N-Gage

SSX Out of Bounds

SSX Out of Bounds is an extremely entertaining game with the right amount of unrealistic, but believable gameplay, with many hours of replay value to its name. The many options to customize and tracks and tricks to master will give players plenty of gameplay, variety, and challenge. Kudos to Exient for handling the port from EA Sports Big perfectly -- the N-Gage has another must-own game.

SSX: Out of Bounds is a game I wish had been out a long time ago -- it's the sort of game that may have hushed detractors in a way that a 2-D Sonic never could. For $30, you get a remarkable facsimile of the console game, absolutely bursting with content. But just like it's hard for a writer to lose a favorite passage, the developer should have shown a little less mercy. The Metro track should have been cut, for example, because it sets a bad tone. Some of the songs probably could have been excised to make room for better quality of the remaining tracks. But make no mistake, this is a very playable game -- and a very playable version of SSX -- that shames the sorry Game Boy Advance edition released some time ago. If you want a go-go snowboarding game, there really is no better option than SSX: Out of Bounds.

SSX: Out of Bounds has good intentions, but it's just shy of being good enough to recommend. If you're willing to suffer the frame rate problems and the poor draw distance, there's enough of the SSX spirit in Out of Bounds to provide some fun.

SSX: Out of Bounds sports solid graphics along with playable and fun gameplay. That balance is essential for N-Gage games making the 3D attempt. This game goes even further with a remarkable number of SSX 3 elements in place and a depth that doesn't always make it into portable titles. It's not without limits, though, namely in the length of its excellent music selection and amount of replay value. However, it has the look and feel of SSX that gamers on the go will enjoy with their N-Gages.

It may not be enough to encourage everyone to run out and buy an N-gage, but for N-gage owners SSX Out of Bounds is a solid extreme sports pick.

All said and done, I enjoyed this game. I totally became that girl in the commercial who was trying to jump over the bus seat in front of me in order to make the ramps. Fans of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater should buy it without a doubt. Quirks and lackluster graphics aside, the game play is addictive and makes this a solid N-Gage release.

Sometimes the simplest approach is best. SSX: Out of Bounds is neither simple nor the best. Extreme game fans are encouraged to stick to Tony Hawk, and race fans need only look to Colin McRae. Keep this game on the sidelines where it belongs. Yes, you can take lemons and make lemonade, but you need more than the fruit to do it. This game lacks the sweetness of sugar and the flow of water, resulting in nothing but a sour experience. I expect more from the N-Gage.

Without speed, a sense of style, or personality from its trademarked characters, Out of Bounds destroys itself on the N-Gage. SSX fans will be curious enough to try it and be happy to know it turned out better than the Game Boy Advance version of SSX Tricky, but that's it. This is a title that's impossible to like, and it's a shame a game with actual depth attaches itself to such a waste in the gameplay department.