SSSSS SSSSS XX XX SS SS X X SSS SSS X SS SS X X SSSSS SSSSS XX XX Playstaton 2 Walkthrough Version 0.2 Nov. 11, 2000 Written and copyrighted 2000 by Endeviguel Unknown Table of Contents: 1.1 Introduction/ Boring Stuff 1.2 Version Updates 1.3 About SSX 1.4 Controls 1.5 Characters 1.6 Tracks 1.7 Hints 1.8 Before Playing 1.10 Walkthrough 2.0 Snow Dream 2.1 Elysium Alps 2.2 Merqury City Meltdown 2.3 Tokyo Megaplex 2.4 Aloha Ice Jam 2.5 Pipe Dream 2.6 Untracked 2.7 Records 2.8 FAQ 2.9 Codes 2.10 In Closing 2.11 Credits //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 1.1 INTRODUCTION/ BORING STUFF //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// As you may already know, this walkthrough is for the Playstation 2 release, SSX. This game has been pronounced the best title release at launch, so if you have this game, congratulations, you're in for a wild ride. Here's the part you've all been waiting for… yeah right. Of course, this walkthrough is copyrighted by me, Endeviguel Unknown, and may only be used for personal uses. You can print this walkthrough, but you may not distribute, copy, or steal my work. Please respect this because you have no idea how much time and effort is put into things like this. I will gladly take e-mails with questions, extra info I've missed, type-o corrections and opinions, and credit will be given when due. If and when you do e-mail me, subject your e-mail SSX. You can find my e-mail address down in the "In Closing" section. Thanks and have fun. /////////////////////////////////////// 1.2 VERSION UPDATES ////////////////////////////////////// Version 0.3 (November 30, 2000) Updated Merqury City Meltdown Updated records. Took out trick books. Version 0.2: (November 11, 2000) Level section complete. New code added. FAQ updated. Records updated. Version 0.1: (November 4, 2000) Merqury City Meltdown walkthrough added. Moby's Trick List added. Records has been updated. FAQ has been updated. New code has been added. More hints. Version 0.0: ( November 1, 2000) Put up introduction. Section "About SSX" was added. Section " Controls" and "Characters" was added. Started "Boards & Tracks". Tricks list for Mac was added in "Tricks List". "Hints" and "Before Playing" was added. "Walkthrough" section added. Snow Dream and Elysium Alps walkthroughs completed. Added "Records", "FAQ", "Codes", "In Closing", and "Credits" sections. ////////////////////////// 1.3 ABOUT SSX ///////////////////////// SSX was created by the well-known company, EA Sports, but they've made a slight change. They are now EA Sports BIG. Why? SSX truly shows the sheer amount of adrenaline-pumping action that an arcade-style snowboarding game should have. With it's immense levels, colorful characters, and an awesome bag full of tricks, this game surpasses all. Mind-numbing speed, white- knuckled intensity, heart-stopping jumps, and bone-breaking crashes are all the types of things you'll feel and experience ( to your character, not you). Are you ready? If you think you are, read on. ///////////////////////// 1.4 CONTROLS //////////////////////// L1, L2, R1, and R2 are trick buttons. Holding different buttons makes different moves. D-pad Up/ L3 Up: increase your speed. ( in the air) front flip D-pad Down/ L3 Down: decrease speed. ( in the air) back flip D-pad left and right/ L3 left and right: turning left and right. ( in the air) spin Select: restart character ( in case you crash and want to get up quicker). Start: Pause. Triangle: change camera angle Circle: change camera angle Square: (on the ground) boost, ( in the air) tweak a move/ push a move farther out for more point. X: Crouch/ Jump R3 left and right: Push an opponent to your left or right. Don't hold jump unless you're aimed at a ramp or jump because you can't move left and right after it's held down. Jumping at the tip of a ramp gives you more airtime. This is good for when you're trying to pull off tricks in the trick book. In order to grind, simply line up with the rail, then jump on it. If the rail starts on the ground, then all you have to do is ride into it. Pulling the same move more than once will not give the same amount of points or amount of adrenaline for boosting, try different things. ////////////////////////////// 1.5 CHARACTERS ///////////////////////////// There is a total of 8 characters that you can play as in SSX. Each one has a distinct style, including strengths and weaknesses, which you can enhance after winning races with experience points. These experience points put you under these rankings as you go along: Newbie, Rookie, Sensei, Contender, Natural, Star, Veteran, Champ, Superstar, and