SSX On Tour Review

Great Level Design

Part of the reason for On Tour’s success is the great level design. SSX 3 boasted a huge connected world that was literally just one big mountain and you had free reign to explore it. It was fun and well implemented, but there were also large stretches of boring track and there was a definite lack of focus in the design. SSX On Tour goes back to the old stand by of giving you just one track at a time and the result is an overall much higher quality as far as the course design goes. The courses in On Tour are absolutely massive and filled with lots of grind lines and it is possible to literally combo down the entire course. Another change in On Tour is that there are now other people on the mountain besides just you and other racers. Similar to Burnout, you can knock these civilians down in order to earn extra boost.

Multiplayer

One area that is pretty disappointing in SSX On Tour is the lack of online play. Racing and trick competitions would have been awesome online, but for whatever reason there is no Xbox Live play. There is splitscreen multiplayer which can be pretty fun, but it isn’t quite the same.

Graphics and Sound

The graphics and sound in SSX On Tour are absolutely phenomenal. The menus and loading screens have a twisted sketchbook look to them that is really, really cool looking. Guitar wielding unicorns and pensive looking horses are just some of the things you’ll see. It gives the game a really lighthearted and offbeat feel that I really love. The graphics during actual gameplay are also really great looking with detailed levels, sharp looking characters with silky smooth animation, and nice lighting effects across the board. The game also has an incredible sense of speed to it. It is quite a contrast between the hand drawn menus and the polygonal game world, but it looks great overall.

The sound also really stands out for a couple of reasons. When you are standing still, you hear all of the sounds of the mountain, but the faster you go the more it is all drowned out by the whoosh of wind blowing past you which is a great effect. The soundtrack is another area where On Tour shines and is filled with great bands and music that fits perfectly with the overall theme and feel of the game.

Bottom Line

SSX On Tour is a great addition to the SSX franchise and deserves a spot in any Xbox owner’s collection. The game is a visual and aural masterpiece and features great level designs, solid gameplay, and a huge number of different events and modes that will keep you busy for a long time. It doesn’t have any sort of online play, which is a bummer, but it is a great game overall that is definitely worth playing. SSX On Tour is a game I can recommend to pretty much anyone so at the very least give it a rental but I think you’ll be more than happy with a purchase.