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SSX On Tour

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SSX on Tour is a snowboarding video game , the fourth title in the SSX series of video games for the GameCube , PlayStation 2 , PSP and Xbox . The game was developed under the working title SSX 4 . It was released in North America on October 11, 2005 and was released in the PAL region on October 21, 2005. The PSP version was released in the PAL region on October 28, 2005. Unlike its predecessor 3 SSX 3, On Tour isn't currently backwards-compatible with the Xbox 360 .

The GameCube version contains Mario , Luigi , and Princess Peach as playable characters. This was part of a deal Nintendo had with EA Sports to have Nintendo's intellectual properties appear in EA franchises. [1] [2]

The PSP version also differs greatly from the main console versions, with limited customization to custom-characters. It also has omitted the use of bonuses on the special "Monster Tricks".

• 3.1 Returning Characters
• 3.2 New Characters
• 6.1 Awards and nominations

Gameplay [ ]

The gameplay in SSX on Tour is similar to that in SSX 3 , with similar controls and the overall aims of events remaining the same - snowboard down a mountain whilst gaining points for various tricks that can be performed. After each trick, a player's "boost bar" builds up, and once full enables a player to perform special moves - known as "Monster Tricks" now, previously known as "Über tricks".

Despite the similarities, numerous changes were made to the structure of races and events themselves. Players can now create their own characters, selecting his/her symbol, makeup, height, clothes and hair, in addition to whether they are a snowboarder or a skier (skiing being a new feature in the game). Once created, their 'boarder can compete in official competitions (known as "Events"), or unofficial challenges known as "Shreds". Each completed event or challenge gains their character "Hype", raising their profile and moving them up the SSX charts, with the ultimate goal of reaching number one.

With the focus now on custom-created characters, the original SSX cast is moved into the background slightly, appearing in various Shreds against the player, and available to play as when not on the Tour itself. In addition to seven returning SSX veterans, three new characters make an appearance: Tyson, Sid, and Skye.

Unlike its predecessor, SSX3 , no online play was included on any of the versions of SSX On Tour . The main focus was on improving the single-player storyline mode, implementing the character-creation system, the selection of new tracks, and the addition of skiing as well as snowboarding.

This game is presented in the style of a sketch-book, a new direction for the SSX series. The cover artwork as well as the in-game menus are all shown in sketch formats, simplistic images often on a lined background. The special in game collectibles, displayed simply as snowflakes in previous SSX games, have been replaced with sketchlike doodles known as "skulvis", continuing the theme.

This style was continued to an extent on the actual races themselves, with the graphics smoothed down from SSX3 to keep the overall feel of the game as fresh as possible, though as a result the game runs at a lower frame rate than the previous SSX games. New effects were also added, such as a blurring effect when racers reach a certain speed, similar to the effect used in Burnout 3: Takedown , another game released by Electronic Arts .

Characters [ ]

Returning characters [ ].

• Elise Riggs
• Mackenzie "Mac" Fraser
• Kaori Nishidake
• Psymon Stark
• Allegra Sauvagess

New Characters [ ]

• Mario (GameCube Version)
• Princess Peach (GameCube Version)
• Luigi (GameCube Version)
• Tyson Logan

Non Playable Characters (PSP Version)

{{:wikiavideo:SSX On Tour (VG) (2005) - PS, PS2, Xbox, GameCube/thumb=1&width=300px&align=left&caption=XBOX, PS2, GC, GBA}}

Gallery [ ]

Reception [ ]

SSX on Tour received positive reviews from critics on the whole.. GameSpot gave it 8.7 out of 10, noting that the game's style was "unlike anything the series has seen before", and that it "expertly balances the fresh and the familiar", and "creates an engrossing experience that will have fans falling for SSX all over again". In addition, Metacritic 's review system has produced a rating of 81 out of 100 for the game, based on a large number of critic's reviews. X-Play gave it a 3 out of 5.