Master. Here are the characters, their stats, and info. MAC: Height: 5'4" Weight: 120 lbs. Age: 15 Homeland: America Riding Style: Free Style Blood Type: O+ Edging 10/21 Speed 9/22 Stability 14/28 Tricks 16/32 A freestyle rider with a stylish flare and the quiet confidence of riders twice his age. ! Boards ! Wiener ( Freestyle) Devilstick (Freestyle) Razorwire ( Freestyle) Boo Boo ( Freestyle) Spirit ( Alpine) Ben Jamin ( Freestyle) Buzzsaw (BX) Anime Mac ( Freestyle) VeloCity (Freestyle) Wild West ( Freestyle) Interrupting Pirate ( Freestyle) MOBY: Height: 5'10" Weight: 180 lbs. Age: 18 Homeland: Britain Riding Style: Boarder cross Blood Type: A- Edging 13/22 Speed 12/24 Stability 12/24 Tricks 9/29 A BX rider used to taking risks and breaking bones. ! Boards ! Plasmatic (BX) Patriot (BX) Cutting (BX) Entomology (BX) Essence ( Freestyle) Greenblade (BX) Kinoptic (Alpine) AnimMoby (BX) Datum (BX) Sloppy Bite (BX) BlooGoo (BX) ELISE: Height: 5'11" Weight: 120 lbs. Age: 23 Homeland: Canada Riding Style: Boarder cross Blood Type: O- Edging 15/24 Speed 14/29 Stability 12/20 Tricks 10/24 A BX rider known to be shrewd, dangerous, and beautiful. ! Boards ! Kamoniwana (BX) Angel (BX) Smooth Maker (BX) Butterfly High (BX) True Colours (Alpine) Buttercup (BX) Baby Doll (Freestyle) Elise enime (BX) First Date (BX) Last Date (BX) Snobubbles (BX) KAORI: Height: 5'0" Weight: 100 lbs. Age: 16 Homeland: Japan Riding Style: Free Style Blood Type: B+ Edging 9/23 Speed 9/24 Stability 13/21 Tricks 15/32 A freestyle rider with a positive groove. ! Boards ! Neo-Vixen (Freestyle) Lady Love Bug (Freestyle) Skyhopper (Freestyle) Moo Moo 22 ( Freestyle) Alpha (BX) Princes Pie (Freestyle) Corporate (BX) Kaori-anime (Freestyle) Banana Peeler (Freestyle) Sumo Trick Stick (Freestyle) Perpa Traitor ( Freestyle) JURGEN: Height: 6'5" Weight: 230 lbs. Age: 35 Homeland: Germany Riding Style: Boarder cross Blood Type: AB+ Edging 12/24 Speed 9/26 Stability 13/36 Tricks 8/16 A witty and weathered veteran of Snowmobile and backcountry ski competitions, Jurgen is an established juggernaut on the SSX scene. ! Boards ! Red Base (BX) German Scissors (BX) Otis (BX) Metaplate (BX) Alpenshusser (Alpine) Chaotic Crippler (BX) Corporate (Alpine) Jurganium (BX) Aionic (BX) The Boot (Freestyle) Hair Suit (BX) JP: Height: 5'10" Weight: 180 lbs. Age: 25 Homeland: France Riding Style: Free Style Blood Type: AB- Edging 7/24 Speed 12/23 Stability 14/25 Tricks 15/30 Slick and outfitted to the nines, JP is the epitome of style over substance but still has enough innate skill to throw down with the best of them. ! Boards ! Show Stopper (Freestyle) Jet Setter (Freestyle) Magnate Split (Freestyle) Eurotech (Freestyle) Suave (BX) Resonance (Freestyle) Chaos Crippler (BX) JP Ego-anim ( Freestyle) Hucker Special (Freestyle) Big Poppa (Freestyle) Crazy Ates (Freestyle) ZOE: Height: 5'5" Weight: 130 lbs. Age: 19 Homeland: America Riding Style: Boarder cross Blood Type: B- Edging 12/27 Speed 11/26 Stability 13/25 Tricks 13/25 Wild, sporty, and street savvy, Zoe takes her winning ways from the pinnacle of the mountain biking scene into frosty new territory. ! Boards ! Seretonin Screwball (BX) Anarchy (BX) Bad Girl (BX) Lethium Surprise (BX) Plastic You (Freestyle) Alien Blues (BX) Chaos (Freestyle) Zoanim (BX) Atomic Crush (BX) Bomb Dropper (BX) Righteous Path (BX) HIRO: Height: 5'5" Weight: 200 lbs. Age: 21 Homeland: Japan Riding Style: Alpine Blood Type: A+ Edging 14/29 Speed 16/32 Stability 8/20 Tricks 9/19 An alpine rider that pushes himself and his gear beyond the limits to win at any cost. ! Boards ! Absolute Zero (Alpine) Titanium TX (Alpine) Graphiter (Alpine) Shogun Slinger (Alpine) Magnate Split (Freestyle) SSX Chromium (Alpine) Corporate (Freestyle) Hiranimo C-Type (Alpine) Metal Opus (Alpine) Technician AK (Alpine) Sunflakez (Alpine) //////////////////// 1.6 TRACKS //////////////////// Warm-Up This stage will help you get adjusted to the feel of the game. It is full of jumps, turning practice, grinding, and whatever else you need. Show Off Go here to test your skill in tricks. There are set goals that you have to try and accomplish in order to get medals. For instance, the first level, Snow Dream, you have to get 10,000 point to get a bronze medal, 50,000 for a silver, and 100,000 for a gold. Getting a gold will unlock a new player and/or board. Getting a medal with open up the next show off level. Free Ride Go try out the levels by yourself with no time limit. Search for shortcuts and become adjusted to your surroundings before the real race. Race Go here just to race for fun. You can set the difficulty to your liking. The only thing you can get out of these are entries in the trick book and the satisfaction of knowing that you can beat the CP. World Races Go here to get into some serious racing. You have to be one of the top three to cross the finish line in three consecutive races at the same level. You can gain medals, experience points, new characters, and tricks from winning these, depending on the place you made. The Venues: 1. Snow Dream- this helps you adjust to the overall feel for the game with high jumps and crazy designs. 