As the title suggests, SSX 3 is the third instalment in an already very successful franchise. The original was a release title for the PS2, and came almost out of the blue to a completely stunned crowed. It boasted an incredible scope for tricks and combinations, as well as sporting the then unbelievable graphics that the PS2 could create. It’s successor, SSX Tricky, went on to better an already supreme snowboarding mix by ironing out small flaws and adding new scope to the trick system. And now, three years after the series’ launch, SSX 3 is looking to better an already winning formula.

The first thing about SSX 3 that hits you, the blindingly obvious and love-or-loathe difference is in the layout. No longer does the game revolve around a glitzy front-end menu with races and events completely separate from each other, but instead chucks you on the mountain and lets you go from there. It’s a radical change in approach, and evidently the best road to take. Though the developers have taken a new, and naturally more open-ended approach to the game, much of the original SSX formula remains unchanged. The game still consists of race and freestyle events, and the main focus is to rack up huge and unbelievable scores. So if you’re asking whether this game brings anything new to the series, the answer is both yes and no.

You see, the main trickery of SSX 3 is still the same as what came before it, but the ‘fun factor’ of the game has been elevated ever so much by the free-roaming nature added to the formula. There are three main mountains, progressively unlocked as you get better at the game (or, for returning veterans, get more familiar with the subtle control differences). Peak 1 is an amateur course, designed with the beginner in mind. The easy races and forgiving freestyle tracks are a gentle welcome to the game. Then all of a sudden you’re thrown into peak 2, and things start to get more challenging. While it’s quite easy to complete an event and get a prize, it is still rather tough to score a gold medal. Particularly in racing events, the hectic nature of the game means part of going for gold is simply closing your eyes and hoping for good luck. While it has oft been argued that races should be ditched from SSX, they’re still here and are a nice diversion to flat-out point scoring.

Speaking of tricks, the über tricks make a welcome return from SSX Tricky, though now split into three different, increasingly impressive stages. On the right of the screen is an adrenaline bar, used for both speed boost and über tricks. Pulling off high-scoring tricks nets you more adrenaline, which gradually trickles away if you leave it be. Manage to max out the meter, and all of a sudden you’re greeted with flashes of light, heavy music, an array of sound effects and all of a sudden you’re flying crazily high over a jump, break dancing on your board. Magical. But it doesn’t stop there. A succession of four of these über tricks progresses you to the super-übers - more whacked-out and crazy versions of the four basic shoulder button combinations. And if you’re good enough, and can cop with pulling off five of these in the requisite time, the adrenaline bar stays full for a short period giving you a huge opportunity to boost your way to the front of the pack. It’s crazy, it’s initially daunting, but über tricks are a staple part of the SSX diet, and are the only path to multi-million, jaw dropping scores.

However, this is where SSX 3’s particularly evident fault lies. Through all the spinning, the fireworks, the lights and the board trails, the PS2 is just pushed a little bit too far. It’s almost certainly due to the added level of detail from its predecessors; beautiful mountain tracks, dazzling effects and fireworks, and impressive and unique character models. The toll appears in the form of a radically stuttering frame-rate which does slightly spoil the mood. It doesn’t prove a problem 90% of the time, but when the game starts to get hectic, then the cracks start to show.

Yet where the SSX formula has never fallen down is in the soundtrack, and thankfully SSX 3 remains true to the series. The new addition this time is ‘EA Radio Big’. Featuring a DJ who is, much to many gamers’ delight, not a gibbering idiot, and who treats players with a great array of different music to cater to everyone’s taste, the new radio fits in well with the free-flowing mountain feel. The songs still retain their multi-layered quality, and will change depending on whether you’re puttering along after a wipeout, flying through the air or zooming along with a maxed out adrenaline meter.

However, the game isn’t all glitz and glam. After only a short time playing, it becomes evident that the game likes to cheat the player. Whether it’s through the fact that you always manage to hit the sparsely placed trees, or that EA told a little white lie in that you have the entire mountain to yourself, it can be frustrating at times. There are just a few select routes down the snowy paradise. Stray off the track even a tiny bit, and you’re greeted with a big ‘Off Course’ message. It can be annoying, particularly when the tracks have jumps placed in positions that, 90% of the time, result in you being replaced on the track. Just great. This is just unfair, and when you crash or get pushed back to last place and you know it’s not your fault, the game can lose some of it’s appeal.

Undeniably though, is the fact that SSX 3 is really great fun, and another step up from the series’ previous instalments. Though little has changed in terms of the game’s goal, the scope and variety of things to do on the mountains is a welcome change. New additions like the ‘big challenges’ - short, sharp bursts of intense gameplay - work well in the game’s favour. Despite the barrage of events and opportunities thrown in the player’s face from almost the word go, the fact that you can ignore them all and simply spend half an hour cruising down the mountainside is something admirable and almost elegant. SSX3 is a great game, and while a few things let it down, the overall polish, shine and atmosphere are evidence that EA’s reputation for mediocrity is changing for the better. With a slew of titles all suddenly competing for supremacy, one thing is for certain, SSX 3 will impress.