SSX Blur

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SSX Blur
Developer(s)	EA Montreal
Publisher(s)	EA Sports BIG
Platform(s)	Wii
Release date	NA February 27, 2007 AUS March 15, 2007 EU March 16, 2007 JP September 13, 2007
Genre(s)	Sports
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: E
Media	Wii optical disc

SSX Blur is a snowboarding video game, for up to 4 Players, published by EA Sports BIG and developed by EA Montreal for the Wii video game console. The game was released in the United States on February 27, 2007. The soundtrack was created by Junkie XL and played through the game on "Radio BIG". the fictional radio station that the riders listen to within the game.

Contents 1 Gameplay 2 Characters 3 Reception 4 Soundtrack 4.1 Tracklist 5 Design and story notes 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Gameplay

The gameplay in SSX Blur follows a similar format of the previous SSX titles. Like SSX 3, the player progressively works up through 3 peaks on a mountain, participating in races, trick competitions, and the new slalom event to earn prizes and other unlockable material. Players are able to choose from either the traditional snowboards; or skis, as introduced in SSX On Tour.

The game control uses both the Wii Remote and the Nunchuk controller. Movement, speed, and jumping is controlled through the Nunchuk, while, when in the air, the Wii Remote is used to perform tricks. The Wii Remote is also used for throwing snowballs at targets or foes during a race.

As the player races down the hillside, they can successfully complete tricks to earn points as well as to build up an ever-depleting boost meter. When the boost meter is full, the player is then able to execute special "Ubertricks", which require the player to draw a specific shape in the air, such as a heart or a treble clef. While the player knows some Ubertricks at the start of the game, additional ones can be discovered in career mode by collecting icons for that Ubertrick hidden across the various courses.

[edit] Characters

The game features a total of 12 characters:^[1]

Name	Nationality	Game Debut	Notes
Allegra Sauvagess	USA	SSX3	Playable since debut
Elise Riggs	Canada	SSX	Playable since debut
Felix Lévesque	Canada	SSX Blur	New Character, a French Canadian from Montreal, Quebec
Griff Simmons	USA	SSX3	Unplayable In SSX On Tour, otherwise playable since SSX3
JP Arsenault	France	SSX	Unlockable Skin In SSX3. Unplayable in SSX On Tour.
Kaori Nishidake	Japan	SSX	Playable since debut
Mac Frasier	USA	SSX	Unplayable in SSX Tricky in PAL version (He was replaced by his cousin Marty)
Maya Nolet	Canada	SSX Blur	New Character, possibly Inuit
Moby Jones	UK	SSX	Unplayable in SSX On Tour, Otherwise playable since debut
Psymon Stark	Canada	SSX Tricky	Playable since debut
Skye Simms	Australia	SSX On Tour	Returning Character
Zoe Payne	USA	SSX	Playable since debut

[edit] Reception

The game received mostly positive reviews, with a few outlier critics giving the game a poor score. IGN praised the level of depth given motion-based controls, but also stated that the challenge level restricts the game to hardcore audiences only. Official Nintendo Magazine UK were disappointed that there were some re-used tracks from previous games. 1UP.com harshly criticized the difficulty and unresponsiveness of pulling off Uber-Tricks. NGamer said that the mission-based gameplay was outdated. GameSpot criticized the slalom events and problems such as framerate issues, but praised the overall experience. Game Informer praised the game as a return to form for the series but noted that traditional controls were still preferable.

[edit] Soundtrack

Unlike previous games, this soundtrack only contains one musician, Junkie XL. The music is available online^[2].

[edit] Tracklist

1. Dark Territory
2. Wanlong Mellow
3. Fly Zone
4. Backcomb
5. Cortina D'Ampezzo
6. A51
7. L'Envers
8. Love Park
9. Schick 200
10. Eichenhof
11. Rail Yard
12. Norikura
13. Le 1936
14. Snow Park NZ
15. King's Crown

[edit] Design and story notes

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• This game closely resembles SSX3; the peaks share similar architectural designs.
• The game's basic track designs are taken from SSX3 and SSX On Tour, although they have been modified.
• This game takes place between SSX3 and SSX On Tour, for example, in On Tour, Kaori is 21 years old. In Blur and SSX3, she is only 19. Also, at the end of SSX on tour, there is a video of what happens to each character after the tour, all the characters from SSX on tour leave and move on to something else.

[edit] References

1. ^ SSX Blur Character Trailer
2. ^ Soundtrack on last.fm

[edit] External links

• Official Nintendo SSX Blur site
• Interview with Eric Chartrand at IGN
• A Video Walkthrough of SSX Blur with a developer at Wii Tube
• April 2007 Interview with Eric Chartrand at Gamasutra
• The Official SSX Blur Site at eagames.com
• SSX Blur Site at Merqurycity.com

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