I did not own a PS2 when it first came out so I was not able to experience the original SSX as one of if not the only worthy game of their launch lineup. Luckily, I was able to pick up SSX Tricky as a launch title for the Gamecube when I picked that system up. I then proceeded to loose a good couple months of my life, maxing out stats and going for gold medals in everything I could. Tricky was easily on of the most fun and addictive games I have played in this generation of consoles so of course I was highly interested in what EA Big had in store for the next incarnation of arguably everyone's favorite extreme snow boarding game.

I would just like to get a few minor nitpicks out of the way before I gush about how I am going to lose another couple months to this title. The Xbox version does not support custom soundtracks. Overall it is not a really big deal since the SSX series uses layered tracks for the in-game music, but it still would have been nice to jam down the entire mountain to the Rez soundtrack. The other minor note is the abundance of not so subtle product placement. I am ok with billboards in a racing game and things of that nature, but the blatant Honda Element placement was a little too much and the trend is starting to scare me. At the end of every race you see an Element on a display pedestal and they even pop up during an event. I just don't want product placement to start overtaking games. It's bad enough that a lot of the boards in the game hawk products instead of having really killer designs. As I said, it is a minor annoyance right now and nothing that will cause you to not enjoy the game, but the trend has been getting worse over the years and I hope this is as bad as it gets.

The other problem which still affects gameplay is that you can and will get stuck every once in a while. You can slightly botch a jump angle and end up trapped behind a boulder, preventing you from getting back on track. In the previous games, the track reset button was main face button on the controller. For the Xbox version, it is now the Select button which is not the easiest thing to get to in the heat of a race. For the most part, they did add in a new feature which can prevent a lot of those situations from occurring. EA Big has added in a 'recover' function where you rapidly hit a button to recover from being out of position or, hopefully, a track reset before you get stuck. Overall, it works well but every once in a while you can still get stuck and you will need to restart the lap since you will basically have no chance of winning.

Now we can move onto what is good about SSX3. The first aspect that was overhauled in SSX3 was how the game was organized. No longer are you just selecting a level and competing in a race and trick event to gain medals to unlock more tracks. What we have now in SSX3 is a much more organic experience which a lot of companies are trying to implement in their games as of late. The end result is a full mountain to traverse as you make your way to different events which are littered throughout the mountainside. You start at the top of the mountain and just go exploring and riding. Basically, if you enjoyed the bonus 'Untracked' course in Tricky, you are going to love the way they laid out the game in SSX3.

The 'natural' level layout could have really backfired on the developers if it was too cumbersome or annoying to navigate. However, EA Big included a nice feature which allows you to instantly transport to any spot you wish. There are some nice rewards for traveling around the long way though. For instance, the mountain is loaded with money powerups and 'Big Challenges' which allow you to earn more cash and other various bonuses. You can also fill your trick meter before even entering an event which allows you to start the event with a full meter. That is a nice little perk, no? The new layout of the game just works so well and adds so much fun to an already sickeningly enjoyable title.

The only thing that is bad about the new format for SSX3 is that when you first turn on the game you can feel really overwhelmed with everything. In the original game and Tricky, you knew where you started but in SSX3 where should you start? Should you knock out a race or two? Maybe a freestyle trick event? What about the superpipe? How about just tooling around the mountain taking on Big Challenges and getting all the free money that is thrown about? I initially had a hard time focusing on the game just because it was so wide open compared to the previous games. This, of course, is not a problem, merely an amusing side effect of making huge changes in a game series.

Even though the game is wide open, you still need to unlock sections of the mountain since you only have access to the first of three peaks at first. In addition, you also unlock 'rival' races where you need to take on what is basically the 'boss' of each peak. After the rival race, you then take on a 'peak race.' The first one can last 12 minutes and takes you through the open areas as well as each track you have raced in on that peak. The last one is basically a grueling half hour shred fest which will definitely delight gamers who love this series.

