ssx-2012
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SSX takes path less traveled, delayed two weeks
EA broke our hearts today, delaying SSX, most recently intended as a Valentine's Day gift, by a couple extra weeks. SSX Creative Director Todd Batty notes the team decided to take the time to give the game a "final bit of polish." It will cruise in on February 28 and March 2 in North America and "the rest of the world," respectively. "Over the course of more than 10 years of making games I have not worked on a single project where our team did not wish, coming down the home stretch, that we could have just a bit more time," wrote Batty on the game's official site. "There is a reason why Tricky and SSX3 are still among the highest rated games of all time, and it is because even playing them today they still stand the test of time. Our goal from Day 1 was to re-launch this amazing franchise with a new SSX game that could live up to that legacy." This is the second delay for the game, adding an extra month of time on the ride up the mountain. On the sunny side, now we can all focus our attention on our significant others on V-Day. %Gallery-135268%
EA gets tricky with latest SSX trailer
Remember SSX Tricky? Electronic Arts sure hopes you do. Presumably, it also hopes you don't mind having your nostalgia hijacked by a nearly unrecognizable remix of the game's title track, Run-D.M.C.'s classic, "It's Tricky."
SSX comes shredding in a few weeks late on February 14, 2012
Despite carving out a January 2012 launch window for itself earlier this year, it seems that SSX won't be making its way down from the peak (of ... uh ... development? or something?) until February 14, 2012. EA's official SSX site unceremoniously unveiled the release date on its front splash page, floating mysteriously above a snowy backdrop. Before the game's arrival on Valentine's Day, might we suggest practicing your transitional snowboarding slash wingsuit skills? You'll never know when a deadly descent (or descents, of course) will suddenly appear, ya know?
From the slopes to the air with SSX's wingsuits
Back when the latest SSX was first introduced, players worried that this supposedly "grim, darker" take on the franchise would lose the goofy, colorful elements that made the series so popular. Most of those elements (the over-the-top tricks, the larger-than-life settings, and the extravagantly ramped and rail-equipped levels) have survived just fine according to what we've seen so far, but art director Geoff Coates does say that some of the fun had to go. "If you look at the character design [in previous versions]," he says, "it's characters that are wearing t-shirts and jeans, and dresses or whatever, and they're being thrown out on these mountains." So it's fair to say that we won't see jean shorts or bikinis on SSX's latest class. "The character design now is taking the characters, retaining their personality, but still giving them that survival aspect. You'll see they have backpacks, they have gear that's a little more appropriate." "And the wingsuits," Coates continues, "are part of that." Yes, the wingsuits. Oh my, the wingsuits. %Gallery-135268%
SSX trailer brings Zoe back to the snow-y
This motion-comic-style trailer for EA's SSX tells the story of Zoe Payne and her transition from motocross racing back into the dangerous and snowy world of SSX. Apparently she believes it's easier to "defy reality" and "own the planet" from a snowboard than a bike. Makes ... sense?
New SSX trailer shows off social features, Ridernet competition
The latest trailer out of Gamescom for EA's upcoming SSX shows off a little bit of that social functionality we just heard about. After a quick walk around the world and the previously revealed NASA terrain data (that was eventually turned into the game's maps), we get to see an example of how Ridernet will work. You can pull in a friend's (or, presumably, a stranger's) ghost run, then race it down a mountain anywhere in the game's world. You can also see a quick glimpse of the online gameplay, with "up to 100,000 players" competing all at once around the globe. Not on the same map, we hope -- that would probably get a little crowded. There's a few screenshots of all of this functionality (and a sassy-looking updated Elise) in the gallery below. %Gallery-131042%
SSX to feature 100,000 player events, pre-order bonuses announced
Speaking on stage at EA's Gamescom press event, SSX creative director Todd Batty announced several new features for the upcoming xtreme sports title. The game looks to be heavily influenced by EA recent racing titles, with Batty noting that every time a player records a personal best on a particular event, a ghost of the run will be uploaded for their friends to compete against. Players will also be able to set up customized events. These events can be global, with Batty stating that up to 100,000 players will be able to compete simultaneously in real time. SSX will also feature an Autolog-like service called Ridernet. Powered by the same engine as Autolog, Ridernet will allow players to "like" certain drops and will recommend new drops for the player to try. The service also keeps track of friends, allowing players to vote them up -- or down if they're just too good. Finally, EA announced the pre-order bonuses for SSX. GameStop will include a bonus character, Eddie Wachowski (watch out, he's tricky), his elite snowboard and a "bonus boost." Origin, Amazon, Best Buy and Wal-mart will all receive one character's elite snowboard and a bonus boost. See the full list after the break.
