SSX 3

SSX 3 is a snowboard racing game played from a third-person view. Players control one of various snowboarders and compete in events set across individual courses in peaks on a mountain. Unlike previous games in the series, which contain unconnected courses, a freeride mode also allows players to freely roam the open world consisting of all the courses in the game; it is possible for the player to ride from the top of the mountain to the bottom without stopping or reloading each course. New areas are progressively unlocked throughout the game.

Players can gain points by performing tricks, such as grabs, grinds, flips, and spins. A feature returning from previous games in the SSX series is the adrenaline meter, which gains adrenaline when the player executes tricks. It can be used to provide a speed boost or, once it becomes full, perform advanced tricks called übers, which grant more points than regular tricks. Performing übers increases the level of the adrenaline meter, which leads to progressively more advanced super über tricks and faster adrenaline boosts.

SSX 3 was developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports Big label. Its development began after the release of SSX Tricky, the previous title in the series, in 2001. During the development of SSX and SSX Tricky, there were plans for both games to allow the player to explore a mountain, but this was never implemented, and was instead made the focus for SSX 3. EA Canada stated that SSX 3 was designed so "just about anyone can pick up and play".

Larry LaPierre, the producer of the game, stated that the developers wanted "to give people the first ever full mountain experience" and allow players to choose what they wanted to do on the mountain. The game was initially confirmed through a trailer in the 2003 game NBA Street Vol. 2 with the working title SSX 3, which later became the official title. The game was available to play by journalists before release at the July 2003 Camp EA event, and earlier in May at E3 2003.

SSX 3 received critical acclaim upon its release. Metacritic calculated an average score of 93 out of 100 for the PlayStation 2 (PS2) version based on 41 reviews, and 92 out of 100 for the Xbox and GameCube (GC) versions, both based on 27 reviews. All scores indicate universal acclaim. It is EA Sports Big's second-highest rated game on Metacritic before the first title in the SSX series.

On aggregate website GameRankings, the game holds 92% for PS2 and GC based on 60 reviews and 38 reviews, respectively, and 90% for Xbox based on 41 reviews. Reviewers liked the addition of an open world, the presentation, and trick system, while finding issues with the difficulty of the controls and customization options. Douglass C. Perry of IGN stated that it "expands upon Tricky in every way", while GameSpot's Greg Kasavin wrote that it "delivers a rush like few racing games or action sports games have ever achieved".