One of the most emotional and perfect executions to date...
Gameplay (9.9/10): The game plays like life. For most gamers this does not mean a whole lot, but to those who have braved the mountains and really given it their all this is a true accomplishment. The controls are straight forward, and the overall execution of the gameplay is relatively easy as you'll come to know. However, this game takes time to master. You can breeze through the game, but like any true gamer - to skate by is not enough. You pine over the details and precision it takes to really get to pounding the competition into the ground: to pull off sick moves in the air and grind while the computer races you to the end really makes this game and your own experience worth the money. In an era where snowboarding games were ruled by ridiculous half-pipes and big jumps, with quad flips and so many rotations you can't count them - there was this game, a game where you were rewarded with chance just like in real life. All of the stunts could be pulled off in real life by professionals, without breaking the laws of gravity or exaggerating the laws of physics. My personal favorite part was the freeride mountain you got in the end, where a helicopter drops you off and you can get down the mountain however you want with no predefined runs or routes. This game was limited only by the imagination of the rider, just like in real life... with the controls to enable those with the patience and dedication it takes to be a true rider on the mountain.
Graphics (9.0/10): As far as the graphics go, it was cutting edge for both the overall graphics and also the texture/lighting they put on the snow and mountains. The graphics for the EA games have always been good, but never cutting edge. That is perhaps where this game's greatest flaw lies... by no means is it a shortcoming, but rather a celebration of what the gaming world was then, and this gem was something that had to have some sort of a slip... and if it did, graphically was the only place. There are a few instances where there were pixel break-ups and transparency of the overall terrain (nothing compared to Shaun White's Snowboarding... in the air in most cases, but I digress), but nothing that made you think "this needs to be better"... just accepted in most cases for everything else the game did right. The one area I found this annoying is during a heated race or event, and that really made me mad. However, in my hundreds of hours of playing... this occurred maybe five or six times where it impacted the race or event.
Sound (9.7/10 - Both Music and Effects): Typically I do not give this a whole lot of weight or even consideration unless it is horrible or really good... well, this track set was unreal on a number of different levels. First, anyone who snowboards knows the distinct noises of the mountain. This varies from the actual board talking to the mountain, the wind whistling past your ears, and for those of us who jive to an iPod despite the pending doom... music. This game was a surprising hit to everyone when it was released. Once the gamers really took to the gameplay and overall game, we then started to realize what it was from an audio perspective and how realistic it was... just like the overall gameplay. The score seems to be set for the game, and not forced. The sound effects seem pulled straight from the mountain and merged in a seamless manner into the gameplay based on moves and conditions of the mountain. This is another case of the sound and music enhancing the game instead of dragging it down. Music that is worthy of an iPod playlist and even better... one that can be integrated into your everyday listening.
Replay Value (10/10): We all know you can always add something to a game to make it a little more remarkable and more fun to play over and over. I look at it a little bit differently - when you want to come back to a previous generation game and really play through it again, that is when you have a gem. I just bought this game again a few weeks ago and loaded it up on my old memory card for the PS2. It didn't look bad, and it was everything I remembered it being. Those early memories of the 2000 Christmas season... the smell of booze, home cooked food, and eggnog. I would pretty much get loaded while home from college, and after dealing with my family fall into my cushioned seat with some SSX and Tekken Tag: Tourney. Life was good... everytime I fire this game up this is what I think of, and every time I hear Hybrid's song "Finished Symphony" it takes me back to this game. Yeah, it is not perfect, but when you can be removed over 7 years from a game and come back to it with the hunger I did, that is what replay value is in my mind... just like RE4, FFVII, and what I imagine MGS4 will be like in 8 years or so. This is the only sports game I have EVER returned to... just because it remains unparalleled to this day.
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Final Impressions and Hindsight:
The bottom line for this game and the overall hindsight of the series is the typical progression for games: the first one is a surprising hit. The company then leverages the rest of the other games to bring in a broader audience to enjoy the game, and in doing this they alienate the core fans. I felt betrayed and overall disappointed by the games that followed the EA Big series were a series of over hyped disappointments. Some people say they enjoyed them, but none of the games really had the overall appeal and polish of SSX Snowboarding. If you are a fan of the genre, or just a snowboarder in general then you should play this game. The satisfaction you get from pulling off sick tricks is just as appealing as going for the big ones in real life. The pleasure you get from the freerides are just as they are in the mountains of New England and Colorado. This game in essence capture the real spirit of snowboarding and takes it to a level that 1080 for the N64 only hoped to achieve.