Right By The Head

SSX Blur for the Wii. Rated E for Everyone.

Or is it?

First of all, it's important to note that, not only is this a snowboarding game, but it's completely not an original type of snowboarding game. Instead of the plain ol' 360 turns or a once in a while flip, as points go up during the game for landed tricks, soon one can do "uber tricks," such as doing the worm on the snowboard or other impossible tricks.

The main thing that I have stressed multiple times is that the Wii takes a lot to get used to. Between the actual moving of the controller one uses and trying to learn the new controls to the game in the first place, SSX Blur is actually a game that I'm sure is fun once you realize that by playing the Wii, you're going back to the basics, the days when one used to play Mario Kart 64 and lean as one made the huge turn in hopes one wouldn't hit the wall.

And this isn't much different.

Using the nunchuck, which is held with the left hand (unless you can have the choice for left-handed people), one presses forward to go, but by tilting the nunchuck left or right to go left or right.

In the other hand is the Wiimote. Now, in the original games, after going off of a jump, pressing buttons is the best thing to do. The more one presses, the more points and the crazier the trick can get. I wondered how the buttons would be pressed on newer controller until I read the directions in the booklet; you tilt the Wiimote side to side or up and down to do turns or flips in the air.

So, basically, the game is like rubbing your tummy and patting your head. Or rubbing your head and patting your tummy. Whichever is harder. And if someone has mastered this, prepare to be stumped.

However, as soon as the controls are down, I'm sure this game is a great piece of work. There are returning characters from the previous games, though the style they're shown through is slightly different, a bit more cartoonish. Of course, this game is only on the Wii, so the looks don't have to accommodate all the systems.

By winning races or gaining points through trick sessions on the mountain, one can get more accessories and up the characters so they're easier to control, just like the others.

It's even on the same mountains as SSX Tricky 3.

Giving the situation of confusing controls, this game is just a regular yeti. After I master the game, it'll take a long time to actually get someone to be able to play, just as I'd done before with the other games. And, considering I want people to have a good experience when they play the Wii with me (especially since it's my party system), I'm going to wait before actually yanking this one out for everyone to play.