Steep: Find some lines that are ripe for shredding

[clyde]

I got three beta keys for the Steep beta. It lasts til Nov 14th 11am PST.

I haven't played much yet, but it seems like the closest thing to SSX on PC. So far it feels much less arcadey. There is wing-suit and parachute stuff that I don't find very interesting, but the snow-boarding feels rewarding regardless of whether or not I'm making a jump. My favorite thing about it so far is that after you reach the finish line, you can keep going.

These keys can be redeemed here.
Friend 1: MCPCNWRVGZRN
Friend 2: 9FCKHG2MNCNE
Friend 3: ZD6UBMB3QMDJ

[Henke]

I nabbed the first one. Thanks!

 

I've been looking forward to this. Only snowboarding game I was every really into was Supreme Snowboarding on PC (circa 2000), nothing I've played since has quite scratched that same itch. Perhaps this will.

[Salacious Snake]

I played the alpha and thought it was alright. It finds kind of a bland middle ground between the craziness of SSX and the more down to earth technical style of Skate.

[clyde]

I do really like how you can wing-suit to a spot where you want to snowboard from. The open-world aspect is pretty neat. I have a very hard time managing any amount of grace when I do anything more complicated that carve around a tree or rock though. I can't tell if movement has some physics-based jank to it or if I'm just not good at timing by jumps. I'd at least like to be able to jump over a waist-high fence.
Also the monologues make me crack a smile pretty frequently. The entire Go-Proing Youtuber sensibility is delivered so thick, that it just makes me shake my head smiling. I also enjoy how understated the avatar's descriptions of my crashes and falls are.

[njoos]

I took a key, number three. 

[Henke]

I shredded lines of fresh powder and GOT STEEP this weekend. This is pretty good! Gotta say I'm not really into doing stunts and tricks and racking up combos and whatnot, I'm more into it just for exploring the mountain, and the joy of the physics of skiing and snowboarding and wingsuiting. My favourite bit wasn't any of the events, but the part in between the events where you had to get to the next event start-point. Sure, you can simply look at the map and fast-travel there, but I chose to start at the previously unlocked start-point and try to make my way over to the new event just using my skiis and on-foot. Later on when the paraglider unlocked, that was very handy for getting around as well, but it also kinda feels like cheating the way a convenient up-draft always occurs when you get close to the cliff-side, essentially letting you use the thing as a lift.

 

Anyway, I really like the physicality of the skiis and snowboard, your character seems to have a nice, realistic bit of weight to him. The wingsuit is cool, but I still think Volo Airsport has this game beat when it comes to the physics of wingsuiting(not that I've ever wingsuited irl), here it feels a tad arcadey. The paraglider, as I said previously, is mainly a means of getting around, not much joy to actually use. And I really liked being able to switch between these on-the-fly, and being able to just switch to on-foot as well. Tho I wish the on-foot had a jump or mantle function.

 

From a technical standpoint, the game looks good, with only the slightest of loadtimes (1-2 sec maybe) when jumping between the map and the player. I played on PS4. Didn't have any crashes. Except into a few trees.

[Beasteh]

Anyone play the open beta this weekend?

 

I did, and it sucked me in for hours. I think I've done most of what's available (you're limited to 3 areas, and to a max level of 8 - your level unlocks events and locations, so Ubi have effectively given you a limited-time demo). The moment-to-meoment gameplay is really satisfying, but I didn't get on well with the tricks. The timing is too finicky, and there's too few tricks to be entertaining. It's nothing like the variety in SSX.

 

I enjoyed just coasting around between events more than the events themselves. Sightseeing is pretty good fun! The best challenge was the one where you're simply told to ski to a location at the bottom of the map, and given about 5 minutes to do it. There's no checkpointing or tricks, no swarm of icons demanding your attention, just you and the route to the bottom. It's at sunset, too, so it has that golden-hour feel as the light catches the landscape. It's a beautiful game to be sure.

 

However, I do think I've seen all the game has to offer, and feel like I'm done with it already. More areas probably means more of the same. User-generated routes might be the special something needed to bring me back. What kind of crazy creations will players come up with?

[ariskany_evan]

I played Steep this weekend as well. Got a good couple hours in on Saturday. I found myself craving in on Sunday, but had no time for it.

 

Last snowboarding game I played was Twisted Edge: Extreme Snowboarding on the N64. That game was incredible. Sense of speed, control, distinctive courses, etc. were all amazing, but I also played that game for at least 100 hours. I knew the feel, I knew the courses, I knew the tricks, etc. Only getting to play for a day to learn the feel of it was a bit annoying since I had to manage 3 different play styles (snowboarding and skiing feel pretty much the same).

 

I LOVE having a console game with no load times, instant restarts, etc. I would get frustrated crashing on a tiny tunnel for only a fraction of a second before I was trying again.

 

Since it's mostly time trials, I'm wary of a full purchase. Racing against the clock is a bit abstract for me and I know my motivation to play will exponentially diminish as soon as the wonder of the world wears off. If the game gets decent reviews I'll consider picking it up sooner rather than later, but if it's in the middling range I'll probably wait for sale. Gotta love betas!