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The Plot: A wonderful continuance in the "SSX" snowboarding series after "SSX Tricky", "SSX 3" ("SSX Trickier"?) has a wealth of new options, more freedom and a slightly slicker, more straightforward appearance. Most of the same characters return, but some new ones join the party. Instead of heading off to new locales to take on new tracks, "SSX 3"'s action all takes place on one massive mountain, whose peaks all offer different runs. Players can choose to compete in one or two player modes or try the "Conquer the Mountain" mode. The single player effort allows players to choose from races or freestyle competitions on one peak, then, after challenges and tasks are completed, a new peak opens up. Each rider starts off with a certain amount of skills, but then can upgrade their skills and various wares via earned $. The "Conquer the Mountain" challenges skip between various environments and forms of play, including race, freeride, super pipe challenges, among others. Challenges occasionally pop up throughout the courses, asking riders if they want to accept. There's tons of unlockable goodies and races offer more shortcuts, greater lengths and options than prior entries. "SSX 3" is a little less arcade-ish than "Tricky", but it's certainly no less entertaining, as the courses have been brilliantly constructed and still offer a great deal of rails, jumps and bonus items. Tricks are easy to pull off once again, with a series of tricks pushing up the boost until players are able to pull off "uber tricks". Players can also string together combos for greater multiplyers and reach new "uber trick" heights after pulling off a series of them. Although it's easy to pull off a trick, once players perfect the controls and get better, they'll earn more and find themselves pulling off bigger and better combos (there's a visible "combo timer"). It's not difficult to land tricks here, unfortunately, which makes for a little bit less of a challenge. If a player falls, repeatedly pressing the X button will allow them to recover quickly. As the player moves up the mountain, the jumps get bigger, the tracks more impressive and the obstacles more intense. Technically, the game is superb, with crisp framerates and solid loading times - you can often see your player prepping on a gondola while the next level loads up. Although the game unfortunately doesn't allow one to build custom soundtracks, EA has included a fantastic soundtrack that includes the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Chemical Brothers, Fatboy Slim and more. Unfortunately for XBOX Live fans, no online play is available. Rating: 9.5/10 The DVD Graphics: "SSX 3" is a definite graphical upgrade from the prior game (s), with a much smoother and sleeker appearance. The smoother animation, crisper detail and stronger lighting and texture continues to make "SSX" one of the most convincing racers out there, even moreso this time around, as the illusion of racing down a mountain at top speed has never been more convincing. The character animations are also improved and colors are vivid and crisp. This is also - I'm guessing one of the few - THX-certified games. Rating: 9.5/10 Sound: "SSX 3" is presented on the XBOX in Dolby Digital 5.1. The game's terrific soundtrack of licensed tunes is made up of familiar popular artists and some that aren't so widely known; all the songs that I've heard really are well-chosen and fit superbly with the game. The surrounds are put to enjoyable use, as the rear speakers often pump out tunes or ambient sounds (cheering, etc.) Dialogue, music and other elements have been recorded clearly. While not an entirely remarkable 5.1 soundtrack, this is another instance where 5.1 does add to the immersive quality of the game. The music can also be turned off, leaving only the ambient sounds. Rating: 9.3/10 Rating Issues: The game is rated "E" (Everyone). Final Thoughts: Sporting improved graphics, better and more inventive course design, more depth and more freedom, "SSX 3" is a remarkable improvement over the prior "SSX", which I enjoyed highly. A definite recommendation. |