SSX: out this week

The time is almost upon us to don our finest, most garish ski-wear and over-sized goggles and throw overselves down beautiful, snow-capped mountains, backed by jaw-dropping vistas towards almost certain death. Because SSX is almost here. This Friday, EA Sports will release the latest addition to the franchise, reinventing the familiar brand for a new generation, and it all looks bloody gnarly so far. Here’s the official low-down on the game, to get your juices flowing… Description A modern day reinvention of one of the most critically acclaimed arcade franchises of all-time, EA SPORTS™ SSX will allow players to experience the franchise’s signature fun and adrenaline-packed gameplay across iconic mountain ranges all over the world. Using NASA topographical satellite data, we’ve mapped out a Massive World for players to explore.  Throughout nine expansive mountain ranges, SSX packs reality-defying gameplay into every run letting players Race, Trick, and Survive down huge open mountains. In addition, Explore, Global Events and RiderNet – SSX’s recommendation engine – headline an online feature set that will revolutionize social competition for gamers, making it fun and easy to compete with friends on your schedule. Key Features Conquer the Planet’s Mountains— From Antarctica to Africa and the Himalayas to the Alps, players will drop into nine of the most iconic mountains ranges on planet earth. Using NASA topographical data and our proprietary Mountain Man tool, each of these iconic mountain ranges have then been exaggerated to deliver a gameplay experience that is true to SSX Race it —Way beyond your typical racing experience, SSX allows players to race down huge open mountains with multiple elevations and no invisible walls to hem the player in. Trick it—Defying the laws of reality, SSX will enable players to pull off tricks that would make even the world’s greatest snowboarders cringe. Forget a 1260° Double Mctwist, in SSX if you still have both feet strapped to the board while you’re spinning 200 feet in the air then you’re still a beginner. With a refined trick system and levels designed to deliver trick opportunities at every turn, filling your Tricky meter is a must Survive it — A new gameplay element inspired by big mountain snowboarding, SSX asks players to survive some of the most treacherous descents on earth. Challenged by the power of Mother Nature, players will have to survive avalanches, white outs, freezing cold temperatures and much more, as they make their way down these natural boss battles. Advanced Physics—Harnessing the power of the current generation of consoles, SSX introduces a revolutionary physics engine that will allow players to ride and trick off almost anything in the environment, unrestricted by invisible walls and barriers. Upgradeable Gear —From boards of varying speeds to wing suits that let you glide for longer distances, upgrade your gear to ride faster, trick higher and survive longer Characters Old and New —Favorite characters, as selected by the fans, make their return to SSX along with some new faces that will be joining the franchise. Returning characters include: Elise, Kaori, Mac, Psymon, Moby and Zoe. Explore – Explore every drop in the massive world of SSX.  Set your fastest time on Race Drops, post your highest score in Trick Drops, and descend as far down the mountain as you can in Survival Drops.  In addition to a traditional leaderboard showing friends’ times to beat, ghosts of your friends’ runs are also visible in your world showing you exactly how they tackled a run.  Challenge your friends’ ghosts or let your own ghost chalk up wins and losses, while you’re away from your console. Global Events – Constant global competition at every drop point the SSX universe against real people in real-time.  Events can last for a single run, hours, or even days, with your friends and closest competitors phasing in and out of your immediate surroundings at all times.  Post a time and move up or down the leaderboard even after you turn off your console. RiderNet – Inspired by the incredible Autolog engine from Need for Speed, RiderNet will be the players guide through the world of SSX. It will allow players to ‘like’ their favorite drops, recommend new drops and friends to the player, point players to ghosts that are beating their scores and much more. From: Cnet