2. Elysium Alps- it gets a little wilder here. Super high jumps and insane twists and turns, plus some really neat shortcuts. 3. Merqury City Meltdown- simply amazing. Fly through city streets, through a city park, over a bridge, onto a highway, and more. 4. Mesablanca – it's like a canyon iced over with sharp turns, a lot of dodging, and some well hidden shortcuts. 5. Tokyo Megaplex- think big pinball machine. It's crazy! 6. Aloha Ice Jam- an iceberg in Hawaii? This is a very slippery level, very fun, but also very dangerous. 7. Pipe Dream ( only opened in Show off)- think of a half pipe, literally. This is like a half pipe with plumbing! 8. Untracked ( only opened in Show off)- it's off the track and into the wilderness. You make your own path. Go where you want, when you want and more. It's just plain fun. ///////////////// 1.7 HINTS //////////////// If you're not planning on completely cheating by using the walkthrough below and just want a little help, then (hopefully) these hints will help you out. 1. If you're having trouble trying to keep up with the other racers, than you should try and find shortcuts to help you. They are usually given away by glass signs that say SSX on them. Try and find as many as you can to help you out. 2. Increase your speed by holding the square button. This drains your adrenaline meter on the right, but if you pull a lot of good tricks, it'll fill all the way up. Boosts help you speed up drastically and also help on pulling big air tricks. 3. If you have somebody on your tail or trying to pass you up, help yourself to a little shoving. Knocking them off of their feet will be a sure winner on losing them, let alone an increasing lead. 4. Having trouble in Show-Off mode? Whenever you see colored snowflakes floating in the air, pull a trick before hitting them to times your score by 2, 3 or 5! Pull tricks on everything and anything you see that could be used as a jump, and keep everything varied. Don't use the same trick twice. 5. To land a trick correctly, you have to pull the move as long as possible. If you're upside down and turning slowly while heading toward the ground, then you should let go and hope you don't crash. If you're spinning fast, let go before you get close to the ground so that you can straighten yourself up. Always make sure you have time to let go and straighten out before landing, otherwise you'll be left behind in a 6 foot hole in the ground. 6. When you see turns with yellow and red lines on them, you need to try and go up on it, then turn sharp to go down really fast in order to keep your speed. If you just cut it sharp at the beginning, you'll lose maybe 10-20 MPH. 7. When you earn experience points, the best place to start adding onto is your speed. Speed is the most important attribute of your character. 8. If you can't beat a level, just keep reminding yourself that practice makes perfect. Keep yourself calm and concentrate, never let the game get to you. That is your worst weakness. Find a few shortcuts, keep yourself clear of walls, know where the jumps and turns are, then do it. You'll make it if you try, trust me. 9. When grinding long rails, use the left analog stick ( L3) to keep yourself on top, but only use it lightly, otherwise you'll end up falling off instantly. This is something you'll really want to master. 10. Most shortcuts are found passed SSX signs made of blue glass, but others are more well hidden. The tricks is to find stuff that you'd think couldn't work, but will actually end up working after all once you try. /////////////////////////////////// 1.9 BEFORE PLAYING /////////////////////////////////// Before you start any major World Cup races, just make sure you're ready by practicing some tricks and testing out the levels in Free Ride mode. Set goals for yourself and take things slow. If you try to push for first place on the first race, then you might disappoint yourself, especially if you just started playing the game an hour ago. Plan to go for bronze first, then silver, then finally, gold. You slowly get better as you play, giving you a smooth ride through a tough game. Now grab a board and tread some snow! //////////////////////////////////////// 1.10 WALKTHROUGH /////////////////////////////////////// This walkthrough will tell you the best route through the races for World Race, all shortcuts for an attempt at quickest time, and best jumps for Show- Off mode. Luckily, they all blended in to one strategy per level, so relate to these strategies for any type of challenge answers. If you see any I've missed or am mistaken on, then please let me know and credit will be given to you. Here you go! /////////////////////////////// 2.0 SNOW DREAM /////////////////////////////// Difficulty: Easy Location: Japan Vertical Drop: 826 m. Length: 2860 m. Snow Dream is a course set up like you would see a dirt bike race, only a lot more wilder. With stands all around watching your every move, you have to race to the end, finding shortcuts, shoving your way through to first. Grab some air on the decently sized hills ( compared to the ones in the future) and make your way to the finish line. This level can be played in these modes: Free Ride World Race Race Show-Off STRATEGY: When the race starts off, you'll notice a small hill. After it will be two handrails, one on each side. Try and jump from the small hill onto the rail on the left. This will give you an immense about of speed right off the bat, ( that is if you land, this move could take some practice). Next, there will be a sharp turn to the right, then back to the left. Instead of following the trail, jump through the SSX sign straight ahead. You'll pass up the curve and will be on your way once again. Next up is a jump and a handrail. If you can, get on the handrail and jump from the end. This will keep you guided in the right direction and helps your adrenaline meter. If you can't make it, aim yourself a little to the right and jump, performing a good trick to help rack up a few bars on the adrenaline meter. Right after this jump is another sharp curve to the left. Instead of taking the long way, quickly try and find the SSX sign to the left of the arc. Aim yourself at it, then jump through it, passing up yet another curve. You are now in a wide area that is leading to a large jump. On the left is a handrail that doesn't really do much good to you, so pass it up. Now aim yourself more toward the left when you jump the ramp so that you don't go flying into the crowd and stay on course. When you land, you'll notice the rows of hills, three to be exact. There's two rows on either side and one in the middle. On both sides of the middle hills are pairs of handrails. Try and get on these handrails and jump when they stop to land on the next one. This really helps to jump ahead of the crowd. If you can't make it though, use the middle hills. After the hills and handrails the track breaks off into two separate directions. One to the left and right. In the middle is a handrail. Take the handrail. Don't jump on it, just slide right on. Don't jump off of it because you'll land on the slanted hill after it and it'll slow you down a lot. When you land there'll be two hills. One under the checkpoint, and another after that. Straight ahead is another curve to the right and an SSX sign. Jump through this one and land next to or on the track, but don't go on the other side of the fence. Next up is another hill. To the left of this hill is another SSX sign. This sign leads back into the forest for a major shortcut which you'll definitely want to take. Aim yourself carefully, then let yourself fly. Zigzag through the trees as best as you can and keep following the slope. At the end of the shortcut is a rail sticking out of the side. Dodge this cause it'll shoot you into the hill on the other side. Fall down onto the track and follow it over the jump immediately after you land. There'll be 3 or 4 hills on the right and 3 on the left. What you want to do is to go the left and just go to the end. There's one small hill right at the end on the far left that you will need to use to jump over the track and onto an alternate one. Follow this alternate path to the left and jump again onto another path. Both tracks lead to the same place, but this one is shorter. Next up is a huge jump. Aim yourself carefully and hold the boost and jump. Pull off your fanciest trick and hopefully land near the swirling- looking logo in the snow. Follow the path around the left curve and you've made it to the end. An alternate jump at the end is this: From the alternate path before the big jump, jump to the