SSX Tricky (Gamecube)

In the PlayStation 2's first few months there were only a few standout games; one of them, SSX, brought snowboarding to people who didn't even like snowboarding. Now, GameCube owners get a new reason to stay indoors during the cold winter--and summer--months. SSX Tricky is its name, and it more than lives up to the moniker.

SSX Tricky removes two characters from the original PS2 game and adds five new ones and adds two new race locations--Garibaldi and Alaska--to the already beefed up World Circuit. Features have also been added to the older tracks, effectively making them new again. Tricky improves the graphics a bit and refines the controls. The game also tweaks the basic gameplay by letting you upgrade your boarder's stats in races, but also forcing you to attempt and master the show-off mode as well. And they went a long way toward improving the challenge by evening out the learning curve. The first game tended to be a cakewalk until the later races in each set; this time your rivals get more intense and aggressive depending upon the lap you're taking.

Personality is everything--not only in terms of voice acting, but also in how you treat the other riders. The game has three basic attitudes in regard to you. If you block and attack characters too much, they'll remember it and actively seek you out. If you help one or two of them they become your allies, warning you of danger or fending off attackers.

In many ways SSX Tricky is only an upgrade of the previous game, but if you don't own a PS2 this is as good as snowboarding gets on the 'Cube for the time being. If you do own a PS2 and SSX, what's been added doesn't look like enough to equal buying the game all over again. But the changes are deep enough to delight even fans who are tired of, or have mastered, the first game. Maybe that's the most impressive über-trick of them all. --Bob Andrews

"Fast, spectacular courses, shortcuts and secrets and mid-piste scrappage... make this brilliant, brilliant entertainment. 87%."

Grab your board and take on the slopes of SSX as you've never seen them before. Two brand-new runs, six never-before-seen riders, and tons of original tricks, shortcuts, and jumps make SSX Tricky the ultimate snowboarding experience. With voices supplied by celebrities such as Oliver Platt and Macy Gray, the SSX Tricky riders come to life on the snow-covered icy mountain courses. Establish friendships, create rivalries, and show off your high-flying skills in three different types of races, and when you're ready to catch real air, reach into your bag and bust out one of the crazy new über-tricks that take airborne flight to the next level, with flips, twirls, and more. New Garibaldi and Alaska courses let you get more vertical and catch more air, while all the original courses have some new surprises. Six new riders join most of the original SSX crew to provide a wide range of abilities and competition.