My SSX Blur Review

tarheelsuperman

...it gonna be zoppity
Dec 9, 2006
524
15
The Tarheel State
I thought it would take at least 3 days to get a feel for how good or how bad SSX Blur would be, but after about 2 days and 4 hrs of Blur I have to say this game is one of the best available for the Wii. EA really got it right with Blur.

I started out with the carving tutorial and I thought OMG I have wasted my money on this game because I can't even do one of the most fundamental moves in the game. I turned if off frustrated. I came back a couple of hours later and tried again. This time I got it down and I must say carving is great. It's second nature now and it feels so smooth. As I made my way through the tutorial the game just got better. Jumps are done by flicking the nunchuck upwards and it works brilliantly. Flips and spins are done with a flick of the remote, up and down for flips, left and right for spins. These can be tricky but once you get the required force you'll be good to go. Combining the Jumps, Flips and Spins with a variety of grabs (Z button plus tilting the nunchuk forward, backwards, left or right) is simple and you'll be doing some sick tricks in no time.

Once you build up your Uber Meter you will be able to "Draw" out uber tricks. These are probably the toughest part of the game. I struggled through the tutorial many times before I finally landed one uber trick. Just getting the feel for pressing the A button and then drawing a shape with the remote or a combo of the remote and nunchuk and the releasing the A button quickly is incredibly frustrating at first. Initially I would hit a jump and then think, oh crap, I'm in the air let me try an uber trick. That just didn't work and I looked like an idiot. I kept at it and I found that if I thought about which uber trick I was going to try as I approached each jump and slowed my flailing arms down a bit I began to land them. Now that I've played a bit more I can draw out the first set of uber tricks pretty much anytime I want. When you draw out an uber trick and land it perfectly it is very satisfying.

Some reviews are saying that the controls don't work the way they should and that they are not as responsive as they should be. I think the controls work brilliantly and totally immerse you into the game. If the controls don't feel like they are working or don't feel responsive it's because whoever is playing isn't doing them correctly.

In addition to a great new control scheme the game has significant depth with multiple events, tournaments, collectables, and unlockable items/characters. The actual game play is much like SSX3 for career mode where you board or ski around to events and tournaments. You can then choose to freeride an event or compete for points. Once you're going downhill you can really get moving and I understand why they called it Blur. There is also a quickplay mode where you can go and make some runs without signing into your career. This mode is a great stepping stone to get the controls scheme perfected. There is a multiplayer mode where you can go head to head downhill tricking split screen style. This is as good as can be expected. There is also a multiplayer mode where you can alternate between up to four players. I haven't tried this mode out yet so I can't comment. The music in the game flows well. It's not overly obnoxious and it's not too bland. As a matter of fact as I write this review I find it hard to say much about the music because I barely notice it during gameplay and that's not a bad thing.

This is a Wii specific game and gameplay is what most of the guys on this forum care about first and foremost, but I have to say the graphics on this are actually very nice. There are some great effects such as camera glares while in the air and coming up covered in powder when you bite it hard. EA did a great job on the colors and transforming their product into one of the best if not the best looking Wii game to date in my opinion.

I had been anxiously waiting for the release of SSX Blur because I've always been a fan of the series. With this new installment EA does the Wii proud. The controls have a serious learning curve and can frustrate at times, but you will be rewarded with a smooth immersive gaming experience if you stick with it. Gameplay itself will be familiar to SSX veterans and the graphics are top notch for the Wii. There are only two negatives that I've found so far. One being that the peaks are mostly updated courses from past installments of the game and two that there is no online play. Overall I'd recommend this game to anyone, from series newcomers to the experienced SSX Vets.

Rating 9.5/10

Pros
Great Controls and Feel (once you get past the learning curve)
Satisfaction of Hitting an Uber Trick
Nice Graphics
Game Depth
Fast and Fun Gameplay

Cons
No Online
Familiar Peak Courses
 
What a well thought out review, at first I wasn't really sure about it but now I really want to buy it, or at least rent it.
 
I have the game. I think your review is spot on. I would give the game a 9/10 because of no online play. I love my wii and all but the first thing I turn on when I get home from work is my pc so i can see who's playing online and I can join up with them. I'm spoiled to being able to play a real opponent at anytime because of my pc.
 
Ya I picked this game up on wednesday and haven't put it down. Once you get the controls down it just flows. I'd give it a 8 out of 10 though due to no online play and the lack of customizing your boarder like in other SSX titles. Its so much fun to play though definitely do the tutorial till you have a feel for the game.
 
Thats a sweet review...Now I'm tempted to get this game and I've never been a huge fan of the series. I'm just glad that everyone seems to enjoy it. Although IGN said all these marvelous things about it and then proceeded to give it an 8.4/10....the idiots.
 
Yeah it's really a great game. I haven't spent much time on it so I really suck at uber tricks, but when I nail one it's amazing.
 
Great review, very concise and helpful.

Thanks for sharing it with us!
 
kool, then im making a good desicion...im trading in thdhj(beaten) and red steel for this, it really does look great, i mean ign gave it a 8.4(they gave loz:tp a 8.8, and i think zelda should get a 10)so if they gave it that high of a score..it satisfies me
 
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