Quick Look: SSX Demo (with Gameplay Video)

Electronic Arts is finally getting ready to release the all-new SSX title later this month so, in order to get people excited about the snowboarding simulator, it has launched a demo for it on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms.

We’ve decided to try out the game and see if it can deliver the same classic experience seen in previous games from the series or if it just tarnishes the reputation of the classic franchise.

SSX kicks off with a lengthy tutorial that sees you fall for quite a few kilometers from a helicopter. During this you’re taught the basic controls and the variety of combinations you can pull off by pressing buttons in tandem with the bumpers or the sticks on a controller.

After your lengthy drop, you finally reach the actual mountain on which you’ll be executing your descent. The key here is to always keep moving forward, even if you’re tempted to explore all of the different hidden tunnels or special areas.

SSX, like its predecessors, rewards players that keep stringing together varied tricks. If you repeat the same moves, then the game penalizes you, so you’re always pushed to experiment and try new things.

Once you start building tricks, you fill up your boost gauge, which can be used right before jumps to gain more air, thus earning you more time to show off your skills.

After stringing together enough moves, you enter Tricky mode, where you have unlimited boost and can pull off even more outlandish tricks.

This is where SSX shines, as once you get into the zone, you start bringing off all sorts of great moves with relative ease.

Sure, you might end up missing your landings and going face first into the snow but, with some practice, you’ll soon be tearing it up on the slopes.

Check out SSX in action in the video above. Get ready for its official release on February 28, in North America, and March 2, in Europe and the rest of the world.