Awards and nominations [ ]

• Alternative Sports Game at IGN
• Best Use of Sound in a Game at DEM X AWARDS 2005
• D.I.C.E's Best Sports Game of the Year Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (AIAS) 2006

Nominations

• Best Mobile Game of the Year CAEAA 2006
• Best Individual Sports Game at Spike Video Game Awards 2005
• Best Sports/Extreme Sports title at 1UP.com
• 1 SSX Tricky
• 2 List of SSX Characters
• 3 List of Soundtracks

SSX On Tour Review

Posted in Reviews

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SSX on Tour is the fourth game in the series, and the first since 2003’s SSX 3. Concentrating on a solid single-player experience, the development team dropped online play, but have succeeded in delivering a game that – while not all that different to previous games in the series – should please existing fans and newcomers to the series. A unique art style and a pumping soundtrack sweeten the overall package.

The biggest change (although it’s mainly an aesthetic one) is the option of skis or a snowboard for your character. This is the first time skis have been an option in the series, and while it’s a nice addition, it has little impact on how the game plays; being able to choose skis might please anyone with an aversion to snowboards, but you’re still going to be pulling the same insane stunts and huge jumps as you speed down snow covered mountain sides

Before you even start skiing you’ll notice the rather unique art style the game uses. The game is covered with doodle-like pen drawings – the kind you’d find on the cover of schoolwork folders. These obscure drawings all animate beautifully and bring the game to life before you’ve even hit the slopes. It’s a real contrast to the usual clean-cut, quite formal presentation that most games go for. You’ll spend a fair bit of time exploring all the submenus simply to take a look at all the art in the game, be it a guitar wielding unicorn or some freakish half human half monster creation.

This style hasn’t really been carried over to the in-game visuals, which look remarkably similar to previous games in the series. Considering SSX has always been a good looking series, this isn’t a bad thing, but a little more creativity wouldn’t have gone amiss. Technically it’s very good, with good draw distances, a solid frame rate (not so solid on the GameCube) and some brilliant effects, such as falling snow and fireworks. It’s a great looking game, just nothing that hasn’t been seen before.

The main single-player mode is the tour. You’ll have to create your own character (there’s some basic appearance customisation and board or ski selection) and then you’re ready to take part in the usual SSX events: race, trick, and slope-style. The actual challenges are quite varied, ranging from simple one-on-one races to scoring a set number of points within a time limite. Events that challenge you to grind a certain length before the time runs out, or complete the course with your time on the snow not reaching a set limit (Each time your board or skis touch the snow a timer starts) are great fun, and they way they’re used keeps the tour mode feeling fresh throughout.

Gameplay changes over SSX 3 are pretty minor, but do affect how the game plays. ‘Ubertricks’ are now called ‘Monster tricks’ and the way they’re performed has changed. You still need to build up your boost metre – by performing smaller tricks as you move down the slope – but pulling off a Monster trick is a simple matter of moving the right analogue stick in a direction. It does simplify this area of the game, but it’s not really a bad thing; in truth it makes the game more fun to play. The roster of lesser tricks has been increased and a whole new set are available when using skis.

Previous games took place on closed slopes, with just you and the opposition to be seen, but SSX on Tour’s inclusion of other skiers is a welcome addition, giving some life to the game. Crashing into them will slow you down considerably, but near misses will increase your boost metre, in an obvious homage to EA’s own Burnout series. In fact, SSX on Tour is faster than previous games in the series, making excellent use of motion blur effects as you reach incredible speeds careering down the slopes. Non-racing skiers, some insane speed and some pretty challenging course designs make SSX on Tour no pushover.

Aside from the brilliant art style, the game’s audio is a real highlight. There’s a great soundtrack featuring tracks from the likes of Bloc Party, Queens of the Stone Age, Motorhead and Iron Maiden. The on-slope atmospheric effects are excellent, too, with wildlife, talking skiers and slight variations in the sound of your skis/board on the snow, depending on what type of snow you’re on. All this fades away, though, when you start pulling off huge jumps and using your boost metre. It works really well and helps heighten the sense excitement and the extreme nature of what you’re doing.

Multiplayer support isn’t really anything to get excited about. Limited to two-player split-screen, it’s there if you really want to play with a friend, but it’s not something the developers spent a lot of time working on. All three versions of the game are pretty identical in terms of content, but the GameCube version does have one trump card in the form of three Nintendo characters. Mario, Luigi, and Peach are selectable in the quick play mode, and while there addition isn’t major, it lessens the blow of more awkward controls and a worse frame rate that Cube owners have to put up with.

