is it a faux pas to say that sports games used to be really fun and do well with the nerd crowd? sure, your older brother and all his friends loved tony hawk's pro skater, but there's an enduring audience of people who still talk about and play these games to an insanely technical degree. you don't see the same level of adoration and dedication for games like FIFA and whatever the fuck else franchise sports games there are that just exist for celebrity appearances. the biggest separation between sports games back then and sports games now is the eschewing of realism in favor of over-the-top antics. the decision to say that realism fails where style succeeds. and, if nothing else, SSX Tricky has stood the test of time and shown that it is the ur example of realism not mattering.

if anything, trying to emulate reality is what has likely stagnated the sports genre to the degree where sports games are now synonymous with cosplaying as the new york mets. there's no fun, no invigorating "larger than life" attitude. just. . . egotism. why would i want to play something like soccer in a conventional way when games like SSX Tricky show that creativity is just around the corner, just a little bit past grounding? you can see indie titles take advantage of not being beholden to realism and succeed as a result (i.e. rocket league, pyre, etc.). i don't think there's anything wrong with realism in sports games, but when it's the only thing we're given, i feel starved of nourishment.

if nothing else, playing this game feels like a thick, cold slushie on a warm summer day. it's a treat i allow myself once in a blue moon to remind myself that there are sweet things in this world, you just have to look for them.