SSX 3 Hands-On Impressions

At the recent Camp EA press event, we spent some time with a playable version of SSX3, the latest installment in EA's burgeoning franchise. The game was playable on the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox and offered a brief look of the new direction that developer EA Canada is taking with the series. The game features revamped graphics, refined gameplay, new modes, and a stunning new presentation.

The demo featured 10 playable characters--six returning favorites and four new characters. Old-timers Psymon, Elise, Mac, Kaori, Zoe, and Moby are joined by Griff, Viggo, Nate, and Allegra. The demo's roster is the same as the final game's initial selection of racers, although there will also be other racers to unlock as in the previous entries in the series.

Once you're in the game you'll find that SSX3 bears little resemblance to its predecessors, thanks to a general absence of menus. As soon as you select a character you're thrown onto the mountain. You'll be able to select from several choices that will let you participate in several challenges, or you can choose to forgo them and begin a free-ride session. However, during your free ride through the mountain you'll come across icons that give you the option to participate in certain challenges when collected and hub areas that splinter off on different paths, which are essentially your menu options. For example, when you reach a hub area, the path you're traveling on will fork; one branch will lead to an area labeled "events," and another will lead to "info." The events path will let you access different types of events by heading for arches labeled big air, slopestyle, or race. The info path will let you perform miscellaneous tasks such as customizing your character and saving your game. One of SSX 3's most impressive new features is its data-streaming technology, which ensures that the game never cuts to a loading screen as you access each of these new areas; instead, you'll just travel down a path for a bit as the game loads everything on the fly. In the case of events, a voice-over will fill you in on key bits of information concerning your next challenge.

As far as gameplay goes, SSX 3 offers a unique experience that retains the gameplay elements from the previous entries in the franchise and incorporates some radical new changes as well. The trick system benefits the most from this approach and makes the previous games look modest and restrictive in comparison. The core controls of the trick system remain the same as in previous games, but the mechanics have been expanded considerably. You'll be able to access different levels of tricks based on your boost meter, as well as new ubertricks and the ability to link ubertricks together once you get the hang of it. In addition, you'll be able to modify the axis of spins and flips as well as perform flatland tricks, stalls, and handstands. Interestingly, the game will also feature a wipeout recovery option that will prompt you to hammer on one of your controller buttons when you take a tumble. Although you'll lose any points you were earning while performing a series of tricks, this new option will let you right yourself and maintain a portion of your speed.

The mechanics of upgrading your character will also be different from the previous games, thanks to the introduction of a currency system which runs through the whole game. You'll earn money for performing tricks and find pickups that award you with cash that you can use to buy character upgrades, outfits, boards, and other items you can use to customize your game--as well as the all-important lift ticket that can take you up to the next peak on SSX 3's three-level mountain course. In terms of content, all three platforms will share the same core game modes. However, PlayStation 2 owners will be able to enjoy SSX 3 online, since that version will exclusively feature online play.

While the developer is still working on SSX 3's graphics, the game's visuals already seem very promising. The game looks much improved over its predecessors, both from a graphical and an artistic standpoint. The graphics engine renders the varied states of the mountain you explore in great detail. While SSX 3 has a considerably higher polygon count for its characters, as you'd expect, the game also seems to feature plenty of impressive attention to detail. The snow looks richer, thanks to attention being paid to its different forms, such as powder, packed ice, and so on. You'll find banks of clouds at higher elevations on the mountain that obscure your view. Avalanches that kick up snow and debris as they tear past you or, in some cases, over you are very cool as well. In addition to these realistic touches, you'll also see some artistic license taken with liberal use of colored lighting and particle effects on the tracks in the form of pastel-colored patches of snow and high-intensity spotlights. As far as the three versions go, all the platforms look comparably good, though we noticed a bit more clarity and consistency in the GameCube and Xbox versions. However, despite the minor discrepancies, the PlayStation 2 version still looks quite good. In terms of aesthetics, SSX 3 looks terrific at this point. The courses seem very organic and expansive and even feature a measure of interactivity--there will be a number of breakable objects peppered along your route.

The audio in the game seems to be coming together nicely, with catchy tunes and immersive sound effects. Like in the previous games, the cast of SSX 3 will be a chatty bunch, whether they're on their own or in a group. The soundtrack will include tracks from the X-Ecutioners, Felix Da Housecat, Queens of the Stone Age, and N.E.R.D. to name just a few. And you'll even be able to use your in-game cash to buy new songs to create your own custom soundtrack.

Our time with SSX 3 revealed the game to be a daring and promising new entry in the franchise. The new and overhauled gameplay elements seem at once very cool and very different from those of the original games, and the addition of online play should make it even more enjoyable for PS2 owners. SSX 3 is currently scheduled to ship this fall for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. A Game Boy Advance version is also scheduled to ship later this year. Look for more on all the games in the coming months.