The other end of the spectrum, the Showoff mode, allows the gamer to perform the best tricks they can. Fans that come wanting to play SSX like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater will be thoroughly disappointed, though, as the formula for doing stunts is much different than in Neversoft’s skating classic. Instead of doing tap-tap-tap combos and moves as seen in THPS, SSX’s tricks are done by alternating four separate board grabs. Doing a front forward flip or a backward tumble, plus the direction you turn your boarder in and the type of grab, will alternate the amount of points you receive as opposed to Pro Skater’s system of adding up dial-a-combos. Each course has set point scores per medal to shoot for, with colorful snowflakes, when touched, acting as multipliers to the original trick. This system for tricks, while not quite as robust a method as seen in THPS, still provides for an enjoyable and interesting competition.

My main concern when playing through these two modes was whether or not the control and it’s precision was up to par with the rest of the game. This area, undoubtedly, is where a lot of gamers will be turned off in the beginning. When you start the World Circuit your border’s attributes are at a basic low, meaning that he/she isn’t quite as good as your opponents are. On the courses themselves the adverse racer AI is brutal, never giving you a chance to have a commanding lead. They’ll push you, cut you off and knock you away from the course in attempt to garner the medals themselves. Each new heat – from the quarterfinal to semi-final and lastly the Final – gets progressively tougher. Until the last track, basically, it feels as though winning the Gold in the Final run on first couple of courses is impossibility. And, to an extent, that statement is true. Landing every trick, using your adrenaline boosts successfully and not going totally off track all practically need to be accomplished perfectly in the early going.

However (and this is a big however) this frustration of the learning curve is soon remedied by a gamer’s perseverance. Like I said before, winning medals will earn you characteristic points to spread on your boarder’s attributes to enhance their overall talent. In turn this creates an easier atmosphere during the courses, and over time they don’t appear quite as tough as they did during the start of the WC. If a player puts enough effort into SSX, then their boarder will eventually progress and the game gets slightly easier, and a heck of a lot more enjoyable.

As for the multiplayer modes, SSX does a respectable job. Two players can compete in both the Showoff and regular Race modes. These two styles of play are fun, but I wish there could have been a little more innovation for two players like there were in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2. Events like a game of PIG where someone has to follow the same path as their opponent and do the same point percentage worth of tricks come to mind, but I suppose we can’t have everything in this game.