left up onto a higher platform and follow it past the big jump to one under it. This one will help you go a little faster depending on where you land. //////////////////////////////// 2.1 ELYSIUM ALPS /////////////////////////////// Elysium Alps will have you jumping from cliffs, over big hills, traveling on frozen rivers and soaring over glass walls. This is a tricky, yet fun level that will have you playing over and over. Difficulty: Intermediate Location: Europe Vertical Drop: 2505 m. Length: 6899 m. This level can be played in these modes: World Race Race Show-Off Free Ride STRATEGY: There are many paths to take, so when I get to a section that has two ways or more, I'll number them and put a star by the one I thought was the fastest, best route. Ok, here we go! At the start there is a good sized jump. Unfortunately, you shouldn't use it. You get more speed just riding over it. After this is another jump with alternating platforms moving up and down. Take the middle one up and over, pulling whatever tricks you want, just to build up your adrenaline. The path will turn right up into another jump, then it will turn right again. After making your way through, the track will go sharply up and left. Make a sharp turn close to the left side. Next will be another jump. Do your stuff and head on. ~1~ Follow the track down and right after another short, small jump that you don't even really notice. It will then turn left, then right again. As you make your way through here, you'll see the SSX sign up ahead. Boost through the sucker to pass up a good sized turn to your right and land back on the track below. Now continue to yet another jump. After this you will turn right and the area will open up. There will be a few small dips in the track. Make your way down to the bottom. *2* After the jump, there is an incline on the mountain to the right. Go up it and crash through the fence ( this doesn't hurt or stop you). Follow the cliff to a gap. Jump it onto a new cliff, then another, then another. The fourth cliff will turn upward and left, with a ramp at the end. Be careful here and aim yourself more toward the mountain instead of straight. Boost and jump a second before and you should land on a curved cliff that travels around to another gap. This one's a little harder. Boost and jump at the last second again and you'll hopefully just make it. This cliff is somewhat tricky. Boost up the incline in the hill and before you make it to the top, hold jump. Right as you make it to the top, jump. This is a huge gap, so hopefully you let go at the right time and soar over to safety on the last cliff. Follow this cliff down back onto the main trail which turns right out into a more open area with a few dips. Make your way to the bottom. Next up is a small jump with a dummy bag sliding back and forth on it in between two rails. Dodge the bag and go down the hill. Next up is a jump that has a hill after it and two rails on either side. On the far left and right sides are rails and deep snow. Try to stay away from here. Use the jump with a boost and you should make it over the big hill. Follow the path above to another jump and fly off of that back to the main ground. Next, travel through a narrow section. When you come out of the other side…. ~1~ You can take the jump and follow the path to the right. Markers will lead to a frozen over river which you should follow all the way down. Keep going until you see trees sticking horizontally from the hill. Grind one of these to get some boosting speed. After this, follow the river to a drop. The mountain on the side is very annoying and is usually hit if you're not careful. After this there'll be another drop. Jump out as far as you can off of it and make it over another drop from the right. Now, instead of following the river, turn off before another drop to the left and jump through the small cluster of trees to save a little more time. After this, head for the caution sign that is now in sight. *2* Aim yourself at the SSX sign and jump into the cluster of trees. Make your way through them and then jump out over the hill to the left and fall a great distance back onto the track leading left. ( You can also use the jump and just turn sharply left instead of right, but it takes a little longer, plus you have to jump over a tree and all…). Continue on to a caution jump. Angle yourself to the right and jump. If you don't, you'll land on rocks and lose all speed which isn't a good thing for this path! Throughout the next few jumps, if you happen to fall, then just relate to path one above to get you through