SSX 3

"Fresh powder all the way"

When 1080 Snowboarding came out on the Nintendo 64, the bar for all future snowboarding games had been set. But with the release of 1080 Avalanche for the Gamecube, it was apparent what was once king was now falling behind. The SSX series was slowly becoming more popular, and now it's finally apparent why.

Graphics:
For starters, SSX 3 just has a great sense of bigness about it. The courses really feel like part of one giant, dangerous mountain. Maybe it's all the trees and rocks falling down around you. Maybe it's the beautiful scenery lurking in the background. Or perhaps it's the fact that you can actually race from the top of the mountain to the bottom, through all the courses stringed together, a good 30 minute ride nonstop without so much as a single load screen in between. Now that is pretty impressive. SSX 3 also features a very clean graphical style. Everything has a subtle, glossy glow about it which makes it look a lot smoother than your typical video game. And it all runs at a steady framerate, too. You can't beat that.

Sound:
What we could do without, however, is the terrible soundtrack. In the EA tradition, SSX 3 features all licensed music. It's a hefty dose of rock with bands ranging from the Chemical Brothers to Finger Eleven. Some of it is even the same music found in 1080 Avalanche. Must be cheap rights to get. But little of it is any good, and I've found turning it off and listening to the ambient noises of the mountain to be more enjoyable and engrossing.

Gameplay:
Once you start playing SSX 3, you'll never want to stop... or return to 1080 for that matter. The sense of being on a mountain slope is very real, only you're grinding loops and doing flips over giant crevasses instead of flopping down the bunny hill as many of us normally do. The courses within are well designed and feature plenty of big jumps, rails, and multiple paths to take. And these courses aren't just for racing, either. There's the obligatory trick attack mode, yes, but then there's a free run mode where you can scout out and perform special challenges at your own pace. These challenges can be anything from doing a particular trick off a jump to grinding the entire way down a cliff. Plus, there are plenty of snowflakes to find and collect which give you more money. Having money is important in buying customizable gear and upping the attributes for your character (i.e. increasing speed or toughness). But the neatest thing about the game is how many of the courses are connected together to form one big mountain run. You can start at the top in the more difficult races and work your way to the easy slopes, maybe stopping at a lodge along the way to spend your money.

Tricks play a very important part in all of this. Even in the race mode, it's necessary to perform plenty of combos. Tricks add to your boost meter, and having boost can make or break your final run. Not to mention the trick system is just a fun inclusion overall. When your boost meter is completely full, you can start to perform bigger and crazier tricks. If you can keep up your combo streak, the letters to the word UBER start to appear. After that, you spell SUPER, at which point you have reached the pinnacle of earning points. And the possible tricks just get more and more out of hand.

Controls:
But for as rich and rewarding as the trick system is, it's really hard to get used to. This is such a shame, too, because controlling your snowboarder in every other aspect feels incredibly smooth and natural, about as close to the real thing as you can get with a video game controller. The problem with the trick system isn't so much a game design issue as it is how the buttons were mapped to the Gamecube controller. You have no option to customize this, either. Instead, you can pick from a Normal setup or a Pro setup. Either way, you're going to get something that's not very comfortable. One option wants you to use the L, R, and Z buttons for tricks. The other uses L, R, and X. The second option is much easier to work with, but when you have to hold down X and B to get some tricks to work, it's too much. Furthermore, the game tricks you into thinking you have to use the D-pad for spins and flips. You don't. You can just the analog stick. But it isn't immediately obvious or intuitive.

Frustration:
My biggest gripe with SSX 3, however, is that every character starts out with the bare minimum in stats. Much like the Tony Hawk series, you have to take each character individually through the main events to build up their skills. It definitely gives you something to work towards, but the characters eventually end up having the same stats. There's no originality or reason to pick one over the other anymore. Plus, you shouldn't have to play the main game ten times over just to bring every character up to par. It's a ridiculous setup, and I wish extreme sports games would stop implementing it.

Lasting Appeal:
If you like repetitive stat building, though, you will certainly have a lot to work towards. But even if you stick with one character, it's going to take you several hours and several days to see and do it all. Getting a gold medal in the race and trick modes is not easy, and finding all the hidden goodies in Free Ride requires several runs down the mountain. SSX 3 is definitely a fun game, though, and there's plenty reason to return again for another quick thrill. On top of that, there's also a decent two-player mode. While the lack of 4-player support is more than disappointing, playing with just one other person is still fun. The four other AI-controlled racers are still present in the multiplayer, too.

Overall:
If you've been depriving yourself of SSX for whatever reasons, be it you only like to buy Nintendo-branded games or you hate to support EA, don't. While Nintendo's 1080 Avalanche certainly has its charm and enjoyable moments, SSX 3 is so much better. The courses feel bigger. The controls are tighter. And there is a lot more replayability here than in the competition. The only thing 1080 really has over SSX 3 is that its trick system is easier to use. But SSX's trick system is deep and complex, as is most of the game, and when you take the time to get into the clockwork, you'll never want to come back out.

Points:
+ Great snowboarding atmosphere
+ Controls very well
+ Plenty to work towards
-- Tedious stat building
-- Trick system is hard to get into
+ But is very rewarding when you do

Score: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/02/07