Freekstyle is the latest game from EA Big, the creators of the classic SSX and SSX Tricky. Freekstyle has taken the SSX style and antics to the dirt to make an over the top freestyle motor-cross game that delivers a serious challenge.

Freekstyle has definitely been forged from the workings of SSX as you still use the four shoulder buttons in different combinations to pull of you midair acrobatics. To get the maximum air you need to pull back on the analogue stick as you take flight. Then to improve your trick even further you must press the turbo button in mid flight too. As you can imagine this takes quite a bit of finger bending, but eventually you will learn to move you fingers in unnatural ways. Also like SSX when you land these tricks a turbo meter gradually builds so you can use the extra speed at you will. At the same time a "Freekout" meter also builds with each landed trick. Once this meter hits maximum you can perform your rider's signature Freekout trick. If you land this trick you will have a few seconds to perform another one. You will also be rewarded with a turbo for a short time after the trick is landed. If you know the course very well you will be able to keep stringing Freekouts indefinitely.
There are eight real world riders in the game, including Brian Deegan and Mike Metzger, who is the default rider in the game. Each rider is rated in a number of categories and they have four bikes each that can be unlocked, Tony Hawk style. As you complete the circuit mode you will be able to increase you characters attributes and tailor your rider to your particular playing style.

There are six tracks in the circuit mode, which may not sound like a lot, but they are all as wacky as could be imagined. One course features a huge hedge maze and another features a network of rocket launch pads. Unfortunately the courses are sometimes self-defeating. You are encouraged to find new paths and short cuts through the tracks, but sometimes-invisible barriers will prevent you from progressing through some areas that look like they should be accessible. This will cause you to hesitate when considering whether to head off the track, or not. This makes finding shortcuts a bit hit or miss and sometimes an annoying job. Also encouraged is huge air, yet at many points in the tracks there are girders or other objects hanging in the air which will cause you rider to crash if he or she hits them.

There are several elements found in the SSX games that have not made it to Freekstyle which makes the game much easier to play. Riders taunt each other both at the start and during the race, yet the rival system found in SSX Tricky is nowhere to be seen. With the sport and game being of such an aggressive nature there is no way to knock off you opponents, not even by ramming. Freekstyle also offers less tricks than SSX, spins and flips have been removed although the tricks that have made it to the game are very impressive.

If you have played SSX for some time you will have no problems playing Freekstyle, although the difficulty setting is incredibly hard. You will find the first course pretty easy but when you come to the second you will find you have to really work hard and avoid all the soft dirt to finish in the top three. Considering the difficulty curve is so high you might have hoped for a difficulty setting in the options, but unfortunately there isn't one. By the third track you will have to use every short cut and miss every bit of soft dirt to finish in the top three.
The two player modes are much more robust than the main game. Possibly the most enjoyable mode is the countdown mode. This pits two players against each other with a point total that rapidly disappears. As you land a trick the total is deducted from your opponents score, the first player to have his/her points to hit zero is the loser.
Other two player modes include a head to head race on any of the unlocked tracks plus a Tony hawk style graffiti game played on a freestyle course. Basically if you pull a trick on a ramp that ramp will become your colour, if your opponent wants to steal that ramp from you he must pull off a better trick worth more points. The player with the most ramps his colour will win the game. All the two player modes in Freekstyle are excellent and they offer a break from the very hard circuit mode.

The graphics in Freekstyle are great, slowdown that affected SSX Tricky is now gone and it is easy to see that this is possibly the fastest racing game on any console to date. The in game art is also refreshing, this is due to some new developers being brought in from the motion capture industry apparently. Possibly the best thing though is the trick animations, they look so convincing they really do steal the show. On most accounts Freekstyle graphically overshadows those of the SSX series.
The sound in Freekstyle is very good with the soundtrack featuring a variety of Hip Hop flavoured beats with some great power chords thrown in for good measure. Voice acting is also good with plenty of taunts being shouted as riders pass each other.

Despite its flaws in Freekstyle it is still a great game and loads of fun to play. Its difficult learning curve will test any player and it can be daunting at times. If your after a quick hit of fun its probably not for you, but at least rent it for a night because you might like it all the same with those great two player modes. This is EA Sports Big first time out on the dirty stuff and it is definitely a good start with some room for improvement.

8 out of 10

The aim of the game is to finish races in the top three while pulling off wicked tricks on the way round the course. This enables you to build up your boost meter for some extra speed, which is needed to finish on the podium.

View Freekstyle Screen Shots