But, honestly, there are a number of captivating songs from the original games, such as Fatboy Slim’s “Shake What Your Mama Gave Ya” and Royksopp’s “Poor Leno,” that could easily fit into this contemporary style of snowboarding.
And, though not everyone was crazy about him, there’s something about the way DJ Atomica introduces the surroundings on the mountain, as they’re happening, that really makes the experience feel complete. Not everyone may feel the same way, but EA Sports could always add him and provide the option to shut him off again, so that the music takes the forefront!
