SSX Tricky Preview

Although the GameCube has yet to be released, there are already a healthy number of extreme sports games in the chute. Activision is readying Tony Hawk 3 for Nintendo's purple console, 1080 Snowboarding 2 is under development by Left Field studios, and now Electronic Arts is preparing the pseudo-sequel to SSX-- SSX Tricky--for release around the GameCube's launch. With all these options, it might be easy for an average game to get lost in the shuffle, but with SSX Tricky's pedigree, it's not likely.

SSX for the PlayStation 2 featured an incredible amount of depth for an arcade sports title, and the series is taking an evolutionary step with SSX Tricky. The sequel is set one year after the original, and things have changed on the SSX circuit. The primary gameplay mode is still the world circuit, but the seven tracks that are returning for another go have been drastically tweaked so that there are more shortcuts, hidden lines, and big hits to launch off of. Old tracks such as Snowdream have been so drastically altered that it's nearly impossible to recognize them. Two completely new tracks have been added as well: Garibaldi in British Columbia, Canada, and the cliff face-filled Alaska course that EA Sports Big promises will be the most difficult SSX course yet. Six of the eight riders from last year's installment have returned, with Jurgen and Hiro sitting out due to injuries sustained during the off-season. The new riders include the saucy Spanish club girl Marisol, the backwoods redneck Luther, the afro-sporting Eddie, the Zen surfer Brodi, and Psymon the psycho. As in last year's game, attribute points and new boards are awarded for progressing through the world circuit.

The single-event mode lets you compete against other riders on the course of your choice. The practice mode includes an updated version of the trick tutorial that actually shows you each trick, so you don't have to figure them out on your own. The trick book is now broken into five chapters with 10 tricks in each one, making it much easier to sort through. When you land a new trick that will be added to your trick book, it's immediately recognizable, thanks to both auditory and visual cues. It will even prompt you as to the next trick to add to your repertoire. Last year's show-off mode was rarely played by most, but several changes have been implemented in SSX Tricky to remedy the situation. The biggest change is that each course will be altered to suit the mode, meaning there will be more obstacles, hits, and downslopes strategically scattered throughout the courses to facilitate going off. As if all these gameplay modes weren't enough, SSX Tricky will also include more than 45 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage. You can watch Mixmaster Mike cut it up on the wheels of steel, voice actors laying down the rider comments, and much more.

Addictive and deep gameplay is what made SSX such a stellar game, but EA Sports Big isn't afraid to experiment with new ideas. Increased rider interaction and a healthier story mode are the biggest additions to SSX Tricky, and if the specs are any indication, both should help make this sequel even more immersive than the original. Opposing riders now come with attitude attributes that determine whether they're friends, buddies, or rivals. Each rider has a tolerance meter that determines how he or she will treat you while riding down the hill. If you're constantly harassing another rider with a rival attribute, and his or her tolerance meter peaks, the rider will do one of three things: talk trash, follow you down the hill interrupting your lines, or outright attack you. Computer AI has also been tweaked so that making it down the mountain first requires more than just finding the best shortcuts. SSX's already impressive trick system has also been revamped.

To add even more incentive to busting tricks, EA Sports Big has added the option to perform ubertricks. Ubertricks can be performed once you've maxed out your adrenaline meter by performing other, secondary tricks. There are 12 different ubertricks that can be performed with four for each class of rider. If you land an ubertrick, you are awarded with one letter toward spelling the word tricky. If you stomp five ubertricks in one run, a loop of Run DMC's "It's Tricky" begins to play, alerting you that you're now capable of pulling off your character's special move. If you land the special move, you are awarded with maximum attributes for the remainder of the race. Another new addition is the big-air bonus, which is awarded every time you spend three seconds in the air.

Controlling your rider in the GameCube version of SSX Tricky takes some getting used to, even if you've spent some time with the PlayStation 2 original. Because the GameCube controller has just three shoulder buttons, the logistics of performing tricks are still being ironed out. The bean-shaped X and Y buttons are used to modify your tricks by tweaking them, which awards you with bonus points. Boosting is accomplished with the large A button, and jumping is performed by pressing B, though a representative from EA stated that this configuration is not final. The yellow analog stick is used to dish out punishment on the competition.

The GameCube version of SSX Tricky is barely in its pre-alpha stage, but it's already looking quite good. The smooth animation from last year's game has returned, as have all the slick effects that made it so eye-popping. Particle effects are used to show snow being kicked up by boards, volumetric fog is used to create blind landings during big jumps, and real-time shadows chase the riders down the slopes. The physics model is also worthy of mention. Even Eddie's afro reacts to each bump and jolt as he careens down the mountainside. Character models have been vastly improved and now feature facial animations that perfectly match their dialogue. Cinema sequences will also play a major role in developing the game's story. Rivals will spit verbal jabs at one another at the bottom of the hill, and each character will have 10 different cinemas to signify increased attributes. A wrap-around camera will also be implemented so you can get a better look at especially huge airs. The pre-alpha GameCube version of SSX Tricky present at the annual Camp EA event was sluggish at times, but EA Sports Big is promising a blistering 60 frames per second when the game ships.

No extreme sports game would be complete without a blazing soundtrack, and SSX Tricky is no different. In addition to the game's signature track courtesy of Run DMC, Mixmaster Mike from the Beastie Boys, Aphrodite, The Plump DJs, and many more yet-unnamed artists will provide the tunes. Celebrity voice talent has been commissioned to supply the riders' vocal snippets, but EA is unwilling to supply names at this point in the game's development. It was also announced that the seminal industrial label, Nettwerk Records, will release an SSX Tricky soundtrack sometime around the game's release.

Not content to repurpose the original SSX for the GameCube, EA Sports Big is working hard to make sure that SSX Tricky will have enough new features to please those who have already conquered the original, while perpetuating the addictive gameplay that made it a hit in the first place. If you're into snowboarding and are planning to buy a GameCube, SSX Tricky will be the only snowboarding game for the console well into next year--and it's a solid one at that. Electronic Arts is reluctant to give a firm release date for the GameCube incarnation, but it did state that it will hit retail at or near the console's launch in November. We'll have more on SSX Tricky for the GameCube when it becomes available.