Jonny Moseley Mad Trix
Score: 52% ESRB: Teen (Mild Lyrics - Publisher: 3DO Developer: 3DO Media: CD/1 Players: 1 Genre: Sports/ Arcade
Graphics & Sound: The characters in Jonny Moseley Mad Trix are nicely designed. The first level seems to have some promise, as well. True, it's a bit dark, but there are some interesting parts to it. However, as you proceed through the levels, you'll find that there's not a lot of variation. It's quite amazing how much Las Vegas covered in snow looks like San Francisco covered in snow. It seems that the textures are changed and 'landmarks' are strewn about, but there's not a great deal of variation here. (A joke about a white elephant in a snowstorm springs to mind...) At any rate, I've played other 'winter sports' games that offered livelier environs, despite the necessary snow. Beyond that, the textures used leave a bit to be desired in certain cases as well. One (glaring) example is the flowing lava in the Mt. Kilimanjaro area. The texture is simply too large and clunky to look like lava. Basically you get 'Gardenstyle' lava flow here. Not very convincing... The music isn't bad in Mad Trix; in fact, it's pretty good. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of variation in that either, so after playing for a while, the music gets a bit repetitious.
Gameplay: If you're not familiar with 'extreme skiing', you're not alone. I have seen some amazing things done on snowboards, but Jonny Moseley Mad Trix was actually my first time to see anything remotely close on skis. That having been said, I've played a lot of 'extreme sports' games before and I find that Mad Trix has the easiest 'grind' to pull off that I've ever encountered. Is that a good thing? Not necessarily. Yes, it is easy to pull off a grinding move, but it's ridiculously fake looking. You can be jumping over something completely perpendicular to it (jumping across it), but if you hit your 'grind' button, you are magically and unceremoniously 'sucked' onto whatever it is and begin grinding. Even if you're jumping alongside the rail, pushing your grind button can suck you over to it and start you grinding. Additionally, grinding is a continuous action, unaffected by gravity. Translation? It's possible to actually grind up a mountain if you find a good pipe and jump across it while moving upwards (even slightly). Just sit back and enjoy your ride to the top. Another thing that strains the 'suspension of disbelief' is what happens if you go anywhere the game doesn't want you to. Try to grind on the fences along the outside of the slope (wouldn't you try it?) or attempts to jump onto or over a bridge over the slope area (why not?!) and 'POOF!' the game sets you back on the slope in the center - slightly before where you 'strayed' from the designated path. This comes off as fake and more than a little aggravating. The game can be fun at times, but I find it hard to get over glitches that are so blatantly against the very laws of physics. That being said, there is a Ski School for training, Slopestyle mode where you compete for medals, etc. and Big Mountain mode for those lucky enough to do so well in Slopestyle mode that you get to make your own ski movie. In Big Mountain mode, you are dropped out of a helicopter onto a mountain and ski your way down.
Difficulty: The hardest part of Mad Trix is trying to gain enough points to proceed. It's not all that difficult to pull off tricks, especially if you're familiar with the 'extreme sports' genre; the 'grinds' are easy to a fault. However, actually collecting enough points on your downhill run to proceed can be a nearly insurmountable challenge. Basically, Jonny Moseley is very poorly balanced. Progression is extremely slow, while doing the tricks themselves is not really all that hard.
Game Mechanics: Well, I've mentioned the grinding thing above. Basically, it's like sidestepping the idea of a physics engine. You simply grind until there's no more grinding to be done - then gravity can affect you again. I have a tendency to seek these types of things out. Why? Because I try lots of things, regardless of how ridiculous it may be. However, I certainly wasn't expecting to grind UP a mountain. That was a bit surprising. (...not to mention unsettling...) The game is fun at times, but seems to fall short of the bar quite a bit. I would highly recommend this game as a rental and possible purchase (based on the rental). Gamers new to the genre may find the easy grind to be a very welcomed crutch. Fans of the genre may like some of the footage of the intro (cool tricks), but may find that the gameplay of Mad Trix leaves them a bit out in the cold.
-Geck0, GameVortex Communications AKA Robert Perkins
Grand Theft Auto III Mister Mosquito