SSX on Tour is a very enjoyable game. It’s been a while since the last SSX game, and it’s nice to see that EA has made an effort to try and give the game its own identity, even if the core gameplay remains pretty unchanged. Fans of the series will lap this up, and the cool presentation and rocking soundtrack should appeal to anyone wanting some thrilling extreme sports action. Even without online play, SSX on Tour is a great return for the series.

SSX on Tour

Table of contents.

SSX on Tour is a snowboarding video game, the fourth title in the SSX series of video games for the GameCube , PlayStation 2 , and Xbox . The game was developed under the working title SSX 4 . It was released in North America on October 11, 2005 and was released in the PAL region on October 21, 2005. Unlike its predecessor SSX 3 , On Tour isn't currently backwards-compatible with the Xbox 360 .

Gameplay [ edit ]

The GameCube version contains Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach as playable characters. This was part of a deal Nintendo had with EA Sports to have Nintendo's intellectual properties appear in EA franchises.

The gameplay in SSX on Tour is similar to that in SSX 3, with similar controls and the overall aims of events remaining the same - snowboard down a mountain whilst gaining points for various tricks that can be performed. After each trick, a player's "boost bar" builds up, and once full enables a player to perform special moves - known as "Monster Tricks" now, previously known as "Über tricks".

Despite the similarities, numerous changes were made to the structure of races and events themselves. Players can now create their own characters, selecting his/her symbol, makeup, height, clothes and hair, in addition to whether they are a snowboarder or a skier (skiing being a new feature in the game). Once created, their 'boarder can compete in official competitions (known as "Events"), or unofficial challenges known as "Shreds". Each completed event or challenge gains their character "Hype", raising their profile and moving them up the SSX charts, with the ultimate goal of reaching number one.

With the focus now on custom-created characters, the original SSX cast is moved into the background slightly, appearing in various Shreds against the player, and available to play as when not on the Tour itself. In addition to seven returning SSX veterans, three new characters make an appearance: Tyson, Sid, and Skye.

Unlike its predecessor, SSX 3, no online play was included on any of the versions of SSX On Tour. The main focus was on improving the single-player storyline mode, implementing the character-creation system, the selection of new tracks, and the addition of skiing as well as snowboarding.

• Nintendo GameCube
• PlayStation 2
• Guides at completion stage 0
• EA Sports BIG
• Snowboarding
• Single player
• Multiplayer

Navigation menu

• On Tour Art
• On Tour Movies

Welcome to THE TOUR!

SSX On Tour Review

• First Released Oct 11, 2005 released

The subversive style of SSX On Tour is unlike anything the series has seen before, and it's pretty unique in the overall world of video games.

By Ryan Davis on October 11, 2005 at 6:25PM PDT

Though it has often found itself lumped in with Tony Hawk and the rest of his action-sports cronies, the SSX series has always been more of a racer, albeit a racer with an affinity for ridiculous airborne stunts. Last seen in 2003 with SSX 3, the series returns with the aesthetically revamped SSX On Tour. This is an incredibly slick package, and not just on the surface, either. On Tour tightens up a lot of the underlying course designs and gameplay mechanics, and it quickens the pace without betraying the fundamentals of SSX.

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Now Playing: SSX On Tour Video Review

We can't talk about SSX On Tour without first talking about its unique art style, which permeates all of the menus and consistently creeps into the actual gameplay as well. While SSX 3 went for sleek and icy, On Tour's visual style has a real sweaty, wild-haired enthusiasm to it. The game specifically aims to mimic the hand-drawn notebook doodles of a bored, hyperactive heavy-metal high schooler. There's a purposefully crude, monochromatic look to everything, but all of the menus are crammed with details and weird, whimsical animations, adding a real oddball energy to the environment. Pensive-looking donkeys, twin guitar-wielding unicorns, and squat little monster-men with tongues of unsettling length are all common sights throughout the menus. This is not necessarily an original art style (you can look to the finale of Richard Linklater's School of Rock to catch some direct inspirado, and there are occasional Ed "Big Daddy" Roth touches), but it's delivered with a liveliness that is downright infectious.

