For those of us that are not into snowboards and cold ass weather, EA Sports Big has answered our prayers and brought us Freekstyle. The game is basically SSX on dirt as most magazines and reviewers have deemed it, yet I find so much more in this take on MX games. Freestyle delivers fast and furious arcade style game play that is only similiar to SSX in it’s style and presentation. The rest is as original as they come, so let us delve into the dirt infested tracks of the new king of arcade racers!
The one thing that EA Sports Big is know for is it’s presentation. Their games bring a sense of “being there” and “extreme” that most other games fail to mimic. You know when you are palying one of their games just by the style they represent, the giant arrows marking your path, and the wacky characters that accompany you along the ride. Freekstyle is no different, like it’s cousins before it, this game brings an obscure and mostly boring sport and adds just the right flavor to make it interesting to the people who are not interested in them. Adding huge air and insanely impossible tricks is just some of the flare, the visual appeal of watching a large breasted woman perform a turn around in mid air in Matrix style presentation is a site that you must see!
Graphically the game is very reminiscent of SSX. Great character models and awesome textures add some appeal to an otherwise drab looking sport. The glass effects when up high are smooth and the frame rate never misses a beat. This can be trouble at times as this game moves so fast you can easily lose sight of the track and run into a wall or land yourself in some rough dirt. The tracks themselves are just as impressive as SSX, insane jumps and tons of shortcuts litter the playing field making this game a blast to play as well as look at!
The music is more aggressive than an 18 year old virgin male on prom night. It seems EA Sports Big has harnessed that aggression onto a plastic disc and pushed it out the door. Heavy guitar licks and piunding drums add just the right atmosphere to make you grit your teeth and come out with a vengeance. All of the characters also have their own personalities and will trash talk before each race as well as during the races which once again makes the game more and more appealing as well as entertaining!
Playing can be fun at the same time it can be frustrating. The controls are more simple than putting on a condom, you have an acceleration button, a tweak/turbo buttons, and your triggers are your trick buttons, you heard me right this game does not have a brake! Pulling tricks is a matter of speed, air, and the tweak button. Use it wisely but don’t get greedy otherwise you face is in the dirt! The main complaint is that the AI is a bitch to overcome, no matter how good you are doing the comp is always on your ass just edging ahead of you at the right moment. This becomes very frustrating as some heats require you to finish first to advance. Besides that I really have no complaints on the game play.
Overall I recommend picking this one up if you are a fan of SSX or arcade racers in general. It really does give a sheer sense of speed and aggression that most racers of it’s kind lack. Overcoming the cheap AI and mastering the trick system are the only barriers so give it a chance, it may become your new best friend in your PS2 collection. This is ZT sayin’ “Keep rollin’ rollin’ rollin'”.