SSX preview: Peaked interest
SSX is a series that inspires fond memories in a lot of gamers, but those memories might be older than you think. The last entry in the series, a Wii exclusive called SSX Blur, came out five years ago, and SSX 3, the one-mountain classic, hit stores just two years shy of a decade ago. So EA's new version, with the back-to-basics title SSX, has the task of not only updating the series for the current generation of consoles, but also reminding gamers just what they enjoyed so much about SSX in the first place. Based on my hands-on demo session at E3, it seems like things are progressing well. There are still quite a few questions about how the game will turn out -- EA showed off just one example of each of the game's three play types, and what we saw was far from a final version. But there's a solid plan for the game, and some interesting choices are already evident.
SSX trailer re-introduces Mac to the mountain
SSX Deadly Descents (sorry, it's just SSX now, we forgot) has a brand new trailer out, and there's a peek at the new version of SSX standby Mac Fraser, who looks ... just as generic as all the previous versions. At least all that powder and those gnarly ramps look fun.
SSX motion comic features Elise Riggs, typo
EA's first motion comic to feature characters from the upcoming SSX reboot is all about Elise Riggs ... and a jarring typo at :21. Maybe it's an ARG? Combine the typos to reveal something about the game? Yeah, let's go with that.
SSX dev diary brings back some familiar faces
Though it sounds like SSX is mixing up the franchise in some fairly bold ways, it won't be throwing out the series' tried and true cast of downhill daredevils. Check out the developer diary after the jump to see how EA Canada is breathing new life into these powder-caked veterans.
SSX dev diary explores the mountain range
All the flips, spins, grabs and other gnarly tricks in the world won't do you much good if you don't have anything to trick off of, you know. This latest SSX dev diary looks at EA Canada's level design philosophy, which seems to center around "let's make this half pipe as dangerous as possible."
SSX to descend in January 2012
During EA's Season Opener event yesterday, SSX creative director Todd Batty revealed a launch window for the snowboarding revival: January 2012. The game will be playable at E3 in June, so expect a more detailed evaluation from us at that point. The presentation was very light on SSX gameplay footage, though we were shown some new mechanics. An overhauled physics system in the game will attempt to eliminate invisible or man-made boundaries, allowing you to trick off rocks and find you own way down through the particular track in question. You'll also be able to employ a wingsuit in mid-air, making it possible to clear large, otherwise unnavigable terrain. Expect some familiar faces to return for this latest entry, too -- you can see the new version of Elise in the gallery below. During our interview with Batty following his presentation, he explained that dynamic snow particles, imbued with their own physics, could influence spontaneous avalanches throughout descent (now that sounds deadly).%Gallery-121051%
SSX dev diary finally shows off the tricks of the trade
Okay, we've heard a lot about EA Canada's upcoming SSX (née Deadly Descents) -- but somewhat inexplicably, we haven't heard a lot about the sweet tricks therein. Fortunately, that ever-important mortar that holds the franchise together is discussed in great detail in the dev diary posted below.
New SSX drops 'Deadly Descents' subtitle
EA Sports looks to still any bad vibes that have reverberated from negative reaction to the debut teaser for SSX: Deadly Descents by toning down the emphasis on "deadly." The company has officially dropped "Deadly Descents" from the game title, Game Informer confirms, and has begun a marketing campaign that, in part, assures fans that developer EA Canada is not abandoning the series' arcade roots in favor of more realistic gameplay in the reboot. The cinematic teaser, which portrays a desperate snowboarder skidding down a dark and stormy Himalayan slope -- his last words: "I'm not gonna make it," as he shoots over a cliff side and into the air, deploying his squirrel suit -- seemed to suggest that the new SSX would be "moving away from the bright colors and crazy arcade feel of the early titles in favor of a more realistic tone," as Game Informer observed. "Is this true?" the site asked creative director Todd Batty. "No, absolutely not," insisted Batty, who described "Deadly Descent" as a "new" event type in the game, "which is all about survival gameplay." SSX will also include "Speed Descent" and "Tricky Descent" events, according to Batty. "We wanted to make sure we hit the over-the-top arcadey gameplay in all of these different gameplay modes. We decided to lead with the new Deadly Descent gameplay in that trailer, but all of the classic SSX style will be there, too." The image makeover isn't fully complete, however, as the original SSX: Deadly Descents logo and name are still prominent on the EA.com game page (as of publishing); though the new, just SSX logo was used in last week's promotional video and is featured on the game's Facebook page. Of course, as Joystiq commenter "ptcamn" pointed out last week, lost in this little fiasco is the fact that EA tried a very similar, "survive the ride" marketing campaign for 2003's SSX 3 -- skull-face lightning flash and all.
The third pillar of SSX: Deadly Descents: 'Survive It'
Following the ill-advised turn taken in 2009's SSX Blindside, EA Canada looks to sure up the game plan for the snowboarding franchise's latest run, Deadly Descents, by introducing a new aspect to the game design: "survival gameplay." We'll let creative director Todd Batty try to explain this one.
EA reveals some dark, dangerous details on SSX: Deadly Descents
EA wasted no time in getting up an official website for SSX: Deadly Descents -- or, as the cast of True Blood promptly renamed it during its reveal at last night's calamitous VGAs, Deadly Ascent (backwards snowboarding woooo). The page includes last night's announcement trailer and a few screens (posted in the gallery below), as well as a few intriguing details in the game's description. In short, it sounds like the worlds' first extreme sports/racing/survival horror game. The site explains "players will explore the story of a team who seek to be the first to descend the faces of the most treacherous mountain ranges on the planet." Players will visit "the peaks of the Himalayas, where the air is so thin that riders have to descend through the death zone at breakneck speeds to keep from blacking out, to the solid ice ranges of Antarctica, where a sunlit line is the only survival option when temperatures drop 50 degrees centigrade in the shade." We wonder if you get bonus points if you finish the race with all your fingers and toes un-frostbitten. The game won't defy the series' penchant for sweet aerial tricks, as the site explains "the first goal is to survive. The second, in true SSX fashion, is to look good doing it." Seriously, we're going to have a hard time remembering to do the latter while constantly fretting about the former. %Gallery-110394%
SSX: Deadly Descents debuts at Spike VGAs
What is SSX: Deadly Descents? It's the next SSX game of course, silly! A brief trailer shown at tonight's Spike VGAs shows a distinctly darker, bro-ier snowboarding game than we're used to from the series -- "Nothing is more bone-chilling than reality!" is its tagline, for instance. Some consolation? The game will apparently use real world landscapes. Then again, we're happy as all get out to see anything from SSX. So, in summary: snowboarding, SSX, EA, bros, real-world environments. We've added the trailer after the break, so head past and see for yourself!
Rumor: New SSX developed by Skate team members
EA Sports' Peter Moore may consider it an "obscure new title" being teased in a recent VGA trailer, but word in the ski lodge is that it could be hinting at the new SSX game. A Kotaku source tells the site that a new installment in the abandoned snowboarding franchise has been in development at EA Canada by "much of the Skate team." The expectation is that Skate's inspired and innovative use of the right analog stick to perform tricks will transfer into the series. Whispers and hints of a legitimate SSX title have been echoing through the mountains since last year, with things taking a more substantial turn with the domain registrations of "SSX: Deadly Descent" and "SSX: First Descent." The VGAs will take place this Saturday, December 11, on Spike.
SSX 'Descent' sites registered
With Shaun White now taking it to the streets, perhaps there's an opening on the slope for EA's snowboarding franchise, SSX, to reemerge from hibernation. A mess of newly registered domains points to the possibility of a reboot of the series, which has been sidelined since 2007's pedestrian Wii release, Blur. Professional domain registration outfit Corporate Domains, Inc. (what a gig!) has locked down URL variations of "SSX: Deadly Descent," plus an "SSX: First Descent" domain -- suggestive of the popular reboot motif: the origin story. While none of this activity is confirmation of a new SSX game, EA has worked through Corporate Domains in the past in advance of public announcements, most recently to secure web real estate for potential Need for Speed names (though Hot Pursuit was ultimately recycled) and The Sims Medieval. As for SSX, it's been more than a year since EA Montreal's Alain Tascan left open the possibility for a new entry in the series, saying in September 2009, "If the market is there and is ready for a new one, then we'll consider it." Perhaps through Move and Kinect, EA Montreal sees its ready market and an opportunity to build on the motion-controlled framework established in its Blur effort. Of course, fans of the last-generation games might prefer to see the series' original developer, EA Canada, stage the comeback. And what a meta-comeback story it could be! (The studio could use a big win following the NBA Elite 11 fail, after all.) Still, all this domain fuss could just as easily be over the naming of the SSX iPhone game, which has been -- quietly -- in the works for too long.
