SSX (2012) Catch-All

OK, put me down. I tried the demo, f*ck you Minarchist, and your enabling ways.

I've got to get 2 games squared away this week, so I can trade them, cash in my loyalty bonus, AND get an additional $5 trade for the two games to get it 'down' to around AU$50... But it will be worth it.

I just spent the last hour trying to get close to Higgledy's speed run in the demo, getting used to randomly smashing buttons or analog stick and gettign lost in short cuts and valleys. That kind of score chase addiction is PinballFX all over again!?!?!

Now I HAVE to go off and do stuff I was meant to start over an hour ago.

Tried the demo, loved the feel.

The community features are great. The RiderNet wall with friend updates buzzing all over makes the game feel like a living thing.

Damn, I don't know what the hell I'm doing with tricks. Just mashing buttons at this point.

I'll need to go over some YouTube videos explaining the process for Dummies. Like slowly spelling it out kind of tutorials. "First you hold your A button before getting air. Then you let it go and push the Right Stick forward until "this happens". Then you do "this", etc."

If I could just get a super-detailed walkthrough of a basic 30 second trick run and then pull it off myself, it would help me focus more. Right now I'm just getting vertigo while trying to stay on clean lines and having a seizure fit on the controller when I'm in the air.

It's pretty graceful.

I played the demo, I'm just as excited as I was before. I hear the critisims, and I understand them, but I like the changes. The game had to evolve a little, and I think they went the right way.

IMO, SSX3 isn't that much slower, we're just that much older

Shoal07 wrote:

IMO, SSX3 isn't that much slower, we're just that much older ;)

I know you're being jokey, and not that I won't get use to the speed, but off the bat it feels jerky, which has been the unanimous feeling here. Some like it, some don't, but it's obviously different and not inviting to new players. That's surprising given SSX's previous tone and the general state of the industry in providing a smooth difficulty curve. (We are talking about an EA sports game, after all.)

I'm now worried about the above criticisms. I dislike it when racing games make the thing feel "too artificial" by removing any semblance of normality and make the game too arcadey so i can't imagine liking it here.

The PS3 demo is out today? I'll download it and take a look-see.

Shoal07 wrote:

I played the demo, I'm just as excited as I was before. I hear the critisims, and I understand them, but I like the changes. The game had to evolve a little, and I think they went the right way.

IMO, SSX3 isn't that much slower, we're just that much older ;)

SSX did get faster and the tricks more crazy in each iteration. But even then, there was more of a deliberate pace to the mountain. You'd get a several seconds of finding a fast line, and building speed, then the big jump with some crazy tricks. The demo just seemed non-stop. Maybe the demo is one of the more advanced mountains (akin to jumping into the Tokyo Megaplex).

If you haven't played one of the old ones in a while, check out this video from Tricky - the pacing is radically different..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXyzQTcUVnM&feature=related

I though it would be kind of fun to use YouTube doubler to put Tricky gameplay next to SSX 2012 demo gameplay.

http://youtubedoubler.com/3iNL

I'm not sure how accurate a comparison those two are. The Tricky player is going for pure speed, low and fast, and avoiding most of the jumps. The 2012 played looks like he's going all out on a jumpy course. They probably wouldn't release a slow one for a demo, and they probably also tweak the equipment pretty significantly so you can spin your little heart out. If the Tricky course is the one I'm thinking off (and I don't pretend to have played Tricky recently) there's worlds of nonsense off either side of the main path that the view doesn't capture.

Man, I have a hard time with the race. I really preferred the Trick courses. Once I learn the trick system in each one, I have a lot of fun doing absolutely crazy stuff in mid air.

I'll need to totally learn the trick system, though. I tried "classic" controlls...nah. The new stuff is more fluid and natural.

I've got to work on my variety. Duplicate tricks are killing my scores and combos. Also, it took me forever to realize you have to hold the left trigger to lock on the rails. I was releasing it the second I landed and couldn't figure out forthe life of me why I couldn't get decent combos going.

Miashara wrote:

I'm not sure how accurate a comparison those two are. The Tricky player is going for pure speed, low and fast, and avoiding most of the jumps. The 2012 played looks like he's going all out on a jumpy course.

True, of course. However, speed or trick, the sight line difference between the two is remarkable; in the Tricky course, you can see what's coming up for some number of seconds, whereas in the 2012 course, the sheer number of bumps and obstacles means you see what's coming up as it's going under your board.

I'll have to try the demo again, I think.

Uh, that video doesn't fill me with confidence.... Downloading the demo.

Chumpy_McChump wrote:
Miashara wrote:

I'm not sure how accurate a comparison those two are. The Tricky player is going for pure speed, low and fast, and avoiding most of the jumps. The 2012 played looks like he's going all out on a jumpy course.

True, of course. However, speed or trick, the sight line difference between the two is remarkable; in the Tricky course, you can see what's coming up for some number of seconds, whereas in the 2012 course, the sheer number of bumps and obstacles means you see what's coming up as it's going under your board.

I'll have to try the demo again, I think.

I did feel that way my first couple of runs down the mountain. There are many more paths down than I remember previous SSX games had (although SSX3 was pretty open), so it was a little overwhelming at first, especially at that speed. That Rocky Mountain track in particular feels like it's probably better for tricks than speed, so maybe there's a bit of disconnect there when first learning? There are some good shortcuts, though, so like previous games part of the fun is finding the best line down based on what you are doing.

Which is why I'm torn on the "trails" for friend's ghosts and the times to beat for medals. On one hand I love that I can see the path that someone with a really good time took, but at the same time it does take some of the fun of discovery away from the game. Maybe there will be (or is) an easy way to toggle those off and on? I'd like to keep them off for my first few attempts, and then when I feel "stuck" take a look and see how others approached the run.

