SSX

Starting with the original SSX, players may choose any one of a number of snowboarders, each with their own statistics and boarding style. A course is selected and the player is given the option of racing down the course or participating in a competition to do tricks. Each course is filled with ramps, rails, and other assorted objects. Performing tricks fills up the player's boost meter, which can then be used for additional acceleration, making tricks important even in a race.[2] Players also have the option of practicing or exploring courses in freeride mode.

SSX Tricky introduced Uber Tricks, absurdly unrealistic and exaggerated tricks, often involving detaching the board from the snowboarder's feet. The player can gain access to Uber Tricks during play after filling the adrenaline bar; performing six Uber Tricks earns the player unlimited boost for the rest of the race. SSX Tricky also introduced a new feature called rivalries, where the player would face consequences from their opponents if they attacked them while on the course, which also fills the player's boost meter.[2]

SSX 3 introduced an open mountain concept. Instead of offering individual races on multiple mountains, SSX 3 takes place on one open mountain with three peaks. The runs are designated as Race, Slopestyle, Super Pipe, Big Air or Backcountry. The game also introduces new “Mountain effects” such as snow spray, snowstorms and natural disasters.[2]

SSX 3 also introduces a second, intermediate set of Uber Tricks. Each character has an associated Uber Trick. The unlimited boost system was tweaked to where the player simply had to complete nine Uber Tricks to get the boost bonus but has a time limit, and after that expires, the second tier must be completed again to regain unlimited boost. Certain combinations of spins, flips, and Uber Tricks resulted in Monster Tricks, worth even more points than uber tricks. The points for the combinations are only unlocked after completing certain goals in the game, such as staying on a rail for 120 m (390 ft).

SSX on Tour added more character customization and introduced the sport of skiing into franchise. All Uber Tricks in SSX on Tour are now known as Monster Tricks and are much simpler to execute than the Monster Tricks of SSX 3. Where previous SSX titles used the main trick buttons and the tweak button for later titles to perform Uber Tricks, the Monster Tricks in SSX on Tour are performed by pushing the right analog stick in different directions.[2]

SSX Blur was a Wii exclusive, being one the first games to utilize the full capabilities of the Wiimote and the nunchuck. Blur introduced slalom events and the groove meter, which made the music intensify every time you stuck a trick, as well as increase your speed and height in the air. Uber Tricks this time around are now called Ubers and required the player to draw special shapes in the air with their Wiimotes.[2]

In the final SSX installment, its Uber Tricks can be tweaked with the use of additional button to gets more points. Also as an alternative to getting unlimited boost after completing six Uber Tricks, Super Uber Tricks are allowed to be performed, as opposed to Monster Tricks. Super Uber Tricks are even more intense than regular Uber Tricks; if both trigger buttons are held while performing an Uber Trick, a trick unique to the player's character is performed worth the most points out of every possible trick.

The development of SSX began with series producer Steven Rechtschaffner, who began his career as a professional skier from 1978 to 1981.[4] After retiring from skiing, Rechtschaffner became a program director for his former team, aiming to make freestyle skiing an olympic event. Rechtschaffner abandoned this career in 1983, and became a segment producer for an action sports show called Greg Stump’s World of Extremes for Fox TV. Rechtschaffner said he "ran out of ideas" for segments and came up with the idea to combine motorcross with skiing, later deciding snowboarding would be more suitable than skiing. Because of this idea he invented the sport of boardercross, which is an olympic event today.[4]

Rechtschaffner then spent six years building a brand for a wristwatch company called Swatch, which had a focus at the time to combine hip-hop with action sports, which became later influential in Rechtschaffner's pitch for SSX.[4]

Rechtschaffner became interested in tv and film production at the same time his wife wished to move back to her home of Vancouver, Canada, where Rechtschaffner landed a job as a producer at Electronic Arts Canada in 1991 after presenting his idea to make games more appealing.[4] Rechtschaffner used his experience as a television director to help develop the cameras for EA's then emerging 3D sports titles.[4]

