It seems that EA Sports Big is 'big' on production quality. SSX Tricky not only has excellent graphics (some very exciting visuals) and great music - it also has some really cool 'DVD' content such as some cool 'making of' clips and interviews with some of the (all-star) voice talent. You'll find such voice talent as David Arquette, Macy Gray, Lucy Liu, Bif Naked, Jim Rose, Oliver Platt, Patricia Alesquez, Billy Zane, Nick Malaperiman and Ryan Wall. As you'll see if you watch some of the DVD content, a lot went into the making of SSX Tricky. The characters were highly developed, their moves were taken over the top, and even the tracks from the original SSX were reworked. You'll find that the graphics, music and sound effects go together to create an addictive, immersive experience.

This is not a 'snowboarding simulation'; this is an arcade game. The kind of tricks you can pull off in SSX Tricky haven't been done yet on a snowboard. The scary thing is, theoretically, they might be possible. You can get 'quick-release' bindings for snowboards. All you need tp pull some of these stunts off are quick-release bindings, a lot of speed, a place to get some major air, a really good insurance policy and a full lobotomy. However, while the moves may not be exceedingly possible, they are realistic enough to be immersive. I can while away hours trying to pull off incredible tricks in a combo. You get 10 characters to chose from (okay, most of them have to be unlocked, but it's a progressive thing...), each with their own style and flair. You'll get to compete in Racing mode and Showoff mode (where it's all about the trick points you accrue before finally crossing the finish line..) to strut your stuff and go for the gold. Do good and you'll get 'character points' to build up your character's abilities... Is the character too hard to handle? Add to their handling. Not fast enough? Fix it! Boring? Add to their 'Trick' level... You control the character's proficiency advancement. Oh - and stay on the look-out for short-cuts. I've found some that will take you from dead last to first with a lead - if you can find the short-cuts and reach them successfully. Some also give you lots of 'air-time'... so don't waste it - rack up some trick points! Get enough trick points and you'll fill your 'Tricky Meter'. When that's full, you can pull off 'uber-tricks' - your character's personal moves that are guaranteed to astound and amaze... and land you on your head if you don't catch enough air first (- just a tip from the Geckster!).

Is SSX Tricky easy? Um, no. But then again, the learning curve is pretty reasonable. There were times that I got to parts that were hard to pass (or, more specifically to get the gold), but patience and practice is the key. Elise Riggs is one of the characters you can start with - and she's a strong all-around character, and a good character to learn to play with. As you play through a championship with her, you can enhance your character's attributes. Pay attention to your character's strong points and weak points and you'll have a better feel for what to improve when you get a chance to up your skills. Increasing these attributes (and choosing them well) helps to customize that character to your play-style and makes playing the game easier. However, at the same time, while advancing through the tracks in the game, you'll find more and more challenging feats; faster times needed, bigger jumps to master, more complex turns and tigther competition. If you find things getting rough, go back a couple tracks and work on your mad skills...

In general, SSX Tricky is an excellent game, providing high production value and lots of 'bang for the buck'. It's an excellent game for anyone who likes 'Xtreme-games' and arcade racing. Snowboarding purists would either be put-off by the unbelievably complex (read 'insane') tricks... or would get ideas of their own... At any rate, the game is an excellent game for showing off the PS2 or wasting time into the wee hours of the morning. The only problem that detracts from SSX Tricky is occasional z-buffering problems and some slightly inaccurate clipping (like when you smack into a fence... that you didn't really smack into...). If it weren't for those things, SSX Tricky would have achieved a perfect score. As you can see by the '98', these problems are rare.

I originally thought that this might be an excellent game to use with the ThrustMaster FreeStyler board, but I found that SSX Tricky was much more dependent on the 'arcade action' side of things than the 'simulation' side. The combination of FreeStyler / SSX Tricky was okay, but didn't add a lot to the game. If you already have the FreeStyler, give it a shot. It's pretty fun in 'Practice' mode... just not great for timed play... However, if you do use the FreeStyler, I also highly recommend the Olympus FMD-20P 'Eye-Trek' head mounted display units. (That way you don't have to rearrange your house to get a good view of the TV while standing on the board - and you won't bother people with the sound, either...)