"SSX Tricky" is a fun game only for people who like anything that screams, "EXTREME!!" Everyone else should take a pass.

Like "SSX," "SSX Tricky" is about snowboarding - not a realistic simulation of it, but a kind of popcorn and Coke movie version of it - that sacrifices realism for style.

Photo courtesy of ea.com Elise is a snowboarding character in the new Playstation game "SSX Tricky." The game's controls are easy to master, but that doesn't make up for its poor graphics, redundant soundtrack or "locked" features.

It is too bad more effort was put into style than actual game play. There are 13 different characters, only a few of which you can select to play initially.

That's one problem with the game right there - most of the cool stuff is inaccessible from the start, which is sadly a common trend in games today, especially racing games. It comes from game designers' silly idea that people need goals to work toward, or else the game will not be interesting. In my opinion, if a person has already achieved the goal of paying $50 for a game and the game isn't fun, locking up game features isn't going to make it more fun.

The character voices were done by such notable celebrities as Billy Zane, David Arquette and Lucy Liu. Badly. The characters whine and complain more than most 5-year-olds.

Speaking of annoying sounds, the music seems to have taken five minutes to hack out on a synthesizer. It is not unlike listening to music composed by an inexperienced 16-year-old DJ at a rave.

Now, onto the graphics, which would have been impressive if this game was released two years ago. Crowds are represented by two-dimensional pixels, and the three-dimensional models are low on detail. If the reduced graphics are an effort to speed up frame rates, it doesn't help, because there are still some glaring slowdowns in places.

One of the game's bright sides is that the controls are easy to master. Move down the track with the analog stick, and a simple combination of buttons allows you to pull off tricks. Fill up your "adrenaline meter" and you can perform an "uber trick," in which your character not only defies the laws of physics, but throws spitballs at it.

Still, once a person gets past the neat tricks, the game is simply another tedious exercise in futility. Go down a hill, do a trick, try to get in first place. Rinse, cycle, take this game out of your Playstation 2 and bury it. Anyone who's looking for a truly fun time on the Playstation 2 should probably check out "Grand Theft Auto 3" instead.