In this time Rechtschaffner created the Triple Play series for EA. Because the series was successful, EA gave Rechtschaffner the blessing to work on his own side project, which began the development of SSX. Rechtschaffner's approach was to "build it at an arcade or Nintendo-level quality, and really making it about fun, not about being a simulation. But having great physics and control, things that anybody could pick up and play but it would be hard to really master the game."[4]

SSX was originally developed for the Sega Dreamcast, however EA's relationship with Sega was severed after disagreements over the choice of CPU Sega designated for the Dreamcast, as well as a new licensing deal that meant less money going to EA for games sold.[4]

EA presented SSX to Sony who responded enthusiastically, offering the team help as well as access to their engineers if the team promised to make it a launch title for their upcoming Playstation 2 console. Despite Sony's proposal, some at EA were still uncertain of the project, but Rechtschaffner was allowed to continue due to a "silver bullet" concept at EA, which according to Rechtschaffner was "an opportunity to try something, even if you were to fail, as long as you were building on top of a success." Rechtschaffner's Triple Play series was his earned silver bullet.[4]

SSX appeared to be shaping up to a higher quality than that seen of the normal EA Sports games of the time, which Rechtschaffner said averaged "about 74" with game ratings at the time. Inspired by this early reception alongside his background in marketing and branding with Swatch, Rechtschaffner proposed a new label within EA Sports called EA Sports Big for similar, more experimental titles, and pulled this branding together weeks before the launch of the first SSX.[4]

SSX was released as a launch title for the Playstation 2 on October 26, 2000 and received a 93 on Metacritic, making it one of the highest rated games in EA's history and the 19th best-reviewed game on PS2. This inspired to EA to continue forward with EA Sports Big, giving Rechtschaffner influence over the brand.[4] EA Sports Big released 21 games, 4 of which were SSX sequels.

The series has been universally acclaimed for its unique adaptive music system which remixes tracks in real time to fit multiple gameplay situations.[23][24][25][26][27][28] The first three games predominantly featured electronic breaks and beats,[23][26][29][30] which was directed under producer Mackay-Smith[31] and sound artist John Morgan.[32][33] The first and second games (SSX and SSX Tricky) both feature significant contributions from Beastie Boys' DJ Mix Master Mike[26][33] and beatboxer Rahzel[31] who both appear in the games: Rahzel as the first two games' announcer[31] and Mix Master Mike as a secret character in SSX Tricky.[34] Both also contributed to the intro theme of the original game, "Slayboarder."[31]

SSX Tricky is particularly noted for its soundtrack, specifically the inclusion of "It's Tricky" by Run DMC which plays a cappella over the current track when the player fills their TRICKY meter.[29][35]

The fourth game in the series, SSX On Tour, was noted for taking a change in direction with its soundtrack. Rather than focusing on breakbeat, On Tour introduced a more rock-centric and hip hop focus from the previous titles. The change was initially met with mixed reactions internally, but ultimately ended up receiving high acclaim as well.[36]

SSX Blur made another change in soundtrack direction by being solely composed by electronic artist Junkie XL.[37]

SSX (2012) attempted to recapture the original fandom by again including "It's Tricky" by Run DMC, this time remixed by artist Pretty Lights.[35] The game also introduced a new adaptive music system called Harmony.[19] The soundtrack included more modern popular electronic music genres of the time such as dubstep and indie rock, in addition to the electronic styles of the original titles.[38][39][40][41]

Steven Rechtschaffner, the producer of SSX Tricky, expressed his interest and the possibility of a revival of the SSX series with a remake of Tricky. He said that overall it is not his decision but of the developers and EA, who own the IP.[42]

However, in 2021, Rechtschaffner said he was working on a spiritual successor of the SSX franchise,[43] revealed to be Project Gravity, a free-to-play live service snowboarding game from Rechtschaffner's team at Supernatural Studios.[44]

• Official website
• The SSX series at MobyGames