“It's Tricky, It's Tricky, Its something, something, something, Tricky.” That partial theme song is what first comes to my mind when I think about SSX Tricky. A game made by EA before they became the almost comical representation of corporate greed and terrible working conditions they are today. Back in the day when sports games were all the rage, SSX Tricky was a huge part of my gaming experience as a kid. When your game library isn’t huge due to age restrictions and parenting, you make do with the games that come with the console like SSX Tricky or ATV 2: Off-Road Fury. I remember spending hours playing SSX Tricky with and without my brother as it also had local multiplayer; and while looking back on it, the game isn’t exactly a masterpiece, but man, was it fun to play as a kid.
The SSX series was EA’s answer to Neversoft and Activision’s success with the Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater series and much like Tony Hawk’s, it was met with great success! Back in 2001, SSX Tricky was well-received, if not as its own game, but as a greatly improved update to the original SSX. You could play as a wide assortment of quirky snowboarders, making trails through awesome, crazy, and sometimes ridiculous levels across the world in various modes like story, races, practice, or free play. Aside from the basic race gameplay players perform ‘Uber moves’ while midair on jumps to fill up a bar to boost their speed. The moves vary between characters, but are often awesome, if unrealistic, stunts done in midair, usually themed to the character's aesthetic. One of my favorite parts was picking the silly characters, then picking the most ridiculous skin or outfit and trying to complete the most absurd jumps on the levels.
Looking back at it, SSX Tricky was a game with, at the time, ‘good’ graphics, some awesome background music, and was full of a bunch of ridiculous absurd fun! It was exactly the type of game you can remember playing as a kid while laughing and rolling on the floor. It is good to remember when even games made by big studios could be silly and light-hearted without as huge a focus on money-making. For those of us who wax nostalgic for games like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, SSX Tricky is definitely worth remembering.
SSX Tricky is available on PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox, and Game Boy Advance
