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gamemaster's SSX Tricky (PS2)

[January 15, 2008 12:22:54 AM]

Gamelog #1
The game that I played in order to create a gamelog was Play station’s SSX. This is a snowboarding game that allows the players to either race to a finish line or gain the maximum amount of points by doing multiple different tricks. You are able to choose which mode you wish to compete in.
When you determine a specific preference it becomes easier to determine which snowboarding character you want to utilize. There are an array of characters that have different specialties, styles and even personalities. As you get better at the game and complete more and more difficulty levels more characters and courses become available to you. The choosing of a snowboarder is the most interesting aspect of the game because, as a girl, I cannot only dissect the character’s strengths and weaknesses as a boarder but I can also pick an outfit that I think fits the character and artwork to display on the bottom of the board. Along with choosing the course that I want to board down this process could possibly be more fun than the actual race.
The racecourses all have special characteristics and shortcuts that make them unique and entertaining. Some have paths of ice that the boarders have to successfully slide through to get to the finish line while others have grinding poles and jumps to assist the snowboarders with tricks. By playing with the many buttons on the controllers the players can experiment with different tricks and speed tactics, which continually brings new elements to the game. After playing the game a single time I feel as though I have developed technique and personal style by exploring the abilities of several different characters and racecourses.
Gamelog #2
After the second round of gameplay I have come to the conclusion at the point that I prefer the speed-racing mode to the tricks mode. Whether I am playing as a single player against the play station or against a friend, I become more involved and interactive when racing. With the vibrating of the controllers every time my snowboarder crashes into a wall, pole or other player, I feel myself moving my body at the same angles as the boarder and getting both physically and mentally more involved.
After deciding that I did indeed prefer to play with the racing mode, I noticed a very specific trend. After talking to my two brothers and several of my videogame-loving guy friends I noticed that most of them prefer the tricks mode. I do not have a conclusion as to the reason why, but it seems to be a theme that boys are drawn towards creating tricks by using uncountable combinations of the controller buttons while girls tend to like the simplicity of just going. While there is a complexity to wielding around hairpin turns and dodging hard-to-see obstacles, it is clear to me that creating tricks is takes far more concentration and practice. However I could be drawn to the racing mode simply because I have less practice and experience under my belt compare to the boys I surround myself with.
The game design of SSX seems quite elaborate and detailed to me. However, I am aware that I do not play a lot of video games and this particular one is quite dated compared to game like Halo and Grand Theft Auto. Before each competition begins the system gives you a distanced tour of the course. Starting at the bottom of the racecourse it glides through each turn and jump to both show you what you are up against and show off the wonderful detail and intricacies that the creators have put into the game. I almost look forward to this display because of its aesthetic beauty and sense of wonderment it brings.
Another great aspect of the design of SSX is the vast variety of obstacles and challenged that it presents. From the simple hills where we only have to board around obtuse turns and wide jumps to the more complicated levels that include narrow moving jumps, windy paths and hard to find shortcuts. Sometimes I will come upon a half pipe that I have to go up and down on in order to avoid crashing through glass plate windows and other times I have to have perfect timing to make it through a closing circular doorway. Out of all of these well-thought-out obstacles my favorite has to be at the end of one of the more advanced levels where you have to gain enough speed to make it past an icy, spirally full pipe. Not only is the maneuver not sure fire (there are often times when I do not make it over at all) but also you have to expect it to even understand how to approach it.
Out of all of these game design aspects one of my favorites has to be the design tactic that when some players finish the race (when in racing mode) the race isn’t simply over; the other players have a chance to finish as well. Too often I see games that, when there is a winner the game is over. However, as a non-competitive person, I like the idea that I can still work on my personal time while my friends or brothers kill me.