SSX 3

SSX 3 is the third entry in the arcade snowboarding series from EA Sports BIG, and unlike previous installments it abandons individual separate courses in favor of one connected mountain divided into several areas. The player rides freely up and down the mountain, completes races, trick contests, and time challenges, gains experience, and gradually unlocks gear and new riders. The trick system is built on combining jumps, uncorks, and grinds into long, flashy chains that fill an energy meter needed for the most demanding tricks, forcing the player to constantly balance the risk of falling against the desire to extend the combo as long as possible.

The game is known for its exaggerated, adrenaline-fueled style — riders descend impossibly steep slopes and jump across absurdly huge chasms, which, combined with its bold, colorful visuals, gives it a distinctive atmosphere. On GameCube, the game makes good use of the console's hardware for smooth camera movement at high downhill speeds and for clearly rendering the sprawling mountain even during fast transitions between areas. An inseparable part of the experience is the soundtrack of electronic and rock music, narrated by a fictional radio DJ, who rounds out the atmosphere of the mountain as a living sporting event full of other racers.

SSX 3 is still considered by many players and reviewers to be the pinnacle of the entire series and one of the best arcade sports titles of its generation, in part thanks to its connected open-world mountain, which was a novelty for the genre. It influenced later arcade sports games with its emphasis on fluid movement and freedom of motion in an open environment rather than closed courses. Even years later, it plays fresh and dynamic, making it a title that deserves the attention of today's players interested in retro arcade racing, since even after all this time it doesn't feel dated and still plays naturally smoothly.

Why play it: For fans of arcade sports, this is still the peak of the entire series thanks to its connected open-world mountain, which plays fresh and smoothly even after all these years.