STEEP

[JaySevenZero]

Here's where you can contribute your thoughts and opinions of Steep for potential inclusion in the forthcoming podcast.

A friendly reminder to all that where feedback for the podcast is concerned, we love it - but self-editing (brevity) is appreciated. We do want to include a breadth of opinions where appropriate, but no-one wants a discussion podcast that’s mainly reading. Better to save yourself time and cut to the chase if you can.

[monteblanc]

The best way to enjoy Steep is to play it nice and casual as you like. Just sweeping, carving and gliding your way down a gorgeous mountain setting and starting all over again when you get to the bottom. Steep doesn't offer much depth in design or gameplay, but it feels nice, is easy to pick up and offers some serene moments of mindfulness (if you can avoid ever hitting square) and that is enough for me to plug it in every now and again,. Taking on the challenges can also be addictive,, but only in short doses. I admire the ambition, but this is 'just a game'.

[Alex79]

I was initially excited by Steep, having been a fan of the SSX series on the PS2. However, after a few hours I just found it all a bit dull. Progression was confusing and the mountain view really didn't help with finding which event you should be doing next. The open world was pointless because who wants to just wander around a mountain doing nothing. All in all, a rather boring experience and not one I feel the need to go back to.

Three word review: Boring snowboarding, somehow!

[stvnorman]

SSX3 is one of my favourite games ever. I still play it at least once a month. Not only is it enormous fun and everything else it’s been lauded for, but makes me feel like the snowboarder I’ll never be! Steep, on the other hand, makes me feel like the snowboarder I’m am... it’s all a bit middle-aged and boring! Compared to SSX, it’s completely soulless too. I just don’t know why I’d ever choose to play it over that.

[Jobobonobo]

One of my big regrets during the 6th generation was not picking up any of the SSX games as they seemed right up my alley. Hurtling down a mountain at blistering speeds while doing mad stunts is just my arcadey cup of tea. And since that series has all but kicked the bucket I was interested in seeing if Ubisoft’s Steep could help show me what I have been missing. Despite the more realistic tone, there were plenty of really heart pounding moments in this. Using the wingsuit to fly through rings while weaving in and out of the nooks and crannies of the mountains was a genuinely exhilarating moment. The speeds you can achieve with the snowboard while avoiding smacking face first into a tree is very satisfying when pulled off correctly. All the various winter sports did offer up a nice well rounded experience.

However, I think I would enjoy this way more if Ubisoft did not well….Ubisoft it up. Why is it a open world? Did Ubisoft contractually obligated to shove open world elements in all their games no matter how unnecessary it is? It is not too bad but this would have been fine just being a bog standard choose your stage kind of affair. The fact that you can teleport to wherever you want to go also makes the open world a bit superfluous in my eyes. Far more damning however is the constant reminders that segments of the game are closed to you unless you pay for a season pass. This is a side of gaming that I have thankfully managed to avoid this entire generation and the constant reminders that you can buy outfits, equipment and new courses just really kills any immersive potential the game has. This is another insidious part of microtransactions, they constantly remind you that you cannot just play the game normally to progress. You either have to grind levels or cough up the dough to experience everything, both methods being an unsatisfying way for me to experience a game. They reduce what could be an interesting experience into a mere service offering you various products. That is fine when it is Steam or the E-Shop but having it in a game just makes the whole thing soulless. As I was clearing up everything and running out of things to do, those purchases were there to tempt me but that is when I stopped playing. I fundamentally disagree with having to continuously buy knick knacks in order to get the most out of a game and think such practices are amongst the most exploitative the games industry has come up with. This omnipresent commercialisation really makes the whole thing that less special. A real shame.

Three word review: Ruined by monetisation