'SSX' displays PS2's many talents

I have found perfection, and it's called PlayStation2. Well, at least until the newest offering from PlayStation comes out. After pining away, this lucky reviewer was finally able to land her hands on a PS2.\nAnd what a difference a number makes.\nThe game play and graphic quality far outrank the PS One and shows it with the snowboarding odyssey "SSX." This game rocks. It's the PS2 at its best. \nYou get to choose from eight characters who exemplify Generation Y. The attention to detail is almost unreal. Clothes look as if they have been plucked off the shelves of Pacific Sunwear or Old Navy. Each character is also assigned a variety of boards that unlock as the game progresses. It is fun to find a matching outfit and board before tearing down the slopes.\nThe game play is easy to learn but on the difficult side to master. Any novice can pull a few tricks going down the slopes. The more complicated tricks require a bit of skill and a lot of precision with button pushing. As you discover a new trick, the player logs it in his or her trick book. The eight main characters of the game start their careers as novices. As they perfect tricks and courses, their professional status increases. \n"SSX" has a variety of play settings. In the world circuit or single event, you can compete in race or showoff events. For a more leisurely trip down the slopes, there's the free-ride mode. The game also supports two-player action. The split screen can be mildly distracting, but the field of view is large enough to keep from hindering play.\nThe courses the snowboarders of "SSX" rule are by far some of the most creative I've seen. Snow is not the only obstacle on these courses. You can fly through buildings, grind on rails and even meet certain demise by a subway train. I never saw it coming, Officer, I swear! \nOverall this game will make you come back for more. While I only had a fleeting time with "SSX" and the PS2, it completely sealed my desire to buy that little black box.\nLong live PlayStation 2!