Taking the piste (SSX 3 (GC))

Member Name: chooflafla

Product:	SSX 3 (GC)
Date:	02/01/04 (256 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great replay value, Fun for all ages, Good soundtrack

Disadvantages: AI scores impossible to beat scores, Takes a while to upgrade

Update:

Please scroll to the bottom for the update. This is thanks to mattsterrr, thanks!

Re: stats and on-line gaming.

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Please note that the game I am writing about is for the Playstation 2, not the Game Cube, there is no category for the PS2 on here yet

The third instalment of the SSX series is here with a vengeance! I received the original SSX game a few years ago after having played the demo and raving on about it to my sister, as soon as SSX Tricky was released, I borrowed it a off a friend (for nine months) then went out and bought my own copy. Suffice to say, I was hooked on the first two games and the third one doesn't disappoint.

For those of you who haven't a clue what I'm on about, SSX paved a new path for snowboarding games. Not too dissimilar to the Tony Hawks series, but, in my humble opinion, a lot more fun with a higher replay value (although, to be honest, I've only played one of the 4 Tony Hawks games and I wasn't very good at it). I wouldn't exactly call it a "simulation" of an extreme sports game as the term "simulation" generally means a rather accurate portrayal of reality. SSX is anything but this, as the insane stunts that you can pull off are absolutely outrageous and many involve actually taking your feet off the board, an impossible feat in itself (no pun intended)!

===CONTROLS===

There isn't too much difference in the controls from the previous two games other than a handful of new ones to remember. The pushover technique is still present but now relies on the shoulder buttons instead. The introduction of the friendometer* from SSX tricky is still there, as are the wild uber tricks*. &

#84;he thing that was desperately needed in the previous two games was simple yet omitted, and that was the ability to cower in fear whilst riding in case someone tried to push you over!

You can now also do handplants* on any object that you can rail slide* down and using this, can score huge points in the "super pipe" courses where you have to perform massive stunts within a giant half pipe.

Other than that, the controls are more or less the same as the previous two instalments.

===GAMEPLAY===

Instead of having set courses to race in, SSX3 utilises one giant mountain, split into three peaks. This allows for more variety and also an insanely long race at the end of the game whereby you have to race from the top of Peak 3, to the bottom of Peak 1. This takes just under 30 minutes.

The problem with SSX Tricky in comparison to SSX3 is that it recycled a few of the courses from the first game, however, SSX3 has never before seen tracks, with many different shortcuts and collectible items in the game.

The shortcut system is back by the way (in case you missed my last sentence!), whereby if you see a glass SSX sign, crashing through it will open up a very helpful short cut, however they are a lot harder to navigate than the actual course itself and sometimes this means that they're not worth taking unless you?re up for the challenge

As well as the hindrance of difficult shortcuts, atmospheric conditions may be a pain whilst racing. Snow storms, avalanches and gaping crevices are thrown in to deter you, as are plane crashes and falling trees! This is definitely a great addition to the game, however, all of these accidents occur around the same area of each track. Random destruction would probably enhance the game more, but it's a very
good i
dea nonetheless.

The introduction of challenges (signified by a bright green glowing area on the track) such as knocking over 6 punch bags (harder than it sounds, it took me 12 attempts), back flipping through all of the hoops and many more, gives you a chance to earn extra money and it also counts towards the percentage of the game you have completed. On 100% completion, a hidden character is unlocked for you to use.

In both SSX and SSX Tricky, each race or freestyle event had to be accessed from a menu. SSX3 provides
a much more free and relaxed access system in the sense that as
soon as you pick your character, you begin to ride down a slop towards various signposted areas stating what's in store for you e.g. the lodge (where you can buy things such as upgrades and new clothes) to the race start area and freestyle start areas.

The graphics on this game are absolutely fantastic! With the snow falling against the camera as you ride to the trails left in the snow from the characters (this can be used as a good signifier as to which route to take as the AI can be very sneaky and take a lot of shortcuts). The Backcountry* itself as a joy to look at with its unblemished expanse that seems to stretch for miles.

Money is earned by winning races and challenges, however, prior to a race, you can also perform tricks leading up to the starting line and these also contribute to your earnings.

If you cannot successfully perform a trick either by falling over or clipping a piece of scenery in mid-air, your rider is thrown off balance and a recovery bar appears at the bottom of the screen. By repeating tapping the square button, you can regain your posture and continue riding, which saves both face and time.

Challenges, taunts and praise are also offered to you via texts messages from the other riders. &
#84;hese can
be read by accessing the menu simply by pausing the game.

===MUSIC===

Music from many real life artists as well as music composed specifically for the game is present from the outset. These are aired through Radio Big, a fictional station on the mountains on SSX. Real artists include Basement Jaxx, Fatboy Slim, Chemical Brothers, Queens Of The Stoneage and many, many more.