it. Anyway, hold boost as you round the corner. Aim toward the right side of the hill across the gap, because it's closer then the left. If you make it, boost quickly up to the right through a SSX sign and fall another great distance back onto the trail, passing up another long turn. Next up is another jump, but it comes quickly after you land, so boost and shoot as fast as you can to make the gap. When you land, quickly set yourself straight and aim at the bent over tree. If you hit it right, you'll grind over the next gap ( if you don't want to try this, another fast shortcut will be do to jump out straight to the right of the tree. You'll land close to the end of path one). After the tree, just follow the path downward, dodging the rocks. At the end is the caution sign and a big drop. Jump from the very top of the caution gap to fly as far as you can ( if you don't jump, you'll go under the arc and get slowed down). The path will turn to the right and a narrow arc. After this is another jump. Continuing the jump is around four zigzags back and fourth and a jump near the end. After this, you'll notice a half pipe with glass walls lining it. Make your way over as many as you can. If you can't make it the whole way, then just jump into the glass. It'll take longer, but you'll get out. Next up is a sharp turn with a surprise tree. Jump the tree and zip down the long stretch, but don't use any boost. After sharply turning over upper curve like before, you'll notice two loops and deep snow on both sides of them. Take the loop on the right by riding the outer edge and turning toward the inner as you go, while holding BOOST! Otherwise you won't make it. After the loop is a pointed jump. Speed up and over. You'll land on another big hill that leads down to the finish line behind some weird doors that open up when you get close to them. On your way down, just hold boost, don't jump. You should make it across in first. /////////////////////////////////////////////////////// 2.2 MERQURY CITY MELTDOWN /////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Merqury City Meltdown will leave you wanting to play it again. The streets have been covered in snow with fences forming pathways and shortcuts galore. You'll be crashing through cubicles in buildings, rushing through a sewage tunnel, flooring it through a city park, jumping high ways and more. Difficulty: Expert Location: East Coast USA Vertical Drop: 1384 m. Length: 3874 m. This level can be played in these modes: World Race Race Show-Off Free Ride STRATEGY: Ok, this level has so many shortcuts and different paths that you may have to read over this again, I'll put the strategy in sections in hopes that it'll help. The best paths are usually told in the walkthrough, but if they are numbered, it's the one surrounded by stars. Tell me if you understand it or don't understand it ok so that I know I did all right, thanks. Here goes nothing!: When the races starts off, you'll be on one of two sides, you'll be on the left side, which curves towards the right, or on the left side, which turns toward the left. Either way, there's a shortcut on the outer part of the track, it's an SSX sign up on a ramp on the side of a building. You can use this to ramp up onto the sides around the two handrails and jump below, or you can just take the normal path for these. Either way, you'll come out over the other side and go under a subway railing with pillars. Dodge the middle pillar and aim to the right up at the SSX sign to jump the curve of the normal track. Next up you'll notice a building with two directions branching off of it, left and right. I'll start with the first way: ~1~ Going to the left will take you around the building, over an intersection and around another building. Around the second building is a SSX sign to the right, above the turn. This will shoot you up a little further down the track, but not by much. Following this will be a few jumps and then the track connects again. ~2~ Go to the right and curve around the building, jump the intersection, then curve around the next building, go over the few jumps, then do one of two things, use the building to the left to grind over a rail into the parking lot or continue down the path until it connects. *3* Instead of going left or right, go right up the middle onto the fence and jump off the end to go in through the building. Jump again to land over the intersection into an alley way with trash cans and dumpsters. Make your way straight down the middle and you'll end up right where the two main paths connect. Next up you can take one of two paths. One