Written By Shaun McCracken
With winter about one month away, EA has set to launch it's third installment
of the excellent SSX series with SSX 3. The timing coulnd't be better, especially
since it's starting to feel like the winter months where I live (after the nasty
near 100 degree temperatures a week before November), plus it gets us in the winter
mood, whatever that may be. If you already have your holiday list put together,
make sure you have SSX 3 on your list, because it's probably one of the best
and most addictive titles of the year. It improves on everything that has been
done in Tricky, and totally re-designs the whole gameplay structure. Instead of
hopping to 8 or 9 different mountains all over the world, you are now bound to
one huge mountain with three peaks. And while this may seem limited, there's a whole
lot to do and see in SSX 3.
The first thing you'll notice is that you never really need to go to a menu to
start an event. You ride to the event, and this is done due to the fact that
you can either go for a free-ride on the mountain in the backcountry or even through
an event course. The abillity to free-ride increases depth immensley. Here, you are
not bound by a race or event, but you can choose to take on a "Big Challenge",
which can range from slaloms to trick challenges. Complete a challenge and you can
earn money. You can also earn money by placing 1sr, 2nd or 3rd in an event or
collecting money crystals valued at $500, $1000 or $2000 (depending on which peak you're
on). But back to free-riding. When you decide to go into the backcountry to ride, you
can explore what the area has to offer and find the collectibles scattered throughout
the area. Exploring the backcountry is also important because you will have to race through it
later on in a peak-event. Finding an event is done pretty easy. You can either
follow the signs posted, or use your M-Comm communicator to transport you to the
event immediatley. Events range from a standard race, to different trick events
that range from Slopestyle, Big Air and Super Pipe events. Once you complete the
main events, you will be challenged by an opponent to race or to go for the higer
score on a peak event, which is pretty long. One of the cool things about this game
is that you can actually race from the highest point of the mountain to the lowest
point, which could take you nearly half an hour to do.
But more about the events. They are done differently than it was the last time
around. In SSX Tricky, the race and freestyle events took place on the same course
with almost the same layout (the freestyle events added more rails and ramps). Here,
each event has it's own course. The race event does not share the course with
the freestyle events, and the freestyle events have different course designs. The
SlopeStyle event is pretty much close to a race course, except there are more
ramps and rails to trick off of. The Big Air events are pretty short runs with ramps
that give you but what else, big air. The Super Pipe events are half-pipe events
that are done SSX-style. The later events may have multiple or even multi-tiered
pipes. If you're wondering about the race events, they are just that, races.
The overally gameplay mechanincs, that is the control design and trick design
have barely changed. In fact, I was pretty much able to do the exact same things
I did in Tricky here. There are a couple of new moves, though. One is the board
presses. Using the C-Stick pressed up or down, you can now execute a move that
is pretty much a manual you would see in Tony Hawk, and the use is to keep a combo
going. That too is a new feature. You can now create large combos for extra points
by doing tricks and manuals, as well as grinds. You have a limited amount of time to
link your moves together to keep the combo going, but by doing so you can get big
points that can really help boost your overall score. Just be sure to take the point
bonus before you end up losing them on a bad jump, or a place you know you will crash.
Another new move is the handplant, which is something I haven't used too often.
You can use it to grab on to higher surfaces or to link your combo, and it's good
to know that you do have another move there.
Aside from the whole new mountain design, there is also the abillity to buy
new customizations for your rider. These things can range from stat points to
improve your performance, to new clothes, boards and accessories to even special
unlockables similar to what was done with the krypt in MK Deadly Alliance. I think
the cash system is a great addition to the game, where you can control how much
your character can increase his/her attributes and decide if you want to unlock
accessories or go straight for stat-points. This also makes it a lot easier to
get new outfits and boards than it was in Tricky.
But, with everything good that has been put into SSX 3, they left something
out that was really helpful in the last game: the trick book. In Tricky, you
can look up how to do a specific move and even learn how to do it by tutorial.
In SXX 3, they pretty much assume you know every trick and let you go. It's
difficult in the Big Challenges where they ask you to do specific moves, and you
pretty much have to figure them out by trial and error. There's not even a trick list
in the manual. For the rest of the game, I usually just hold a set of buttons
and don't care what move I do. But when I need to do something specific, I would
like to know how it's done.
The graphics in SSX 3 are much more improved than SSX Tricky, especially when
you're comparing the Gamecube versions. The framerate in SSX 3 is more constant,
the textures are not nearly as blurry, the sense of speed seems a little higher
and the player models don't look like they are made out of plastic. That is one
thing I noticed the most when I saw the Elise model for SSX Tricky and SSX 3,
she looked a lot more human in SSX 3, here clothes never seem painted on, and
she's not as shiny. The animations are also smoother as well. Then there are the
special effects such as the glistening of the snow and ice, the weather effects
and even some avalanches. Plus, it has some great lighting. But there are a couple
of minor issues. One, the game still has the weird texture and polygon shifting
issue I noticed in Tricky. I can understand that would need to be done to keep
up with the size of the courses, but it reminds me of what the PS1 games used to
do. Although it's not as extreme, you will see times where a surface may re-shape
itself or texture shake a tad. The other thing is that the framerate does slow
a little in certain areas. Not as bad as Tricky, but if there are a lot of effects
or events taking place, the framerate will take a momentary hit. It doesn't hinder
gameplay, but is noticeable.
The sound is excellent, and why should it not be, seeing how it's THX certified.
I think the best way to describe this game is loud. There is a lot going on in
the sound department, from character voices to the arcade sound effects and the music.
The music in SSX 3 is perhaps one of the best soundtracks assembled in a long time.
I found a lot of likeable music that has a lot of range, from established artist
such as Fatboy Slim and Chemical Brothers, to new acts such as Yellowcard. It's
not like THPS 4 where I really couldn't find one real song I enjoyed or even heard of.
Here, you may have not heard of some of the artists, but the music is pretty
well known thanks you it's use in commercials or television shows. But it's also
the range that is impressive. It's not just all rock, or half rock, half hip-hop.
It's a mixture of alternative rock, techno, dance, hip-hop and R&B. Is it better
than the SSX Tricky soundtrack? It just might be. Also, the game has adapted a
radio system like MSR, except relevant to what is going on. The DJ that comes on
is not that annoying, and actually does sound like a DJ. But aside from giving
off banter about what is going on outside the game (such as talking about an
"orange cat" or people who skateboard on ice), he does provide information
on where your heading, who your rival may be and so forth. It can be useful,
especially if you're not sure which event you're heading to.
SSX 3 does support GBA/GCN connectivity, but I'm not sure it's all that useful.
From what the manual says, you can transfer money into the game, which could be
useful in buying items, but it's not very integral to the game. It doesn't make
up for the online mode the PS2 version has, but it IS something.
Final Thought
SSX 3 is an excellent snowboarding game, hands down. It's highly addictive,
it has a great open design, and it's a very tight and polished game. After playing
SSX 3, I'm wondering if Nintendo's own 1080 Avalanche has enough to go against
EA's snowboarder. I heard that Nintendo's offering is more of a simulation than
and arcade experience, but it all comes down to how much you want to play the game
and for how long. I have a feeling many would go for the PS2 version just because
of the online mode, which is unfortunate, because it's more of an extra than a
core gameplay element. The GC version is just as competent as the other console
versions, and just as fun. For GC owners, this is a must have for the system (or
any system you have). I'm not going to say this is better than 1080 Avalanche
just yet, but it sure does have the potential.
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SSX 3
