Revisiting SSX Tricky – Does it Still Have the Juice?

Play Log #2: SSX Tricky
Game completed on: 12/28/24

SSX Tricky was a complete and total impulse buy for me as a teen, for my then-new Gamecube. I was 16-years-old, with a new job, a new driver’s license, and some disposable income. How impulsive of a purchase was it? Some friends and I were goofing around in a Wal-Mart and I bought Tricky because the back of the box mentioned “uber tricks,” and at the time my friends and I were saying “uber” a lot as slang. That’s literally it. I knew nothing about the game, hadn’t seen any reviews, and hadn’t heard of the original SSX. My friend picked up Dark Summit that same day instead, which is a sobering indicator of just how differently things could have ended up.

I played Tricky for what felt like months in high school, so I was surprised to see on this re-play that the game can be cleared in a single evening as an adult. It’s still an absolutely fantastic game, but it does feel a little bit on the thin side, especially when compared to SSX 3, which would come out a couple years later. Tricky has eight courses, each of which can be completed in race and trick modes, and that’s basically the whole game.

It’s been commented on a lot over the years, but I feel compelled to add my voice to the chorus: SSX Tricky’s use of Run DMC’s It’s Tricky, specifically the K-Rec Remix, is without exaggeration one of the greatest uses of licensed music in a video game of all time. The game joyously blaring out “TRICKAAY!” every time you land a huge uber trick literally never gets old. It is unbelievable how much this single tiny element completely makes the game. This small detail and how perfectly it’s implemented would add +1 to my fictional review score, if I were keeping score (I’m not).

Tricky’s explosions of fireworks and music make it virtually impossible to keep a smile off your face when playing, but there’s more thoughtful sound design at work here, too. It’s a relatively early and still-excellent example of a real time sound mixer being used in a game. When you go off a huge jump and soar through the clouds the music fades out, leaving just the beat, only for it to crash back in in full when landing. Combined with the aforementioned joyous use of Run DMC continually cheering you on and it’s safe to say that SSX Tricky had the juice. 

As I Googled around and watched some YouTube content to prepare for writing this recap I discovered a lot of online commentary has Tricky edging out SSX 3 for many thanks to its more outlandish, arcadey, personality-filled tracks like Aloha Ice Jam (snowboard down a waterfall!) and the almost pinball-esque craziness of Tokyo Megaplex. I didn’t feel that, personally. Tokyo is a stand-out favorite for many but I found it janky and hard to find smooth lines to gain any real momentum. 

It’s true that Tricky’s courses have more overall variety and personality than SSX 3’s, but in playing the games back to back (more on SSX 3 next), I found Tricky’s tracks to be notably “narrower.” There are fewer branching paths and fewer overall lines, making for a smaller overall number of opportunities for self-expression and definitely fewer ways to find your own personal path down the track. Tricky’s courses to me felt more like that racing game standard – you can take the main path, or the one shortcut path, and that’s it. SSX 3’s feel more truly open.

There’s also a lot of comments online about SSX Tricky’s over-the top character designs and voice acting. Teenage me was drawn to Eddie, voiced by David Arquette (all the characters have stunt celebrity voice casting), with his huge white guy afro, disco clothes, and how he did the worm on his board as his signature trick. As an adult, I definitely still appreciated SSX Tricky’s overall polish and pure joyful vibe, but I can’t say I felt a connection to any of the characters or cared about the little rivalry skits that play out between different characters after each event. 

SSX Tricky is I think SSX at its most wild and willful, and is probably the franchise entry most allowed to be its true self. It doesn’t feel like something focus-tested to work or something actively trying to reach an audience. It feels confident to just truly be its own thing – even when, now as an adult, that goofy personality doesn’t always work for me personally. The characters are at their peak zaniness. Tricky’s announcer – Rahzel – was in The Roots for almost a decade. What other game would do something like that? It felt bold and unafraid to be unique. It had a real, actual identity and did not feel like a piece of commercial art made by committee. 

I ultimately prefer SSX 3 for a variety of reasons big and small that I’ll talk about next. But upon reflection I have to give Tricky a lot of credit. I was happy to go back to it, and I would happily revisit it again.