Several new additions are found in SSX3, most notably the Conquer the Mountain mode of play. In this mode you select a snowboarder and build him or her up like in the previous versions of the game except this time you're doing it for cash in order to purchase various accessories and abilities.
Rather than take you all over the world to snowboard, SSX3 keeps you in one location a gigantic mountain with 3 separate peaks. Each individual peak is bigger than entire contents of the SSX Tricky (wow). You begin on peak one and as you win medals in different venues, you eventually unlock peak two, and so on. The events you'll compete in on each peak are the old familiar ones racing and freestyle as well as some very cool new ones: Freeride, where you collect icons for money and perform various missions; Big Air which is usually a very short run where you try to land huge scores in only a few jumps; Rival Challenges where you have a one-on-one duel with your nemesis down the mountain, trying to beat their score or best time; the Superpipe, an event where you ride the length of a pipe garnering unbelievable air; Slopestyle, which has you basically in a gigantic downhill snowboard park. It's up to you to find your own route down and score the most points; and the enormous Peak Events. This is worthy of its own section. There are 3 Peak Events, one for each peak. After you have medaled in all of the freestyle or race venues for a given peak, you'll then compete in the Peak Event where you'll race from the top of that peak to the bottom, usually encompassing 3 4 of the venues from that peak. Peak one's race is over ten minutes. Peak two includes not only it's own trails but also peak one's trails. This race is over twenty minutes. Lastly, Peak three's event takes you down all three peaks for over a half hour.
Back also are the Uber-tricks, but there's a new slew of super-Uber-tricks, as well as rail Uber-tricks and board presses, which allow you to spin on the tip of your board while either on the ground or on a rail. The addition of the rail tricks are great, but I'm not thrilled with the Uber-tricks. Many of them are simply the same exact ones that the characters performed in SSX Tricky.
Most of the old characters make an appearance here as well as a few new ones, the most popular sure to be the 12-year-old prodigy Griff and the cute 18-year-old Allegra. Each character has a designated enemy with whom they'll square off in the various one-on-one Rival competitions throughout the game.
The graphics are far better than its predecessor, SSX Tricky, which was outstanding in its own right. The snow is amazing. As you change from powder to hardpack to ice, you can not only hear and feel the difference of the board on the surface but you can also tell by the way the light glistens of it.
This game provides seemingly endless game play, allowing you to travel literally hundreds of unique routes down each of the dozens of trails with ten different riders, each with their own special characteristics.
The music is one-of-a-kind. With everyone from the Black Eyed Peas to Fat Boy Slim, you'll never get bored of hearing the same lame soundtrack over and over again. SSX3 also employs a unique mixing system The music is mixed in real time as you play, meaning it changes depending upon how you're performing. If you are cruising along with tons of momentum expect the music to be busy, loud and aggressive. If you catch air, often the drums will drop out while you soar, which will usually lead to a huge musical entrance perfectly timed with your landing.
However, a few negatives. Everything can't be perfect. The game is touted as allowing you "go anywhere" and true, there is a huge realm in which you can travel, the biggest I've ever seen in a game. But every once in a while if you stray off the beaten path only a little and I mean only a few feet (in the game scale obviously) you will be out of bounds and reset to the path again. They would've done better to expand these narrow areas of play, since it brings down what is otherwise a huge game universe.
As previously mentioned, the Uber-tricks are basically the same as in other versions of the game, except for the new characters. I was really hoping for more amazing stunts. Additionally, I would've liked more interaction with the "plot" section of the game. There could be more inter-character drama, more clothes to buy, etc.
Lastly, it can be a little complicated to know what you're supposed to do. It's not easy to figure out how to get into the lodge, buy attributes, compete in different events, etc. If you're wondering, you need to go to the transport, then pick which course you want to go to. Once there you'll find yourself snowboarding and you'll see signs for the different events, simply follow the sign to the event you want to do. And to get to the lodge, you need to go to the transport, select which peak you want (each has it's own lodge), then select the "station" option. Once there you'll be snowboarding along and you'll see the signs for the lodge. Just glide in and enter.
Even with the flaws, I couldn't give the game less than five stars. It might be the deepest game you'll own.
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I liked this game, but I played SSX tricky forever and this game didn't quite have enough new stuff to keep me permanantly interested. There's just not as much new stuff as I would have expected. With so many awesome new games coming out, it's hard for me to devote any time to this version that is so similar to the prior version.The speed is awesome and the racing is my favorite part of the game. I did get framerate issues with some of the levels, but it wasn't too bad. It seems that they have cut back on some of the banter between the characters and I appreciated that. The level designs are pretty awesome too. There was obviously a lot of thought put into the mountains and it is pretty cool in that respect. It's cool to able to ride for such a long amount of time without having to stop.
Nevertheless, if you didn't play any of the previous versions of this game, check it out. It's fun and offers and incredible challenge to beat. I'll give it a 4 as a standalone product, but if you played Tricky as much as I did, you may want to spend your money on a game that offers you a totally new experience.
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SSX 3 is one of the most exciting games I have ever experienced. It gives me an adrenaline rush just playing it. Everytime I play this game, I just want to go out to snowboard. The way you perform tricks such as rail tricks or air tricks is very unique. It doesn't look the same every time like in the past SSX games, so movement is very realistic. That's one of the reasons I get excited playing this game, because I don't know what the trick will look like until I performed it. Don't expect this game to be a simulator; it's a game where you can do the impossible.Living the fantasy of doing huge stunts on a snowboard is way more thrilling than games that try to simulate, like Amped 2. I believe simulation games aren't fun on video games; you have to do the real thing. That's why there are games like SSX 3 that take us in a fantasy world where we can escape from reality and awe at what was considered impossible.
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Amazon says this game is a 1player game. This was one determining factor that made me almost buy the new SSX Touring game instead. I got the game in the mail, and it says 1-2 Players on the back. Amazon, please update your info.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for SSX: Tricky - Xbox
The long runs in SSX3 are interesting and challenging but the sense of speed and pure fun of SSX Tricky are missing. Too many screens are so dark you can't see where you're going. The annoying interface forces you to endure tedious run-ups to the starting gate. 3 is for couch-spuds who want to put in long hours figuring out the short-cuts and hidden features. Tricky is the superior choice for players who want to have fun.
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