In between events, you can stop off at another new feature in SSX3, the mountain lodge. The lodge is where you handle beefing up the stats of your character along with customizing their look. SSX3 has really upped the ante as far as giving you different options for the look of your character. Now, each section of clothing is separate. You can select different hairstyles, hats, shirts, pants, shoes, gloves, glasses or goggles, boards etc etc. You can even buy completely different heads for your character such as a balloon with a face drawn on it. Yes, you can get really goofy with your look.

In addition to all of the customization you can do, there are plenty of other things to do while you are not hitting the powder. There is a new messaging system which keeps you up to date with information as well as personal notifications from other characters. Just like the previous games, you can severely piss people off during races and they will be more than happy to text message you their feelings. Let me tell you, it is not fun trying to start a race while sandwiched in between two characters with a major grudge against you. There are also tons of little unlockable bonuses such as character cards and artwork which might thrill you. It is nice that they spent the time to give you these bonuses, but a lot of people probably would not even know that they are in there.

Just as the previous games have had a great soundtrack, SSX3 does not slouch either. My only complaint is that there are a lot more licensed tracks in the game whereas there was a lot of excellent original music in Tricky. Most of the songs really fit the game. Since the game layout is more fluid, EA Big decided to go the radio station route for SSX3 as well. At first this was the one area where I was worried. In the demo I played of SSX3, it seemed like the radio announcer could get a little too chatty and annoying, however, I am happy to say that the end result is fine. The announcer pops in when you are nearing events or in between songs and everything flows together reasonably well. Like nearly everything else in the game, you can customize the soundtrack to an extent. Basically, you can select songs from the list of tracks in the game and make your own in game playlist. While making your playlist, you can even choose whether or not the EA Big Radio announcer is on or off, opting to have all of your favorite tunes uninterrupted.

The graphics in SSX3 are simply fantastic. The fresh mountain powder has this nice little crystiline look to it which just looks superb on screen. Weather effects are also generously used as you often find yourself in the middle of snow storms or cloudy areas where you are practically riding blind based on faith alone. The visuals are extremely crisp and detailed, even more so than the previous incarnations of the game and I have yet to see any slowdown issues with the Xbox version of the game at least. The framerate seems to always remain constant no matter how fast or furious the game is moving. The courses remain diverse even though they have toned down the level design in favor of a slightly more realistic approach to the game. It is only slightly though since the level designs still favor some insane jumps and huge chances at air which would kill any normal human being with shock. The characters themselves even look better in the game, especially since you have so much control over the look of them. EA Big has certainly made sure this game lived up to and even surpassed it's predecessors.

SSX3 also plays like a dream just as the other titles have before it. There is also a lot of enhancements to the basic gameplay. EA Big has added in handplants which add some more depth to your trick selections and, more importantly, they added in a 'board press' feature which basically works like the 'manual' in the Tony Hawk series and allows you to string together tricks for a huge combo score. If you thought the gameplay was addictive before, wait till you start going for the '100 combo challenge.' Uber tricks have also been upgraded in SSX3 featuring not only Uber tricks but Super Uber tricks which really open up the game for some sick scoring when you factor everything in. Not only to you have the regular grab Uber tricks, but they also added in rail grind Uber tricks which are a really nice addition to the game. Grnding is also handled better in this version of the game than any of the previous titles but it still has room for improvement. You should still have fewer issues with the grinding in SSX3 then you have had in the past.

SSX3 is an incredible example of what a sequel should be. EA Big has managed to improve many areas of already stellar gameplay while not losing any of the fun. Let me put it to you this way. This week was a huge week for game releases with a couple notable titles coming out at the same time. In a week where I picked up Rogue Squadron III, Castlevania and SSX3, I have only wanted to play SSX3. I have basically played the other two games enough to make sure they work, but the rest has been all SSX3. SSX3 is even more addictive than Tricky was for me and it will take a while for anyone to even find all of the hidden treats included all throughout the mountain. SSX3 is one of those fine examples of what a game is supposed to be. Thank you again, EA Big for putting out another killer title. Get this game!