The actual polygonal world of SSX On Tour isn't quite as daring as it was in SSX 3, and more of the technical muscle goes into the lighting engine in this game. The characters somehow seem less detailed than they did in SSX 3, but their animations are still silky smooth, and it can be fascinating just to watch your skier shift its weight from one foot to the other as it navigates some uneven terrain. The environments are absolutely jam-packed with alternate routes, shortcuts, and secret paths, but they all manage to come together quite naturally, and the actual geometry looks great, too. Topping it all off are some great particle effects (the falling snow and fireworks look amazing), and at least in the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions, a rock-solid frame rate. The visuals have always been a strength of SSX, and On Tour is able to pull it together on both the artistic and technical fronts with great confidence.

The single-player experience in SSX On Tour revolves around the tour mode, where you create a custom rider, choose whether it's a skier or a snowboarder, and then compete in a lengthy series of class-based challenges. A good number of characters from past SSX games appear in On Tour, and you'll compete against them repeatedly. However, the focus on characters has been toned down significantly since they were all given celebrity voices in SSX Tricky. Now the big idea is to put the spotlight on you as you turn your lowly novice into a full-fledged snow-sportin' rock star. The three main SSX event types--race, trick, and slope-style events (a 50/50 race/trick blend)--are still staples in On Tour, though now there are more-specific challenges for you to face. Some of them start off being pretty mundane (like having to collect a number of special icons before time runs out), but they quickly become more inventive and challenge some very specific skills. You'll have to score a number of points on a limited number of jumps, grind a length of rail before you get to the bottom of the hill, or pull off a number of hand-plants before time runs out--and these are just for starters. One of our favorite recurring challenges is where you have to make it through a course while touching the snow as little as possible. Every time you touch the snow, a countdown clock starts ticking, and if it reaches zero before you reach the finish line, you're disqualified. Events like this add some amazing variety to the action in SSX On Tour.

The big sell in SSX 3 was the streaming technology used to create that game's seamless, one-mountain feel and to lay out courses that could last for nearly a full hour. SSX On Tour still takes place on a single mountain, and there are still plenty of lengthy courses, though the navigation is done entirely through a rather authentic-looking snow resort trail map. There are no big leaps in technology in On Tour, but there are plenty of under-the-hood adjustments and additions. Superficially, the biggest addition to SSX On Tour's gameplay is the ability to put your rider on skis as well as snowboards. This opens up a whole new set of aerial maneuvers, but its impact on the actual controls is pretty nominal. More significant is the way that SSX On Tour handles massive aerial stunts. "Ubertricks" have turned into "monster tricks," and instead of holding a shoulder button and a face button in tandem to pull off these natural-law-defying maneuvers, you simply hold the right analog stick in a specific direction. You still need to fill up your boost meter by pulling off lesser tricks, such as aerial grabs, rail grinds, and hand-plants in order to access these aforementioned maneuvers. Some might frown on how much easier it is to pull off these monster tricks. Frankly, the trick system has always been mostly for show in SSX, and making it easier to pull off big tricks just makes for a more exciting show.

SSX 3 reveled in its wide-open, uncharted levels, which led to a really cohesive gameworld, but also made for some tedious stretches of track. SSX On Tour is a much meaner machine, dealing out tracks with much more focused, tenacious designs. One of the side effects is the preponderance of lengthy rail-grinding lines for you to pursue, which lead to some of the game's most outrageous moments, such as when you slide your way through a loop, or grind on a helicopter's landing skids while it's in the air.

You'll also notice that SSX On Tour no longer takes place on a closed course, and you can expect to (literally) run into other random skiers, snowboarders, and general winter sports enthusiasts on the mountain. In a rather obvious homage to Criterion's Burnout series, you can get a little bump on your boost meter when you have a close call or you run into a random person, though a direct collision will slow you down significantly. Actually, there are a lot of similarities between SSX and Burnout, not the least of which is a really amazing sense of speed. SSX On Tour definitely moves faster than any of its predecessors, and its sensation of speed is complemented by some great motion blur effects and a sound design that adjusts dynamically to the in-game action.

