When EA Sports introduced SSX way back in the old days, they practically created a new genre of sports games for home consoles.  Along with Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, SSX led the charge for a slew of extreme sports games.  The over-the-top adrenalin filled SSX was a fresh take on an old subject – take snowboarding’s extreme feel and huge aerials and turn them up, oh… say 5 million notches.  The demand for outrageous courses, stunts, and characters pushed EA developers to make SSX Tricky, a nitro-powered version of SSX with the same courses (with massive facelifts), but the results were less than spectacular as substance was substituted for style and gameplay was grounded for glitz and glamour. 

With SSX 3, EA has gone where they should have gone with Tricky, a nice medium between the absurd acrobatic aerials of Tricky and the original curvy carving fun of SSX.  SSX 3 is not only the clear front-runner for best snowboarding title this holiday season, it’s a nominee for best game of the year, and with great reason.  It has everything a gamer could ever need: addictive gameplay, slick graphics, and a kicking soundtrack. 

The good folks at EA Big restructured the game brilliantly.  Instead of opening up individual tracks through races or freestyle runs and globetrotting around the world, SSX 3 is confined to one mountain.  Of course that one mountain makes Everest look like a molehill.  The mountain is divided into three peaks, and successive peaks are unlocked by completing all the goals in one category (race, freestyle, earnings, and exploration).  Peaks have several runs on them, and they’re typically divided into races and freestyle courses with a few of each being available at the onset.  Successfully medaling in these races unlocks other runs on the peak, including the lengthy Peak runs which can take up to half an hour to finish… that’s thirty minutes of continuous uninterrupted boarding.  By allowing such freedom and multiple methods of unlocking runs, SSX 3 has some of the best progression of any game out there.  No longer will gamers be stuck on a run in order to unlock the next.  In SSX 3, boarders can just move onto a different task instead of crumpling into a sobbing heap of frustration. 

The game is designed to reproduce the feel of snowboarding.  As any boarder who had put his time in on the slopes knows, the old adage of “half the fun is getting there” actually applies on the mountain.  Cruising to the next lift is part of boarding and just plain feels good.  SSX 3 continues this feeling by allowing boarders to actually board to the next level rather than going through the menu, although impatient riders can still do it the old fashioned way.  Terrain is also represented very accurately to further increase the realism.  Riding in powder versus ice not only affects performance, but also ‘feels’ right thanks to the great controller vibration.  Taking a turn on an ice patch rattles the controller while kicking your board out, barely keeping the rider in control.  It’s a marked improvement in the feel of the game, and is a result of the developers spending lots of time on the slopes and putting in on EA’s corporate account.  Now that’s a cushy job.

New to the franchise this year are the Big Challenges, a collection of tasks that reward riders with cool hard cash.  These Big Challenges add an entire new spin to the game, and are peppered throughout the entire mountain.  The tasks vary from easy (race down the mountain before a set time) to difficult (pull off a series of tricks without wiping out) to the insane (hit punching bags spread out on the run) and are guaranteed to take up much of your time. 

The tricks have been improved this year, adding a few cards to the deck.  New this year are handplants and tail presses, which are useful for increasing combos.  Ubers are back, with SuperUbers being the cream of the crop on the slopes. 

Beefing up your rider’s attributes and increasing their wardrobes have also been revamped.  Cash is the universal unit in the game, rather than spending points for accomplishing goals.  Cash is earned in a myriad of ways, from pulling off tricks and accomplishing goals to picking up cash bonuses on the mountain.  When your rider’s wallet is bloated, it’s time to take him (or her) into one of the many lodges on the mountain and drop some dough on some dapper duds or spend the cents on some skills.  Each rider starts off as a blank slate, so there’s no need to pick Mac to bust out some tricks straight away.  Clothes are bought and interchanged, rather earned from filling out a trick book (which was 86’d, thankfully).  The currency system is a much better way to reward riders than SSX and SSX Tricky’s antiquated ways.  In addition to gear and skills, riders can also purchase personalized Uber tricks and comical heads that range from smiley faces to pumpkin heads. 

SSX 3 is one of the best presented games to date.  By avoiding mundane menus and keeping the rider on the mountain, SSX 3 absolutely immerses the gamer in its world.  The radio DJ keeps track of your rider’s progression and weather conditions on the mountain (which unfortunately don’t vary) without being annoying.  How many games can say that?  There is a PDA-type of communication system that is used to take transport anywhere you want on the mountain, read e-mails that serve as an in-game manual, and adjust game settings. 

Watching a game of SSX 3 is absolutely mind-blowing.  You’ll need a bib to contain the drool while checking out the fantastic mountain textures, particularly the snow and the trails boarders leave in it.  The hallucinogenic color, excessive explosions, and distractions from Tricky have been toned down perfectly, allowing riders to concentrate on the excellent courses rather than board down a mountain straight from the mind of Lewis Carroll.  The tricks are still outrageous, but look awesome when performed.  Body motion is fluid and wipeouts look painful.  Graphically, there can be no complaints aside from the occasional minor morphing glitch. 

SSX 3 sounds fantastic, period.  Everything from the rockin’ soundtrack to the ambient noise of the mountain is well above average.  The soundtrack is heavy on the electronic side, showcasing such talents as Royksopp, The Chemical Brothers, and Fischerspooner being remixed by such teams as Silicon Soul, Paul Oakenfeld, and U.N.K.L.E.  The music is all put together nicely as part of Radio Big, and the DJ introduces the songs and chit-chats about a variety of subjects.  Chatter between riders adds heaps to the competition, and fans lined up near a big jump really encourage riders to go huge. 

I can sum up SSX 3’s addictiveness in one simple way: This review took me a long time to get out because I spent more time playing the game rather than critiquing it.  Once the controller is in your hands, it’s harder to put down than a pint of Ben & Jerry’s.  There’s just too much to do in this game and too much fun to be had.  Fans of the O.G. SSX and Tricky will not be disappointed and should get the game right away.  ‘Nuff said.

Gameplay: 9.8

SSX 3 is one of the tightest games out there… there’s nothing that stands out as a negative, and everything else is a glaring positive.  The abundance of ‘stuff to do’ keeps the gameplay fresh and makes 100% completion a task for the gods. 

Graphics: 9.5

SSX 3 is plain and simple gorgeous, particularly in 480p HDTV.  The background is picturesque and the rocky mountainside is intimidating. 

Sound: 9.2

The soundtrack is slammin’ and the sound effects are jammin’.  Don’t like the tunes?  Change the options and just listen to swooshing sound of board on snow. 

Difficulty: Easy - Medium

Anyone can pick a controller and ride down the mountain.  Pulling off mega combos takes a bit of time, but the various controller schemes allow for such tricks to be learned fairly quickly.   

Concept: 10.0

The tweaks to this year’s game are perfect.  Adding Big Challenges, the money system, and thirty minute freerides are just what the game needed. 

Multiplayer: 6.5

Without Xbox Live support, the multiplayer mode is barely worth mentioning.  Splitting the screen in half only splits the beauty of the game in half, and really isn’t what SSX 3 is all about.

Overall: 9.7

SSX 3 is a superb snowboarding game.  Xbox owners looking for multiplayer boarding may want to check out Amped 2, but SSX 3 stands alone as the single best extreme sports game out there (aside from the Tony Hawk series).  Racing, freestyle, and freeriding are all equally fun, and the added extras of long runs and Big Challenges make this a great alternative to homework.  An excellent game that deserves Game of the Year considerations.