Become a mountain rockstar!
Electronic Arts'SSX snowboarding franchise has won respect even from the ginormous publisher's many detractors. And when the long awaited sequel to the game that started it all, 1080 on the N64, came out, people were forced to admit that it failed to hold a candle to SSX 3 in almost any respect. That was the point at which the franchise transformed from Regent in the absence of 1080, to king of the snowboarding genre in its on right.Now the latest in the series comes to a console near you, and EA have dispensed with the numerical nomenclature, and christened this baby SSX On Tour. Many of EA's titles this year have the emphasis on building up a character from scratch. Whether in Madden, NBA or NASCAR, you can take a'rookie'and build his skills and reputation to become a world famous superstar. They've taken that particular metaphorical ball and run with it here too, and as snowboarding is by no means a team sport, the philosophy has shaped the game even more.Start off as a starry eyed beginner on the slow slopes, looking in wondering admiration at the skills of the big boys. Then build your career, aware that every trick and run you perform is being scrutinised, and that every move you make will have an effect on your reputation, or'rep'as they say on the streets.Refreshingly, the game doesn't just concern itself with snowboarding but the equally impressive world of extreme skiing, and as well as pulling the normal, run-of-the-mill tricks you'll be able to perform what they call'Monsters', jaw-dropping tricks as inventive as they are life threatening. Another attraction of EA's games is their increasingly eclectic Trax feature, and the selection of music runs an impressive gauntlet, with hiphop from the likes of C Rayz Walz, the Perceptionists, The Herbaliser, Blackalicious and Jurassic 5. Other music fans are catered for too, with everything from Queens of the Stone Age to Def Leppard, as well as Bloc Party, The Hives and the mighty Iron Maiden, and many more besides. A nice package that will keep you busy.