At slower speeds, you'll hear everything on the mountain--the sound that your board or skis make changes as you cut across ice and snow of different densities, the chatter of other people on the mountain, and the distant sounds of wildlife--but once you start burning up your boost meter, everything kind of tunes out, save for the whistle of the wind rushing past you. Sometimes the sound seems to drop out at moments when you're not really doing anything too death defying, but it's really effective more often than not. The game also features a great soundtrack of licensed music, with a distinct jean-jacketed, horn-throwing bent to it. The blend of indie rock, punk, hip-hop, and dance music is pretty predictable, though the pedigree is better than average, with critical favorites like Bloc Party, Diplo, Queens of the Stone Age, and LCD Soundsystem all contributing tracks. What really stands out, though, are the classic heavy-metal tracks by Def Leppard, Motorhead, Scorpions, Iron Maiden, and the godfather of heavy metal himself, Dio. You might not necessarily expect this throwback metal to work in the context of a snowboarding game, but it's a perfect fit for On Tour's crazy visual aesthetics.

SSX 3 for the PlayStation 2 featured an online multiplayer component that was, well, kind of half-assed. Rather than attempt to make a more fully-realized and entertaining online mode, On Tour ditches the mode entirely, which is sort of disappointing. The game still features a split-screen, two-player mode, though. It's technically proficient, though the level of detail gets bumped down and we noticed occasional frame rate hitches. Multiplayer has never been one of the big draws in SSX, though that doesn't lessen our hopes that EA will get it right one day.

With the online multiplayer out of the picture, the differences between the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube versions of SSX On Tour are few. Much like NBA Street 3 for the GameCube, SSX On Tour features Mario, Luigi, and Peach as playable characters in the quick play mode (kind of a throwaway feature, but one that we had a hard time not reveling in anyway). The GameCube version is also unfortunately saddled with a less-stable frame rate and a few other graphical rough edges. There aren't any detectable technical differences between the PS2 and Xbox versions, but using the four shoulder buttons on the Dual Shock 2 is much easier than using the triggers plus the black and white buttons on the s-controller, making PlayStation 2 our preferred platform for SSX On Tour.

But no matter which platform you go with, you're going to end up with a really fun game. The subversive style of SSX On Tour is unlike anything the series has seen before, and it's pretty unique in the overall world of video games. The game expertly balances the fresh and the familiar and creates an engrossing experience that will have fans falling for SSX all over again, while undoubtedly bringing plenty of newcomers into the fold.

• Leave Blank
• Stunning new art style
• Great sense of speed
• Streamlined trick system
• A licensed soundtrack with a little heart
• No online multiplayer
• Somewhat unstable frame rate (GameCube only)

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SSX On Tour

Images & screenshots.

SSX on Tour

SSX on Tour is a sports game developed by Electronic Arts and the successor of SSX 3 . The game is about semi-realistic snowboard and ski races on different tracks. The game was released parallel for the Xbox , PlayStation 2 , PlayStation Portable , and Nintendo GameCube .

As an addition to the GameCube version of the game, Mario , Luigi , and Princess Peach were added as playable characters, along with a new race track called Nintendo Village . This is in response to a deal between EA and Nintendo in which EA would include Nintendo characters and properties in a few of their games; another game to take advantage of this was NBA Street V3 .

• 2.1 Artwork
• 2.2 Box art
• 2.3 Screenshots
• 2.4 Miscellaneous
• 3 Names in other languages
• 4 References
• 5 External links

Gameplay [ edit ]

The principal topic of SSX on Tour are races on snowboards, or alternatively on skis. While playing the game, players choose a character to race across a downhill. While doing so, the player can use the environment in form of ramps or rails to perform various tricks. The game also features a story mode which depicts a character's advancement to the top of the racer rankings, as well as a character editor.

Gallery [ edit ]

Artwork [ edit ].

Group artwork

Princess Peach

Box art [ edit ]

European box art

Japanese box art

Screenshots [ edit ]

Character select

Mario in Nintendo Village (Day)

Mario in Nintendo Village (Night)

Miscellaneous [ edit ]

Memory card icon

Names in other languages [ edit ]

References [ edit ].

• ^ https://www.nintendo.co.jp/ngc/index.html

External links [ edit ]

• North American EA website
• Japanese EA website
• Nintendo UK site
• Sports games
• Nintendo GameCube games
• Crossover games
• Articles that need media

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