It's never too late for some SSX action.

SSX was arguably the best launch title for the PS2. It impacted the extreme sports genre in a way that was comparable to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater just a year earlier, with its groundbreaking graphics, gameplay, and style. To follow up such a big hit, EA decided to develop an expansion of sorts that later grew into an "uber-expansion" called SSX Tricky. EA felt that the huge list of improvements warranted it to be called a full sequel. It built upon the original and made it even better. Even so, with mostly the same tracks, I couldn't help be but be just a little disappointed. That's why I was extra excited to get my hands on SSX 3, a full-fledged sequel that changes things up a lot.

The entirety of the game is spent on one huge mountain. I was a bit skeptical of the new concept at first, but EA really pulls it off. It makes you feel like you're in a real place, and immerses you into everything even more. It's all connected, making it possible to actually take a huge run down the entire mountain without stopping once. Each course is linked to others by smaller sections, containing paths with signs directing you to different locations and events. The mountain is divided up into three peaks, each with its own backcountry, racecourses, and trick-based events. The difficulty ramps up nicely from peak to peak, and the time spent at each gives just enough opportunity to increase your stats for the next set of challenges.

Moving from place to place is a breeze. You can slide into any one of the transport stations or just call one in from anywhere to move you to somewhere else. And no matter where you go, you're sure to have a blast. Every bit of the huge mountain's slopes is put together perfectly, with all of it being just as good or better than in the past two games. My favorite type of run would have to be the backcountry sections that sit atop each peak. I loved "Untracked" from before, and now there are three of them. They're completely different form the rest of the game, and feel the most like a real mountain.

There's so much to do in this game. Racing and freestyle are back of course. Freestyle is divided into three different categories: slopestyle, big air, and Super Pipe. Slopestyle courses are more like racing ones, but are meant more for crazy tricks rather than speed. Big air and super pipe tracks are super short, but provide either big air or half pipes respectively. New to the mix are the Big Challenges. Found while freeriding, they offer a great change of pace. They tell you to do certain things, like "break all seven pains of glass" or "grind the whole next section without touching the ground". Also, everything you do earns you cash to spend at the lodge. You can buy new boards, increased stats, music, and even some threadz. The clothing customization is really cool. There's a ton of gear available to every character, allowing you to customize your rider from head to toe. Between racing, showing off, the challenges, and unlocking all the goodies, completing everything could take weeks (and possibly months) to accomplish.

With all this great stuff to do and such an awesome playground to do it in, it would all be worthless if the controls sucked. I'm glad to say that this is not the case. The same great control scheme has returned along with a few extras. In addition to uber-tricks, super-uber-tricks are now possible after completing four ubers (for the 4 letters in "uber"). Super-ubers are insane, and have to be seen to be believed. After executing five of them (this time for S-U-P-E-R), infinite boost in enabled for a short time. In addition, in order to get the most powerful boosts, you must climb the uber-ladder of tricks. This creates even more of a necessity to bust out your mentally unstable moves while racing. And thanks to a new play mechanic, the points don't have to stop at every landing. Just hit and hold the right stick to board press, and you'll receive multiple times the points for every trick, Tony Hawk style!

SSX 3 looks amazing! The original was one of the best-looking launch titles, and the same is true for this version regarding the holiday line-up. The particle effects look absolutely beautiful. Snow sparkles, takes on 3-D track depressions, and kicks up into the air just like the real thing. The second backcountry has a section with a very heavy amount of falling snow and wind. The result is something that would make the Tanker level in MGS2 jealous. Another sticking example occurs in one of the earlier races. One of the jumps shoots you blindly through the tops of some trees into a thick beautiful fog. Birds scatter while the sun glares in the background. You'll come across numerous moments like this that make you wish you could stop and take a picture. Let it be known that the graphics are much improved over the past two iterations. In addition, all of the animations look top notch, while running at a constant high frame-rate.

Equal or bettering the graphics is the sound. The soundtrack is awesome with many licensed songs, but the real standout point is how it's presented. All of the music is brought to you by a local mountain radio station, Radio BIG. The DJ, who makes comments now and then, actually sounds like a real DJ. This further brings you into the game. Also, all of it is still mixed in real time to go along with your actions. There's even the option to buy songs you want for your custom play list. Sound effects and character voices are all still in place, and do their job well.

SSX's online debut is one with a mixed result. While I love the fact that it's been included, it still has a few faults. First of all, it's only one-on-one, even on broadband. And secondly, even with the 2-player hindrance, my experiences with dial-up were always unplayably slow. Maybe it was my internet connection, but you might want to think about sticking with broadband for this game.

All the components of EA Canada's latest offering come together perfectly to create a wonderful sense of atmosphere. From the huge open mountain to the convincing radio station to the numerous events, this is one cool experience. A lot of games have been borrowing GTA's concepts lately (i.e. large, free-roaming environments), but this is probably the best attempt. With the only slightly bitter point being a ho-hum online mode, you have to check this game out now!