SSX (2012 video game)
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''SSX'' is a 2012
snowboarding video game A sports video game is a video game that simulates the practice of sports. Most sports have been recreated with a game, including team sports, track and field, extreme sports, and combat sports. Some games emphasize actually playing the sport (s ...
in the '' SSX'' series of video games from
Electronic Arts Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the d ...
. It is a
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of the series. First revealed at the Spike Video Game Awards in 2010 under the working title ''SSX: Deadly Descents'', the game's trailer appeared to show a much darker direction to the series than previous entries, though later footage revealed a return to a lighter tone. ''SSX'' includes the use of real locations, rather than the fictional courses of past games. Unlike the previous SSX games, this one does not use the
EA Sports BIG Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) is an American video game company headquartered in Redwood City, California. Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer game industry and promoted the d ...
sub-brand, and instead uses the standard EA Sports branding. Along with ''SSX'', ''FIFA Street'' was also resurrected in 2012 for a new game. The game was developed by
EA Canada EA Vancouver (formerly known as EA Burnaby, then EA Canada) is a Canadian video game developer located in Burnaby, British Columbia. The development studio opened as Distinctive Software in January 1983, and is also Electronic Arts's largest and ...
and released in North America on February 28, 2012, and was later released worldwide in March on
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and
Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is a home video game console developed by Microsoft. As the successor to the original Xbox, it is the second console in the Xbox series. It competed with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation ...
. Upon release, the game received positive reviews from critics, who praised the motivation behind its development, and was a commercial success.


Gameplay

''SSX'' is a snowboarding game which can be controlled via buttons or analogue sticks, although an option for classic controls from earlier entries in the series is available. Throughout the game, players navigate various snowy levels and perform tricks. Players receive a speed boost for successfully performing tricks. By filling up the boost meter completely, players enter 'Tricky' mode, which makes a return from ''
SSX Tricky ''SSX Tricky'', also known as ''SSX 2'' or ''SSX 2: Tricky'', is a snowboarding video game, the second game in the ''SSX'' series published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports BIG label and developed by EA Vancouver. A direct sequel to ''S ...
''. During this mode, players have unlimited boost and tricks will now become wilder 'Über' tricks. If players perform enough Über tricks whilst in Tricky mode, they will enter 'Super Tricky' mode, allowing for wilder Über tricks called Super Über tricks as well as having prolonged unlimited boost, which can last longer if the player continuously performs tricks. As players perform tricks, they build up a combo bonus which goes through a multiplier once cashed in, but will be lost if the player bails. If players make a mistake, they can rewind time to get back on track, although this will cost trick points and cause time loss, time continues normally for the opponents. The bulk of the game is the World Tour mode, in which Team SSX attempts to conquer the nine deadly descents across the world, including the
Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
and
Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...
. During each location, players train a specific rider to tackle the descent via a series of events which generally involve either defeating opponents in a race or obtaining the highest trick score. These culminate in a Deadly Descent stage, in which the player is tasked with safely making it to the end of the level with a limited number of rewinds. Each of these descents features dangerous obstacles, such as trees, avalanches, large drops, low oxygen, freezing areas and darkness. To face these threats, the player can equip various helpful gadgets. These include body armor to defend against rocks and trees,
wingsuit Wingsuit flying (or wingsuiting) is the sport of skydiving using a webbing-sleeved jumpsuit called a wingsuit to add webbed area to the diver's body and generate increased lift, which allows extended air time by gliding flight rather than just ...
s to clear large gaps, pickaxes to aid turning on icy surfaces, and flashlights to light up dark areas. Playing through this mode unlocks new areas and characters for use in other modes. Other modes include Explore Mode, in which players can freely explore the various mountains and take on various challenges, and Global Events, in which players can take on various challenge online, although certain features will require an online pass, either sold with new copies of the game or purchased online. Performing well in any of the modes earns the players SSX Credits which can be used to purchase new boards or gadget upgrades. Players are also able to plant Geotags throughout the various levels, challenging players to try and reach them in order to earn some extra credits.


Characters

Original '' SSX'' character Elise Riggs returned in this installment. Mackenzie "Mac" Fraser, Kaori Nishidake, Moby Jones, Psymon Stark, Zoe Payne, Griff Simmons and Eddie Wachowski (pre-order bonus from
GameStop GameStop Corp. is an American video game, consumer electronics, and gaming merchandise retailer. The company is headquartered in Grapevine, Texas (a suburb of Dallas), and is the largest video game retailer worldwide. , the company operates 4,5 ...
) also appear in the game. New characters include Tane Mumea, Alex Moreau, and Ty Thorsen.
Travis Rice Travis Rice (born October 9, 1982) is an American professional snowboarder. He is #13 on ''Snowboarder'' magazine's list of the 20 most influential snowboarders of the last 20 years.
was later made available as a DLC character, making him the first real-life snowboarder to feature in the game series.


Plot

The World Tour follows biker Zoe Payne who, along with snowboarder Mac Fraser and surfer Tane Mumea, has founded Team SSX (which stands for Snowboarding, Surfing, and Motocross in this game). Gathering a team of nine of the best riders in the world, Team SSX plans to conquer the nine deadliest descents across the world in order to raise funds via livestreaming. However, a former SSX member, Griff Simmons, is seeking to conquer the nine descents himself, leading to a race against time to see who will conquer the world first.


Soundtrack

The soundtrack features a large number of tracks spanning different genres. Run–D.M.C.'s "
It's Tricky "It's Tricky" is the fourth single released from Run-DMC's third album, Raising Hell (album), ''Raising Hell''. It was released early in 1987 through Profile Records and was co-produced by Rick Rubin and the group themselves. The song peaked at ...
" remixed by
Pretty Lights Derek Vincent Smith (born November 25, 1981), known by his stage name Pretty Lights, is an American electronic music producer. Pretty Lights was originally a music project consisting of Smith and Michal Menert, who left after the release of their ...
from ''
SSX Tricky ''SSX Tricky'', also known as ''SSX 2'' or ''SSX 2: Tricky'', is a snowboarding video game, the second game in the ''SSX'' series published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports BIG label and developed by EA Vancouver. A direct sequel to ''S ...
'' returns in this game. "Kusha Las Payas" by
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
girl group
Las Ketchup Las Ketchup is a Spanish girl group founded by flamenco record producer Manuel "Queco" Ruiz. The group, which consists of sisters Lucía, Lola, and Pilar Muñoz (later to be joined by a fourth sister Rocío), is best known for the 2002 hit singl ...
was featured in the game, but only for
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
. The game introduces a new remixing technology known as "Harmony" that can dynamically remix any song during gameplay, including custom soundtracks.
Flux Pavilion Joshua Steele (born 15 January 1989) better known by his stage name Flux Pavilion, is an English EDM producer, DJ, singer-songwriter and label owner who has been performing since 2008. Flux Pavilion has headlined three US tours, two UK tours, ...
's song "I Can't Stop" was accidentally excluded from the list.


Downloadable content

Three DLCs were released in 2012: On April 3, EA released two characters, Eddie Wachowski and
Travis Rice Travis Rice (born October 9, 1982) is an American professional snowboarder. He is #13 on ''Snowboarder'' magazine's list of the 20 most influential snowboarders of the last 20 years.
, which were previously only available with pre-orders of the game, and limited Facebook app codes, respectively. On May 1, EA released content entitled "Mount Eddie & Classic Characters Pack" to Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. The downloadable content contained seven characters from ''SSX Tricky'' and ''SSX 3'', three songs from the previous games, and a new mountain. The mountain, named "Mount Eddie", contains several elements reminiscent of the previous games, including large jumps, halfpipes, fireworks, billboards, and an overall colorful environment. On August 7, EA released a patch update with two new game modes. The first mode, entitled "3-2-1 GO!", added live multiplayer gameplay. This mode allowed up to five players to compete simultaneously in a race or trick event. The second mode, called Freeride, let players ride down any mountain without any time limits, ghosts or scores.


Reception

''SSX'' received generally positive reviews from critics, with a
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
score of 82 and 81 for the
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and
PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
versions respectively, signifying "generally favorable reviews".
IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...
gave ''SSX'' a score of 9/10 in their review, stating "SSX is the video game this generation has been missing". Reviews praised the new entry for the motivation behind its development;
Eurogamer ''Eurogamer'' is a British video game journalism website launched in 1999 and owned by alongside formed company Gamer Network. Its editor-in-chief is Martin Robinson. Since 2008, it is known for the formerly eponymous games trade fair EGX ...
said that "few series have enjoyed such an assured and enjoyable update in the current generation of consoles", noting it was far from being "a weary evolution", while IGN remarked that "this is what happens when you don't just put the game out every year". However, ''
Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...
'' gave the game a 5/10, opining that ''SSX'' "has found a worthy infrastructure to establish an online community, but this same approach has found the brand veering away from some of the fun...of yesteryear, leaving its more seductive silly side out in the cold". In 2014, VGU said that fans were displeased with the game for its lack of multiplayer. According to EA's Labels President Frank Gibeau, ''SSX'' was a better success than EA's first-person shooter ''
Syndicate A syndicate is a self-organizing group of individuals, companies, corporations or entities formed to transact some specific business, to pursue or promote a shared interest. Etymology The word ''syndicate'' comes from the French language, Frenc ...
'' which the company was expecting to perform successfully. In May 2012, the game topped #1 on the UK sales charts. ''SSX'' was the fifth best selling game in the United States behind ''
Mass Effect 3 ''Mass Effect 3'' is an action role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by Electronic Arts. The third major entry in the ''Mass Effect'' series and the final installment of the original trilogy, it was released in March 2012 fo ...
'', '' Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City'', '' MLB 12: The Show'', and ''
NBA 2K12 ''NBA 2K12'' is a 2011 basketball simulation video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports. It was released in October 2011 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Xbox 360, and, ...
''.Game Console March 2012 NPD Sales Figures
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References


External links


Official ''SSX'' website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ssx (2012 video game) SSX 2012 video games EA Sports games Multiplayer and single-player video games PlayStation 3 games Video games developed in Canada Video games scored by Rom Di Prisco Video games set in Antarctica Video games set in China Video games set in Chile Video games set in Japan Video games set in New Zealand Video games set in Russia Video games set in Tanzania Video games set in the United States Xbox 360 games Spike Video Game Award winners