SSX 3 E3 2003 Preshow Report

When the PlayStation 2 first debuted in late 2000, one of the best games in its starting lineup was SSX. The game's memorable characters, breathtakingly exaggerated ski slopes, and open-ended trick system combined to make it a big success, and something that could best be described as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater crossed with a racing game. A follow-up game, SSX Tricky, refined the formula even further and also took the series to the Xbox and GameCube. Now the third SSX game, tentatively titled SSX 3, is on the horizon, and it is looking to combine the best aspects of its predecessors with some new features and a fundamentally different, more open-ended framework.

The developers of SSX 3 acknowledge that the racing portions and the trick portions of SSX are like two disparate elements--fans of the series tend to prefer one aspect to the other, and the developers are squarely focused on expanding and improving both parts. New types of tricks will be introduced in SSX 3, such as lip tricks and bigger and even crazier "uber tricks." Meanwhile, the courses of SSX 3 will even bigger than before. The game will use streaming technology to give you the sense that you're seamlessly shredding down miles and miles of snow. In fact, the game will consist of interconnected courses across three huge mountain peaks, each pike taller and more treacherous than the last.

The game will be structured in an open-ended fashion reminiscent of last year's Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4. You'll be able to move around in a "free ride" mode, either going straight from point A to point B, or tricking like crazy along the way, whatever you feel like. You'll see various opportunities for challenges in the environment, such as a race that's about to get under way, or a trick competition looking for more participants, and you'll be able to enter these at your discretion. Victory will earn you cash, and that cash can be spent on lift tickets to the higher slopes, new boards and outfits for your character, and more.

The combative aspect of SSX will return in this next installment, so you'll be able to shove your rivals out of your way if you like. The developers promise that "rubber-band AI" will be less noticeable, meaning you'll be duly rewarded for dusting your competition and duly punished for falling behind the pack. More so than in previous SSX games, the courses in SSX 3 will encourage exploration--there will be multiple paths through each stretch, so you'll always be on the lookout for a more efficient route to the finish line.

Many of the characters from previous SSX games will return in this installment, and they'll be joined by a number of new faces. You'll be able to customize their stats, like in Tony Hawk 4, and the developers were motivated to do this to ensure that players would choose a character based on preference of the character's appearance or personality--not just on their stats.

SSX 3 will also have quite a soundtrack, apparently--it will feature "dozens upon dozens" of licensed songs, some from recognizable artists. The music will continuously stream as though your character were listening to a radio station, much like in Grand Theft Auto III or Vice City. The graphics of SSX 3 also look noticeably enhanced, with more-realistic ambient lighting and more-detailed character models.

SSX 3 is scheduled for release later this year on the PS2, Xbox, and GameCube. Stay tuned for more information on this promising game.