Warning: Since this is a touchy subject, I recommend you click on the back button if you can't take criticism from SSX on Tour. With most SSX fans bashing on it, this might get ugly.
Disclaimer: I do not own SSX in anyway. Credit to EA. No pun intended.
The Ugly[]
Let's start off with the the ugly, shall we? (And get all that out of the way). The SSX series has always been known for it's fast tracks and mind-blowing tricks, all relating to SSX and it's sport, SNOWBOARDING. As fans we thought it was always going to be like this, right? When October came of '05 we discover EA had something else up their sleeves.
Now a lot of us, including myself, wonder why they chose to take this opportunity and add skiing.
Here's an interview from way back when SSX on Tour was first being developed:
"Why did you make the decision to include skiing in SSX this time?
Tim Fields: "Skiing has changed a lot in the last ten years. This is not the kind of skiing we grew up doing. The new school of twin-tip skiing has the guys doing lots of tricks and stunts like you'd expect from snowboarders, and our team was getting increasingly interested in that. We're lucky enough to live near Whistler and we spend a lot of time on the mountains at the weekends doing 'research' and it's the kind of thing we wanted to get in on because they're doing some really cool stuff. It's also a sport that hasn't been done justice in videogame form yet so we really want to do it right."
Some fans claimed skiing wasn't a good idea, and that SSX lost that glow to it. But Tim Fields thought otherwise.
"Is there a worry that you might alienate your hardcore snowboarding fans by adding skiing?
Tim Fields: "No. Here's why. First, if you are a hardcore snowboarder who thinks it's way better than skiing, here's your chance to prove it. Second, snowboarding is still the core of the SSX experience and we've spent the last eighteen months making the snowboarding we've always had even better. Our focus hasn't changed, we're just giving a nod towards a very new and cool sport."
I thought that was a good respond, and it's a good thing they didn't force us to just be skiiers. But it's still a "downgrade" more then a upgrade since SSX 3.
(Read more of this interview here.)
Another feature added to SSX on Tour that fans seem to stay neutral to was the Create Your Character mode. I love SSX and it's characters but when it comes to SSX, I prefer playing as 'myself' rather then my favorite character. Why? As a huge fan I thought the original SSX cast lost their potential and personality...but, I'll get to that a bit later.
Starting off as a newbie was a good idea, but bad received. Not even I liked it as first, but now I could say it's 'ugly'. Despite the fact the mode had even creative features for your character, it allowed you to have an experience. (And really, that's what SSX is all about!) It allowed to start off fresh, new, just as the SSX Legends themselves. I personally loved going up the charts and surpassing my favorite characters, (Mac, Kaori, Zoe!)
While missing playing as my favorite characters I give props to EA this one! (Though ever never do it again EA D;)
The Bad[]
Now for the bad...okay, I know many of you hardcore fans will agree with me that the SSX cast lost their personalities. Story-like, I always wanted to see more cut scenes from the SSX characters, not to much, but a bit more then what SSX Tricky had to offer. Instead, EA gave us more story plot, which was great, until we discovered a few twists.
I understand SSX On Tour was supposed to be "hardcore" but what was up with the theme? Rock n' Roll just isn't cutting for me anymore. Thanks to this theme I feel all the characters lost what made them uniquely them. They all had the same style and seem some-what stuck up and not very passionate about the sport anymore.
While some remained true to the sport, others seem to have gain a bit of a rep, and not a very good one. Allegra Sauvagess, for example, was just a newbie in the passed game (SSX 3), and was described as being 'fresh'. Now, she's a huge sell-out with no life. (Not to mention having a 'fling' with Psymon and throwing a punch at Elise.) Or Kaori Nishidake, who was once the cutest, most friendliest girl of the SSX circuit, now a SSX Diva who knows English. Many fans blame it on one of SSX On Tour's newest newbies, Sid. Despite this, fans thought Mac Fraser and Kaori Nishidake would be a 'official' couple by then. (As Moby and Zoe currently are.)
Zoe Payne, i.m.o, is the only character who stayed true the the sport since the very first SSX.
The one thing that kept all the characters alive in this game was their love for snow. Rather it's snowboarding or skiing, that's why EA has kept some of the characters that have been on SSX since the very beginning.
This was a major flaw for those hardcore SSX fans, but could stay as 'ugly' for some rather then 'bad.'
The Good[]
Now that we got all the ugly and bad away, it's time for the point out the things that made SSX On Tour so great!
Explosions, trees, rails, and Scripted events- The railing system, I must say, was a totally upgrade from SSX 3. In SSX On Tour you can rail from houses, trees, construction tricks, wood, to practically anything you never would dare to do in real life. It takes out the inner SSX in you and let's you rip it up!
Soundtrack- EA did it yet again. Many claim the soundtrack only featured rock music, but I disagree. It covered hip-hop, rap, and even indie music - all perfect for a day at the slopes.
Speed, Bigger Areas, more objects - The speed in this game was a huge surprise for me. It's most speed you just can't control, and the blurry effect only made it more cool! The courses in this game were also cool. There's cool shortcuts to follow and the design is very mountain, winter like.
Just a little example of thought fans thought of SSX On Tour - or at least my ponit of view of it. :)