SSX 3 (Sony PlayStation 2, 2003)

I had never really gotten into snowboarding games, but I had played SSX Tricky at a friend's house a few times and liked it. But I heard that SSX 3 was the cream of the crop. So I bought it on ebay and man am I glad I did. This game is pure fun. The game takes place on one really huge mountain that has three peaks. You start on Peak 1 with whatever character you want to choose. You compete in various snowboarding events and get money to buy attributes, clothes, music and other goodies. The modes of play are very fun and there is a good variety. Race is your typical get-to-the-end first mode. There is Big Air, where you go through a very short track that has a big ramp at the end, where you try to pull off your best tricks and get the highest score. Slopestyle is a track filled with ramps and grind rails and the goal is to get the highest score possible using them. Superpipe is the half pipe contest and is where you can grab some serious airtime. If you don't feel like competing you can explore the mountain in a "Freeride" mode that lets you go just about anywhere. It's really useful for getting to know the tracks without the pressure of getting the high score or best time. The music in this game is fantastic. From Aphrodite to The Black Eyed Peas to MxPx to Junkie XL, the music fits the game perfectly.

I would highly recommend this game to anyone who has always wanted to play a snowboarding game or to anyone who wants to have a blast. Get it. You won't regret it.

SSX 3 delivers a rush like few racing games or action sports games have ever achieved.
The thrill of purposely flinging oneself down a mountainside is captured like never before in SSX 3, the third entry in the popular snowboarding series that originally debuted on the PlayStation 2 in 2000. While SSX 3 doesn't fundamentally change the series' signature gameplay, which combines near-vertical downhill racing with a completely over-the-top trick system, it does change the structure of the game by offering a freeform, open-ended environment to experience, compete in, and explore. This huge, fully realized snow-covered mountain provides some incredible scenery and no shortage of high-speed entertainment. Fans of SSX should have expected as much, though this is a game that is highly recommended not only for veterans but for novices.

SSX 3 is, in my opinion, the absolute best that the SSX franchise has to offer, I own four, and SSX 3 is not even the most recent. The graphics are outstanding, the mountain scenery and action are astonishing and beautiful! Without those this would be just another game, but I thoroughly enjoy free-riding the different peak areas, finding alternate paths and new and stunning scenery. Distant peaks are worth stopping just to look at! One of the funnest aspects of this game is being able to pass by the races and keep free-riding!
Now, having said that, the game itself is pure fun! The choices you have in characters are diverse in quality and style, even if limited in quantity. The vocal quips and taunts heard from passers-by are fun, the trail racing speeds are exhilarating for all the sitting you're really doing, and the tricks, although a trifle complicated to button just right as you're jumping, are daring and thrilling enough to make me glad I'm not feeling them in painful reality!
I stopped buying the SSX games after SSX On Tour. The "artistic bling" and almost manic application of advertising and graffiti of On Tour was overwhelming and seriously detracted and distracted from the potential beauty of the environment. When I go out I like to escape from strident civilization, and I guess I like that in a game also. There are billboards and Honda Elements and such throughout SSX 3 but none of it seems to scream at you like in On Tour.
I love being outdoors for the beauty but I buy games for when I can't be outdoors. Both are versions of escapism. SSX 3 is so visually stunning and fun it picks me up even when I'm down with a cold. It's a great alternative to a real escape!

SSX is a great game. SSX Tricky is an incredible game. SSX3 takes these two games and creates something awesome, amazing, and super-fantasmicalifitricationa​l...well, here's a better description. SSX3 redefines what snowboarding is about. The one-mountain terrain, brimming with race, slopestyle, superpipe, back country, and big air courses, creates the feel of being at ski resort. The ever-so-talkative DJ Atomika, along with the impeccable soundtrack, imploys an atmosphere of truly living the game. The greatest asset of the game is difficult; it could be the insane uber tricks, which you can purchase using collectible and race-won money and use on the mountain. It could be the massive amount of customizations, such as a jetpack, backpacks, clothing, and boards to use for your character. It might even be the eight characters themselves, Mac, Viggo, Elise, Kaori, Moby, Nate, Griff, and Zoe, all being intensely developed, the most developed characters you will ever see in a sports title. EA Sports went all-out on the third series of this franchise, I advise you to buy and experience each of them.

This is an awesome game for any die hard PS2 gamer! If you have played SSX and SSX Tricky, SSX3 is entirely different than both of its predecessors combined! The trick combos, the customization of characters and the tracks are phenomenal to play. SSX3 brings the world of snowboarding to life in action packed races and show offs. My favorite thing about this particular game is the bowls in showoff mode. The amount of air you get after a few quick uber tricks really boost your score. The difficulty of the game is great for someone looking for a good challenge. I recommend this game to anyone with a controller and a want to be challenged!