SSX 3

PSM Magazine

A whole lotta game. And trust us: earning 100% completion (and thus "owning" the mountain) is one of the most rewarding feelings in modern gaming history. [Dec 2003, p.36]

Gaming Age

From the huge open mountain to the convincing radio station to the numerous events, this is one cool experience.

Playboy

While other snowboarding games run out of steam mid-shred, the SSX series continues to gain momentum. [Dec 2003, p.44]

GamePro

Simultaneously increasing the realism of the experience of big mountain boarding and tearing the throat out of board-physics as we know it, SSX 3 completely revolutionizes the snowboardercross concept.

eToychest

It’s the kind of game that can be played indefinitely and a player’s performance will continually improve.

GameNow

This third game in the snowboarding series features a complete overhaul, dropping the whole race-circuit idea and taking a more open-ended, Grand Theft Auto–like approach to snowboard competition. [Grade = A+]

Entertainment Weekly

All that smooth music, along with the "Uber" and "Super Uber" combo tricks, will have you stumbling away from the console at 4 a.m., your fingers aching and your voice hoarse. [17 Oct 2003, p.L2T 20]

G4 TV

Accessible, slick, and most importantly, fun from beginning to end. It leaves the competition clearing powder from its goggles.

Yahoo! Games

Even with combos and grinds at your disposal, the jumps and turns come so fast and thick that intelligently managing the course is a huge necessity...The game feels far less like a dog and pony show as a result, and is more challenging and rewarding, too.

Official U.S. Playstation Magazine

Aside from the cultural tweaks, the other major improvement here is in the scale of the game. The mountain you're competing on is huge, and the better you get, the more of it you get to see. In places, it's downright beautiful. [Nov 2003, p.134]

Thunderbolt

SSX 3 offers an experience like no other, a rush that just can't be matched.

Next Level Gaming

It combines superb graphics with deep gameplay to bring gamers a great gaming experience. It’s not often that a game gets every aspect of the game right.

TotalPlayStation

Nothing short of the best snowboarding game videogames have ever seen, and while there are a few nagging problems, the presentation and execution of a massive, three peaked behemoth that you’ll try your damndest to conquer is pure gaming bliss from the moment you first drop onto the mountain.

Gamer's Pulse

A great game. Pretty graphics. Sweet tunes. Killer gameplay. Exclusive online competition. So damn good.

GamingTrend

After the overwhelming success of "SSX Tricky", SSX 3 had monstrous expectations to meet... not only does it meet them, it slams them head on like a Mack truck into a flea.

IGN

This is the best snowboarding game I have ever played. It's arcade-centric, trick heavy, and on the third peak, it's brutal, but in the end, nothing comes close to SSX 3.

Deeko

I honestly had some doubts, as "one mountain" sounds a little shallow or limiting – but it wound up working out fantastically - ironically offering the most variety of the trilogy.

Game Informer

I can't even begin to describe how addictive the gameplay has become. I actually found myself bouncing around in my chair and holding my breath when I would try to throw one more rotation into a trick. [Nov 2003, p.134]

Siliconera

Improves on its predecessors in every possible way.

GameSpy

Possibly the finest snowboarding game ever. SSX 3 offers an insane amount number of challenges, near-limitless replay value, and tight gameplay from start to finish.

TotalGames.net

Indeed, it's only once you've actually sat down and experienced every element that SSX3 has to offer that you can see how much more complete it feels against all the other snowboarding games that focus purely on one style of gameplay.

Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)

It is a work of staggering genius, delicate like a snowflake, yet rugged like a prizefighter's face. SSX3 doesn't just demand your attention, but commands it, turning heads like a Hollywood celeb mozeying through Rochester Tesco's.

netjak

Easily the best in the series so far. It rejuvenates the formula, radically changing the game enough to make it a completely new experience, while at the same time retaining enough of the SSX formula to still satisfy the series’ faithful fans.

GameZone

Extremely fun. The gameplay is as good as snowboarding games come.

Operation Sports

With tons of secret characters, missions, and tricks to unlock, you’ll be playing this game until the snow melts next spring.

Game Revolution

The snow effects are unrivaled, the framerate is consistently high and the colors are vibrant. Add to that great animations (particularly during tricks) and an intense sense of speed, and you wind up with one of those rare games that can be as much fun to watch as to play.

Play Magazine

It's a game that's just incredible fun, mixing in all sorts of gaming ideas with the thrill of the real sport, painting a final touch of extreme excess and color for scintillating effect. [Nov 2003, p.86]

PSX Nation

The PS2 version’s graphics are surprisingly close to its XBox/GameCube counterparts, and the licensed soundtrack apes Rockstar’s "Grand Theft Auto" interface in its depth and variety.

GamingWorld X

A worthy sequel that takes the series in a new direction of an open-ended structure while improving upon the sheer fun of the over-the-top trick-heavy gameplay.

GameSpot

Delivers a rush like few racing games or action sports games have ever achieved. The game's new, open-ended structure, excellent audio, enhanced trick system, and improved graphics combine to make this a superlative sequel to a series that's always had high standards.

GMR Magazine

The control is sublime, the camera is perfectly placed. The vaunted variety of snow-types is no gimmick either - it's an incredibly palpable, almost physical, experience. [Nov 2003, p.71]

Eurogamer

Just buy the sodding game - it's one of the best of the year.

Gamer.tv

The soothing, calming effect of casually boarding down a mountainside cannot be overstated - the stressed of this world should get this game on prescription.

Electronic Gaming Monthly

I love this game, but I've eaten enough snow to have some gripes. It's too difficult to catch rails—miscalculate ever so slightly, and you'll wipe out hard, killing any combo and losing tons of turbo.

Official Playstation 2 Magazine UK

Super-long, fast races make this an essential PS2 purchase. [Jan 2007, p.106]

Inside Gamer Online

With so much to do and so much to be focused on, you’d think SSX 3 would have tight and impossible controls. It doesn’t at all, in fact, they’re practically flawless.

GameCritics

It can be oddly frustrating at times, yet it has enough merit to make it one of my favorite games this year. It doesn't necessarily refresh the nostalgia I had when it was SSX two releases ago, but it definitely re-introduces the fun lacking in the gaming slump I've experienced lately.

NTSC-uk

Through all the spinning, the fireworks, the lights and the board trails, the PS2 is just pushed a little bit too far...The toll appears in the form of a radically stuttering frame-rate which does slightly spoil the mood.

Edge Magazine

The biggest addition is the inclusion of collectables from each course, which provides a great incentive to exploring in Freeride mode, and brings a touch of Amped's atmosphere to a game that was all about the rush. [Dec 2003, p.106]

Gamestyle

It's hard to imagine how EA can possibly top this one.

games(TM)

Given the constraints of the sport, SSX 3 does a great job of keeping the game as open as possible. If nothing else, the SSX series represents something of a benchmark for snowboarding games, a trend that continues with this instalment. No one title of this generation can claim obvious superiority. [Dec 2003, p.102]