After several (er, many) attempts on this one track, though, I'm completely sold Once I got used to the controls and started learning the slope I was having a ton of fun. There's lots to see just on this run and having speed runs, trick runs, snowflakes to collect and the GeoTags to get and set... much fun to be had. It is easier to grind (the rail cart track section in particular and one tunnel on the left) and really easy to land, but I'm okay with that. Makes it more about finding your line which I'm okay with, even if that means losing a little risk-reward with the trick system.

I'm very much ready for this game Can't wait!

Anybody exploit the rewind bug. I went over to the SSX forums on EA's website. There is a apparent score bug where you can tap the rewind button repeatedly and not be given a penalty and people are supposedly racking up 40 million on trick it. I haven't tested it yet.

Oh pro tip on any race event... Jump early before the kicker so that you go over the kicker rather than jump on the kicker... in other words jump over the lip not into the lip.... Also there is a better route than the gold time is taking. (I guess it is kinda obvious)

rickyyo wrote:

Anybody exploit the rewind bug. I went over to the SSX forums on EA's website. There is a apparent score bug where you can tap the rewind button repeatedly and not be given a penalty and people are supposedly racking up 40 million on trick it. I haven't tested it yet.

Oh pro tip on any race event... Jump early before the kicker so that you go over the kicker rather than jump on the kicker... in other words jump over the lip not into the lip.... Also there is a better route than the gold time is taking. (I guess it is kinda obvious)

What's a kicker? What lip?

A kicker is a jump: the thingy with little red bars leading towards it. The lip is the edge of the jump, the part you leap from.

After playing the demo its buy after the price drops.

Good) colorful, shiny world. Intuitive control scheme.

Bad) Serious contender for most annoying HUD in years. Crap flashes in the middle of the screen constantly, and there is no option for turning it off. Also they still haven't fixed the problem where on some jumps the camera gets underneath you so you can't see when you hit.

Still, worth playing. Just not worth paying full price for.

Just sent out Friend requests to all the 360 GWJers in the front list that I didn't have before. Some of you I think will bounce as you've already got 100 friends. Silly limit, thought they might have altered that with the last DashBoard update, or at least allow us to have 'groups' of 100.

Also, Min, what gives? You twist my arm into getting this game, then leave me out of the players list? Son, (you know the rest).

No access to XBL until March 9th so, if you have sent a friend request, I'm not ignoring you.

Played the demo on new control scheme last night and wasn't that impressed. The game felt way too fast and in some way narrow (not sure how to describe the feeling but it felt like you were on a 90 degree slope and so couldn't move laterally all that easily) to be enjoyable. The speed with which you had to go to beat races in pole position (bearing in mind i only have one person in my PSN friends list) is mind-boggling.

I'll try it again on classic control scheme but i'm not sure i'll even bother with it. Looks like SSX 3 was the pinnacle of the series for me.

[edit]

The problem i have with the game is kinda like Sonic games. The appeal of Sonic the Hedgehog was never blinding speed.... but they went ahead and made all the later games ridiculously fast. So fast that i never enjoyed the game. Thinking about it, i feel the same way about this. I can't enjoy the track or setting up a jump or appreciating a jump and trick/trick combo because they're over before they begin.

[edit 2]

Okay, i take some of it back. The classic controls make a HUGE difference. I feel much more in control now and can pull of directional tricks without veering away from the jump - not to mention that the trick buttons are more comfortable as the shoulder buttons. Them including them in the game has managed to make me purchase it so it's a good job they're there! I wonder how many other people are like me?

Duoae wrote:

I wonder how many other people are like me?

You are a unique and wonderful snowflake Duoae, don't ever change.

m0nk3yboy wrote:
Duoae wrote:

I wonder how many other people are like me?

You are a unique and wonderful snowflake Duoae, don't ever change. :wink2:

You're my double, aren't you?!

DAMNIT!

I finally got my XBL to work in this stupid hotel room. I have played the demo after playing SSX3 for the last 4 weeks almost every night. I love the new changes. Nostalgia may be clouding some of your minds and you forget how frustrating the old SSX games could be. This new one greatly reduces those frustrations, with a better dynamic camera and collision system. I do not think it is any faster, though some of the new graphical effects may give you that impression. I do think it is quite a bit more challenging, almost to the level of something like Skate. That is good news for me; I love when there is plenty of room for improvement. I am even more excited for next week now.

Received more than anticipated for my trade-ins. Eat Lead, the $8 game, brought in the princely sum of $39?!?! Even the sales clerck checked the screen twice. This game is going to cost me less than a coffee, and most probably keep me up at nights even longer. Nice.

March 2 release down here, so don't get in too much practice before I get to drop in on you all

Damned ghosts and leaderboards, guess I'll keep my pre-order. Oh, 2:19.16 to beat.

Still stoked. Still day one for me.

Is there any way to get just a tricks run in "Explore" mode of the demo? I have always viewed the races as a means to unlock more trick courses.

There's a trick run open in New Zealand.

LiquidMantis wrote:

Damned ghosts and leaderboards, guess I'll keep my pre-order. Oh, 2:19.16 to beat.

rickyyo shaved another 10 seconds off that!

I am so close to "taking down" both you and DJ Dostoevsky. It is a thrill chasing that little ghost down the hill, knowing it's one of you guys. I also love the implied smack talk in the way it reports the different milestones.

How cool would it be to have a Dark Souls style strategy guide with detailed, full course maps?

m0nk3yboy wrote:

rickyyo shaved another 10 seconds off that!

Holy crap! I think I'll wait until Tuesday before putting any more time in. If I'm going to get frustrated trying to improve my time that much I might as well be getting game credits for it.