Freekstyle

Life

1 April 2005

FREEKSTYLE IS THE LATEST release from EA Sports Big. If you liked SSX and SSX Tricky you’re sure to be a fan of this game. Essentially a repackaging of those titles, this time the challenge is to navigate a Motocross motorcycle around treacherous courses rather than on a snowboard. The games focus is, as with the SSX titles as much on pulling insane tricks as it is on completing the courses in the fastest time.

The graphics are smooth and well-rendered with an excellent framerate and the sound effects are realistic; however after my first hour of play, I felt it necessary to turn off the nu-metalesque soundtrack that had begun to grate on my nerves. Thankfully the game itself is excellent high octane, single-cylindered fun.

Circuit mode is the main mode of the game, the object being to successfully complete and win races on a course before being allowed to advance to the next course. This is far from easy. It is not good enough to simply place in the first three of a race to advance; instead you must race three times, placing in the first three on your first and second race, but you must win the final race outright to progress to the next stage.

The first six races you compete in are just simple races: You race, you win, you unlock the next track. When you’ve managed that you move on to ‘Freestyle racing’. Here you ride in a three-minute Freestyle competition and your goal is to score the minimum point total set for the track by pulling off enough tricks. However, the clock is always ticking against you. Once you accomplish this, it’s time to move onto ‘Freekstyle racing’. Freekstyle racing is a combination of the previous two events: You must win races while also scoring the minimum points set for the track you’re racing on.

Speed boosts are acquired by performing tricks using the shoulder buttons on the controller. The more buttons you use, the more advanced the trick is. These tricks can also be ‘tweaked’ and performed in combinations. Should you remain on your bike when it hits the ground, you will be rewarded with extra boost, and your freekstyle meter will increase. The blood red freekstyle meter measures the amount and quality of tricks you have performed.

When this meter has been filled you will have a limited amount of time to perform the four button ‘super sick trick’. When you have successfully completed this trick, your rider enters freekout mode, and its time to hang on. Freekout mode is like delivering a healthy dose of nitrous oxide to your bike – landscape and other riders are left behind in a blur. The freekout can be prolonged by repeatedly performing the super sick trick. It comes to an end when you inevitably crash and burn.

The game is excellent fun, but is hampered by the annoying AI that controls the other riders. When you are playing as a beginner, your competitors will race you at a similar skill level, and as you get better the competition gets tougher. The problem with this is that no matter how well or poorly you ride, the competition is neither far ahead nor far behind you. This gets more and more frustrating the more your skills improve. Too often have I nearly completed a race at top speed, while performing amazing stunts and remaining on the bike, only to have victory snatched away from me just as the finish line comes into sight. While this encourages you to play ‘just one more time’ in order to get that number one spot on the winners podium, it can also be very frustrating. My tactic to get around this is to try and save my freekout until the second half of the final lap of a race. I suggest you do this too!

While the game is not flawless, it is great fun. The physically impossible – but thrilling stunts – give the game a huge smile factor. If you like your racing games with a stunt element and don’t already own either of the SSX games, this is definitely for you. However, if you’re expecting something new and revolutionary from EA Sports Big, I’m afraid your wait continues.

Freekstyle — Specs: