I had very low expectations going into Steep seeing how it came and went with very little recognition by any gaming press. I remember enjoying the old SSX games (that should receive a more honest revival) but was uncertain how Steep played. Yes it’s open world and featured some other ways to get around the map, but in the end, I just wasn’t sure if I would like the feel of the game very much.

After several hours with it, I get the same vibe with Steep as I do with Trackmania Turbo. It’s a very easy game to hop in for a quick activity or two whether it snowboard tricks, rocket wingsuit races, or a “follow the expert” mission.

It could also be just me, but trying to perfect the jumps, landings, turns, and tricks were difficult to pull off. Too often I found myself landing sloppy and coming close to wiping out or passing the goal which basically results in you needing to start over since it’s nigh impossible to go back.

Some of the most fun I had did involve crashing though. The ragdoll is somewhat enjoyable, although stiff, and I found myself making a game about how far down the mountain I could tumble. In fact because of how quick you can get going in the game, some of the wipeouts are especially hilarious such as using the rocket propelled wingsuit to go headfirst into a rock. I found myself doing this frequently during challenges, and it was hard to be annoyed because of the joy I received from seeing it happen.

Steep is not SSX, and that’s okay. It goes for something different and does it well while keeping it fun with a variety of activities to partake in. The world itself is huge and allows for so many options on how to tackle both the missions or personal challenges involving the terrain while providing the option to group up with other members. It’s not a complete arcade experience, but it’s part of the way there which might be good enough for some. If there’s even the slightest interest in giving it a try, hop on in and give it a try for a little bit. It might surprise you.

I really enjoy games where you can just do shit that would realistically kill the fuck out of you but instead you just get right up and walk away. Steep does that a loooooot.

And its kinda fun for awhile! but then the problems of snowboarding games come to roost, such as that you cant really control a whole hell of a lot of what youre doing because youre attached to the board, and theres no way of controlling what fuckin tricks youre pulling, etc. But it is pretty, and it is peaceful at times, but theres minimal structure, minimal guidance, and minimal explanation of the game at large. Plus you cant fuckin pause it which sucks.

I dont even know if I finished it but I played it enough and was like ‘yeah I can clear up the 30 gigs on the harddrive here’

the snow looks fake! will probably return to this for sick momentum superjumps and the endless fun that comes from crashing headfirst into the northeastern side of the matterhorn; but the frustration that comes with losing races due to a supremely unnatural camera control and bad tracing for obstacle clearance makes the satisfaction that it ought to achieve illusory and ineffective. its glistening 'realism' an affront to the superimposed images of prescribed locational interest, what if i just want a vibe?

also mountain stories? playing this game for the plot places it in a dilemma of total misapprehension of its whole exploratory objective, wld almost be cooler as a death stranding-type vehicle but with realistic placements and an actually usable travel system that doesn't feel like a tourist office's 1,001 ski slopes you must see before you die (1,001 times).