SSX Blur

Infobox VG
title = SSX Blur


developer = EA Montreal
publisher=EA Sports BIG
designer =
engine =
version =
released =vgrelease|North America|NA|February 27, 2007
vgrelease|Australasian|AUS|March 15, 2007
vgrelease|Europe|EU|March 16, 2007
vgrelease|Japan|JP|September 13, 2007
vgrelease|Korea|SK|July 25, 2008
genre = Sports
ratings = ESRB: E
modes = Single player, Multiplayer
platforms = Wii
media = Wii optical disc

"SSX Blur" is a snowboarding video game, for up to 4 Players, published by EA Sports BIG and developed by EA Montreal for the Wii video game console. It is the 5th installment of the SSX snowboarding video games series. The game was released in the United States on February 27, 2007. The soundtrack was created by Junkie XL and played through the game on "Radio BIG". the fictional radio station that the riders listen to within the game.

Gameplay

The gameplay in "SSX Blur" follows a similar format of the previous SSX titles. Like "SSX 3", the player progressively works up through 3 peaks on a mountain, participating in races, trick competitions, and the new slalom event to earn prizes and other unlockable material. Players are able to choose from either the traditional snowboards; or skis, as introduced in "SSX On Tour".

The game control uses both the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk controller. Movement, speed, and jumping is controlled through the Nunchuk, while, when in the air, the Wii Remote is used to perform tricks. The Wii Remote is also used for throwing snowballs at targets or foes during a race.

As the player races down the hillside, they can successfully complete tricks to earn points as well as to build up an ever-depleting boost meter. When the boost meter is full, the player is then able to execute special "Ubertricks", which require the player to draw a specific shape in the air, such as a heart or a treble clef. While the player knows some Ubertricks at the start of the game, additional ones can be discovered in career mode by collecting icons for that Ubertrick hidden across the various courses.

Characters

The game features a total of 12 characters: [ [http://media.wii.ign.com/media/842/842200/vid_1893370.html SSX Blur Character Trailer] ]

Reception

The game received mostly positive reviews, with a few outlier critics giving the game a poor score. IGN praised the level of depth given motion-based controls, but also stated that the challenge level restricts the game to hardcore audiences only. "Official Nintendo Magazine UK" were disappointed that there were some re-used tracks from previous games. 1UP.com harshly criticized the difficulty and unresponsiveness of pulling off Uber-Tricks. "NGamer" said that the mission-based gameplay was outdated. GameSpot criticized the slalom events and problems such as framerate issues, but praised the overall experience. "Game Informer" praised the game as a return to form for the series but noted that traditional controls were still preferable.

oundtrack

Unlike previous games, this soundtrack only contains one musician, Junkie XL. The music is available online [ [http://www.last.fm/music/Junkie+XL/Music+From+SSX+Blur Soundtrack on last.fm] ] .

Tracklist

# Dark Territory
# Wanlong Mellow
# Fly Zone
# Backcomb
# Cortina D'Ampezzo
# A51
# L'Envers
# Love Park
# Schick 200
# Eichenhof
# Rail Yard
# Norikura
# Le 1936
# Snow Park NZ
# King's Crown

Design and story notes

*This game closely resembles "SSX3"; the peaks share similar architectural designs.
*The game's basic track designs are taken from "SSX3" and "SSX On Tour", although they have been modified.
*This game takes place between "SSX3" and "SSX On Tour", for example, in "On Tour", Kaori is 21 years old. In "Blur" and "SSX3", she is only 19. Also, at the end of SSX on tour, there is a video of what happens to each character after the tour, all the characters from SSX on tour leave and move on to something else.

References

External links

* [http://wii.nintendo.com/software_ssxblur.jsp Official Nintendo SSX Blur site]
* [http://wii.ign.com/articles/753/753208p1.html Interview with Eric Chartrand] at IGN
* [http://www.gametrailers.com/player.php?id=16377&type=mov&pl=game A Video Walkthrough of "SSX Blur" with a developer] at Wii Tube
* [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=13442 April 2007 Interview with Eric Chartrand] at Gamasutra
* [http://www.easports.com/ssxblur/ The Official SSX Blur Site] at eagames.com
* [http://www.merqurycity.com/ssxblur/ssxblur.html SSX Blur Site] at Merqurycity.com