As your earn money throughout the game, you can buy your favourite tracks from lodges and create your own playlist.

===CHARACTE 2;S===

A host of new characters are at your disposal in SSX3, as well as a few favourites from
the previous games. The new characters include: Allegra, Griff, Nate and Viggo whereas golden oldies comprise of: Elise, Moby, Mac, Psymon and Kaori. There are also 20 hidden characters to unlock, ranging from a few characters from previous games such as Eddie, Hiro and Marisol, to a few rather random characters such as Cutless (a skeleton), Bunny San (sumo wrestler wearing a pink bunny mask) and Snowballs (a snowman).

Character customisation takes a new turn compared to the previous versions of SSX. Before, you could only change their complete outfits into ones that the programmers thought to be best. SSX3 has broken this rule for this instalment and you can now purchase gloves, hats, back packs and more to tailor your character. Hidden extras include a 2 way radio to strap on the belt, a snack food to hold or more bizarrely, you can replace the character's head with a pumpkin(!!!)

The only major gripe I have with the customisation is the rider's stats. Using the money that you earn from winning races, you can imp
rove the athlete?
s riding ability. These abilities in turn help you to win more money as they drastically improve your character. The abilities are as follows: acceleration, edging, speed, spin, stability, toughness and tricks. Unlike the other two games, each attribute must be raised equally per integral, that is to say that no characteristic can be two points higher than any other so your rider is average throughout all of their stats throughout the game, and you can't have someone who is very slow yet takes next to no time to pull off a trick.

I really don't think I've worded that too well so here's a lil diagram to show you what I mean.

Acceleration XXXXXXXXXX
Edging XXXXX
Speed XXX
Spin XXXXXXX
Stability XX
Toughness X
Tricks XXXXXXX

UNACCEPTA& #66;LE

Acceleration XXXXX
Edging
XXXXX
Speed XXXXX
Spin XXXXX
Stability XXXXX
Toughness XXXXX
Tricks XXXXX

ACCEPTABL& #69;

Each character also comes with their own little biography as well as a short interview with the SSX3 "organisers".

Another aspect where the previous SSX game is better here is the fact that SSX Tricky employed a few famous people to provide the characters with their voices. People such as Lucy Lui, Billy Zane, David Arquette and Macy Gray were the vocal talents of a few of the characters from SSX Tricky, but
SSX3 seems
to lack any famous voices at all.

===OVERALL===

The replay value of this game is fantastic! No two games are ever exactly the same and the variety of different routes to take enhances the game even more. The graphics are very pleasing to the eye and the music, although can get annoying sometimes, is generally well picked. The option to edit your own playlist is a God send though!

I'm guessing that in about 3 month?s time, you?d still be playing this game. I've been playing more or less solidly for about a week now and I've still only managed to fully upgrade ONE character and have many more left to unlock and upgrade.

Something I neglected to mention earlier; if your PS2 is connected to the Internet, you can play against rivals from over the world! I'm not too clear on this aspect though as my PS2 isn't online. If someone who reads this and who has played online could leave me a comment about it, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

===INFO===

@ 1 to 2 players
@ Memory card for PS2 (minimum of 116kb of space)
@ Analogue control compatible
@ Vibration function compatible
@ Network adaptor compatible

*GLOSSARY

Friendometer - the degree of friendliness between you and the other characters denoted by an exclamation mark over their heads. Th
e first time you knock someone over, they will have a yellow "!", the next time, an orange "!" and the third time, it will be red. The more you annoy someone, the more likely it is that they will go out of their own way to try and push you over.

Uber Trick - a trick performed only when your character is excited enough. Excitement is shown on the
right side of the screen in
the form of an adrenaline bar. Once this bar is full (perform tricks to fill it up), you can perform different tricks using any one shoulder button and the square button (or the two left shoulder buttons, or the two right ones), which involve taking your feet OFF the board.

Handplant - supporting your weight on one hand upside down on any surface that you can rail slide on.

Rail slide - (also known as grinding) riding your snow board down a rail. A rail includes benches, cable and signs, so don't always go for the obvious choice.

Backcountry - huge expanse to open area with many different routes. Often integrated into a race but can be used to practice tricks.

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Courtesy of mattsterrr:

Stats can indeed be upgraded unevenly, however, they must be done in integrals and at the end of each stat, you must spend the money then upgrade the same stat yet again.

On-line gaming only allows you to play against one person, so it's basically the same as playing with a friend in your living room albeit you can play people from around the world including being able to talk to them over a headset. Not as fun as playing the off-line version as you can play against many computer characters.

Summary: