SSX (series)
Encyclopedia
SSX is a series of snowboarding
Snowboarding video games
Snowboarding games are a genre of computer and video games that emulate the sports of snowboarding and sandboarding. Most snowboarding games are seasonal and come out sometime between October and March. The genre, for console game, peaked in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Many online casual games...

 and skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....

 (added in On Tour) videogames published
Video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....

 by EA Sports BIG
EA Sports
EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...

. It is an arcade
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...

-style racing game
Racing game
A racing video game is a genre of video games, either in the first-person or third-person perspective, in which the player partakes in a racing competition with any type of land, air, or sea vehicles. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to entirely fantastical settings...

 with larger-than-life courses, characters, and tricks. While the general focus of the series is racing and performing tricks on snowboards, the underlying gameplay of each edition alters slightly; for example, while the original SSX relies on a working knowledge of speed and trick boosts, SSX On Tour requires players to complete different "phat" combos and "monster tricks". SSX is intended to be short for "Snowboard Super Cross", but the complete title has almost never actually been referred to in any way in the marketing or promotion of the games or within the games themselves.

The franchise has been critically acclaimed, with the first three installments receiving over 90.00% on Game Rankings. Initial sales for the game have been kept a secret by publisher EA, but SSX 3 in particular was widely believed to be a commercial success. Most of the games have been released only on Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....

 and Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....

 consoles, with the first game being released exclusively on the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...

 and the most recent being released on the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...

. In 2009, EA revealed the series was being developed with the Sega Dreamcast
Sega Dreamcast
The is a 128-bit video game console which was released by Sega in late 1998 in Japan and from September 1999 in other territories. It was the first entry in the sixth generation of video game consoles, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, Microsoft's Xbox and the Nintendo GameCube.Dreamcast sales were...

 in mind, but once they made the decision not to support the console, it was moved over to the PlayStation 2. However, after the first game was a commercial flop, EA decided the series would be multiplatform, thus leading to SSX Tricky and its sequels.

Gameplay

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 is even important in a race. Players also have the option of practicing or exploring courses in "freeride" mode.

SSX Tricky
SSX Tricky
A soundtrack was released in 2002. It features the following songs:#"It's Tricky " - Run-D.M.C.#"Smartbomb " - BT#"Finished Symphony" - Hybrid#"King of the Beats" - Aphrodite#"Board Burner" - Mix Master Mike...

 introduced "Uber Tricks", absurdly exaggerated tricks, often involving detaching the board from the snowboarder's feet. The player gained 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 3
SSX 3
SSX 3 is a snowboarding extreme racing game published by Electronic Arts and developed by EA Sports BIG, which was released in late 2003. It is the third installment in the SSX series, and is THX approved. Like the previous installments, the game was critically acclaimed...

 introduced a second, intermediate set of Uber Tricks. Each character has an associated Uber Trick. The unlimited boost system was tweaked to where you simply had to complete 9 Uber Tricks to get the boost bonus, but it now has a time limit, and after that expires, you must redo the second tier to regain unlimited boost. Certain combinations of spins, flips, and Uber Tricks resulted in "Monster Tricks", worth even more points than uber tricks; the catch was that you had to memorize the combination (Triple Backflip Superman, for example), and the combination had to be unlocked through certain goals in the game, such as staying on a rail for 120 meters.

In SSX On Tour
SSX on Tour
SSX on Tour is a skiing and snowboarding game, the fourth title in the SSX series of video games for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, PSP and Xbox. The game was developed under the working title SSX 4. It was released in North America on October 11, 2005, In the PAL region on October 21, 2005 and in...

 "Uber Tricks" are presented as "Monster Tricks", though most of them resemble the more advanced Uber Tricks, and are much easier to perform than the Monster Tricks of SSX3. Where previous SSX titles used the main trick buttons (and the tweak button for later titles) to perform Uber Tricks, the Monster Tricks are performed by combinations of directions entered on the right analog stick.

SSX
SSX (2012 video game)
SSX is an upcoming snowboarding video game in the SSX series of video games from Electronic Arts. First revealed at the Spike Video Game Awards in 2010 under the working title SSX: Deadly Descents, the game's trailer appears to show a much darker direction to the series than previous entries, and...

 is a new title in the series announced at the Spike Video Game Awards for 2011. It will reportedly feature real world environments.

SSX (2000) and SSX Tricky

SSX was released for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...

  for its launch in October 2000. SSX was developed
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...

 by EA Canada
EA Canada
EA Canada is a video game developer located in Burnaby, British Columbia. The development studio opened in January 1983 and is EA's largest and oldest studio...

, while SSX Tricky was developed by EA Sports
EA Sports
EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...

. The game was critically acclaimed, but didn't sell well, especially in Japan. As a result, EA decided that the series would go multiplatform, hoping for better sales. SSX Tricky was released November 5, 2001 for the PlayStation 2, GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...

, Game Boy Advance
Game Boy Advance
The is a 32-bit handheld video game console developed, manufactured, and marketed by Nintendo. It is the successor to the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on March 21, 2001; in North America on June 11, 2001; in Australia and Europe on June 22, 2001; and in the People's Republic of China...

, and Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...

. SSX Tricky was so similar to the original that many considered it an update rather than a sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...

. Unfortunately, SSX Tricky suffered the same fate as its predecessor, being cherished by critics but largely a failure commercially.

In SSX and SSX Tricky, winning medals in a variety of events unlocks new courses, characters, and boards, as well as improved the boarder's abilities. New outfits may be earned by completing a character's "trick book", by doing a number of specific tricks during play. Three kinds of boards are available to players: trick-oriented "Freestyle" boards, all-around "BX" boards, and racing-oriented "Alpine" boards, which are not meant to be ridden backwards.

The courses in both games are located around the world, for example: "Tokyo Megaplex" (a course resembling a giant pinball machine) and "Merqury City" (which takes place in the downtown area of a city). The snowboarders also come from around the world, including Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

 and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, and speak in their primary language.

SSX 3

On October 20, 2003, SSX 3 was released. It was released on all the same platforms that SSX Tricky was released on, as well as the Gizmondo
Gizmondo
The Gizmondo is a handheld gaming console which was released by Tiger Telematics in March 2005. The electronics design was undertaken by Plextek Limited and the industrial design by Rick Dickinson....

, and was developed by EA Canada
EA Canada
EA Canada is a video game developer located in Burnaby, British Columbia. The development studio opened in January 1983 and is EA's largest and oldest studio...

.

Due to poor sales, SSX Tricky was considered a commercial failure. And a sequel was not expected, that is, until the game was revealed at E3 2003. After that, things went uphill for the franchise. SSX 3 became the first game in the series to finally sell over a million copies, and became the most critically acclaimed game of the franchise. It is believed to have sold around 5 million copies, with 1.38 million sold on the PlayStation 2 according to VG Chartz
VG Chartz
The VGChartz Network is a network of five video game websites - VGChartz, gamrFeed, gamrReview, gamrTV and gamrConnect. VGChartz itself sits at the centre of the VGChartz Network and is a video game sales tracking website that provides weekly sales figures of console software and hardware by...

.

The most obvious changes to the series are the locations, and the graphics. In earlier games, individual tracks were located around the world. In SSX 3, the entire game takes place on one mountain, with three peaks and several individual runs. Runs are designated as "race", "slopestyle", "super pipe", "big air", or "back country" tracks, and are designed accordingly. Tracks are connected; it is possible to board down the entire mountain without stopping. The game also uses a new graphics engine, as the one used in SSX and SSX Tricky had become outdated and was considered "90's".

The reward system is also revamped. Although some rewards are still tied to what medals the player gets, most rewards are bought using money earned in competition or when finding hidden snowflakes. Outfits, stat improvements, "hidden characters" (character models) and game art are all available.

Other changes include the introduction of a second level of "uber tricks", the elimination of freestyle/BX/Alpine boards in favor of a single board type, and the elimination of statistical differences between characters. In general, the game emphasizes customization much more than in previous games; for example, different boards no longer have different effects on how your board handles, allowing the player to choose whatever board they like the most, instead of the "best" board, statistically.

SSX 3 also offered online play; once in a lobby, a player could initiate a 2 player versus match; Slopestyle
Slopestyle
Slopestyle is a popular type of competition for winter action sports; which originated as a snowboarding competition format. Today, there are many sports that are considered to have this style of competition, of which skiing and snowboarding are two of the most common...

, halfpipe, or race
Racing
A sport race is a competition of speed, against an objective criterion, usually a clock or to a specific point. The competitors in a race try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time...

 event. However in early 2006 Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...

 closed this option by terminating all servers designated to EA games released during and prior to 2005.

SSX On Tour

SSX On Tour (working title: SSX 4) is the fourth title in the SSX series of video games for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, PSP
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...

 and Xbox. It was released on October 13, 2005 in North America.

Unlike its predecessor, SSX on Tour has no online play as the main focus was improving the gameplay and maps. There are many new characters, new maps, new tricks and skiers
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....

. One main variation from other consoles is the GameCube version since it has Nintendo characters and a special track.

SSX on Tours main gameplay mode, "The Tour", allows the player to create a character and select one of a number of challenges available at any one point in time. Progressing through challenges (including medal events) earns the player both cash and hype; earning hype advances the player from amateur to pro level and unlocks harder challenges.

On Tour does several things differently from previous incarnations of the series; for one, courses are no longer closed; the player will frequently encounter other skiers and snowboarders when freeriding or doing minor challenges. Additionally, stats are no longer tied to the character; the character's board or skis are the sole determining factor in the character's abilities.

SSX Blur

SSX Blur launched February 27, 2007 on Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...

. It makes full use of the motion controls for turning and tricks. Uber tricks are performed by drawing shapes on the screen, while flips/spins are performed by simply flicking the Wii remote in certain directions.

Twelve playable characters are in the game (Mac, Elise, Kaori, Zoe, Moby, Psymon, Allegra, Griff, JP, Skye and newcomers Felix and Maya), all of which can use either skis or snowboard. Only four characters are available at the start of the game (Mac, Elise, Kaori and Moby), and players unlock additional characters through completing tasks. In common with SSX 3, the game takes place on one mountain with three peaks, and it is possible to travel non-stop from the top of the highest peak to the bottom of the lowest.

All the race tracks are taken from previous games (SSX3 and SSX On Tour), put together to a new mountain. SSX Blur offers fewer customization options for the characters than previous SSX games, and characters do not talk. The game flopped in the US, selling around 310,000 units.

SSX (2012)

SSX
SSX (2012 video game)
SSX is an upcoming snowboarding video game in the SSX series of video games from Electronic Arts. First revealed at the Spike Video Game Awards in 2010 under the working title SSX: Deadly Descents, the game's trailer appears to show a much darker direction to the series than previous entries, and...

 is a new title in the series that was first announced at the Spike Video Game Awards in 2010. It will feature real world environments mapped by NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...

 satellites. The theme of the game is to "Race it, Trick it, Survive it". It is due to be released in February 2012.

SSX Out of Bounds

SSX Out of Bounds was released on the N-Gage
N-Gage
The N-Gage is a mobile telephone and handheld game system by Nokia, based on the Nokia Series 60 platform, released in October 2003. It began sales on October 7, 2003. The N-Gage QD replaced the original N-Gage in 2004....

 on January 24, 2005. It is a port of the console installment SSX 3, but downsized for the handheld. The game features multiplayer capability over Bluetooth
Bluetooth
Bluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...

.

SSX iPhone

SSX iPhone was originally announced by EA Mobile to be released 2009, but had been delayed to 2010, originally. As of May 10, 2011, no new information has come out on the game and not a single screenshot has been released. It could have been silently canceled, development could have been put on hold, or the game could have transferred to becoming SSX. It is unsure if the could even get a release.

Characters

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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