continues down the main path, the other is a HUGE shortcut, very difficult, and very very cool to pull off. I'll explain it first since it passes up so much of the main path. I don't want you to get lost on me. Ok, now when the paths connect, cut into the parking lot. ( You can do this by using the rail on the right path before, or by going into it on the first level. Either way will do.) Make your way around the corner and down a slight slope. At the end, jump off and over to a building's rooftop. On this rooftop, boost and jump over the gap into the building, or grind the hard to find rails to it. Either way, after you cross, slow down and jump through the window. In front of you is a donut with a rail going through it. Try your best to get on it. If you do, grind it down to the bottom onto a new building. From this building, quickly jump again into another building. Now very quickly aim to the left a little and jump out to land on the roof with another donut and rail. Get on this rail and ride it over to the skyscraper, if you make it you'll have a good chance of landing right on top of another rail on the other side of the roof, but DON'T jump! Grind this rail around another building, through a tree and off the rail to land on a frozen river. Follow it to a bridge. I'll stop here now. Ok, backing up, if you don't take the car parking lot, follow the track around a curve to the left. To the right are too SSX signs. Just aim at them and you'll crash through them without even needing to jump. It's not much but it helps. After this there will be a long road with lamp posts and street signs. Follow it all the way down to a ramp made of glass. Jump near the middle of it to dodge the rooftops in front of you. Or just don't jump and go in between them. Next is a glass half pipe, just jump out of it and follow the track. It branches off yet again, here's the different paths: ~1~ Left and right both go around the building, up a jump, then connect back to the course. *2* Go right up the middle again through the SSX sign into a building full of cubicles. You should be fine until the end, when one cubicle is in the way, just tap to the left and dodge it out the window. There'll be two blimps that you can grind and a long jump, which is right above the two tracks connecting again. Next up is a sort of obstacle course. Dodge the middle fence, turn down sharply to dodge the fences on the sides, then go in between the two construction barrels. Grind the rail all the way down and jump over the barrel at the end. Next, turn right and jump the gravel road into the city park. Go around the statue and follow the track down, zigzagging back and forth. To the left is a SSX sign, but it's nothing really any good, unless you want to take the shortcut, which goes like this: Through the sign, dodge the trees and you'll land on a frozen river. Follow it to a brick wall. Jump through it and dodge the barricades and the fan, which will then break open at the end onto the track again. Now, if you took the normal path or the really big shortcut, this is where you'll end up. Over the bridge, follow the path down and out of the park into a clearing with a big bridge. There a multiple ways to go over this bridge, here you go: ~1~ Just follow them over, jumping when you want to until you cross it. ~2~ Angle yourself at the statue and jump from the main jumps up over the statue and into a cubby hole. Jump out of there and follow the path down the middle. *3* Jump over the first jump, then turn and go down the middle. NEW FOUND INFORMATION FOR AREA ABOVE: If you're just messing around or want to really show-off to some friends in show-off or free ride, try these two different things in the area above. 1. As you head toward the bridge, break up onto the hill to the right and go around the right side of the trees. This will lead you straight down to the support on the right of the bridge. Jump the snow covered wall and land on the rail. Grind straight up it and jump a little before you make it to the top and you'll soar over on the rail on the other side. Continue grinding and jump a little before you hit the other side of the bridge. This is major air time! 2. Go left up on the hill before making it to the bridge and jump all the way over onto the conveyor belt of the ship on the iced over river. This will lead to a red snowflake in show-off. THIS CONCLUDES NEW INFO. Boost and jump up and over onto the highway, then jump off of that over onto an unfinished highway, then again onto the last part, OR drop down before the highway jump onto the track where the sewer shortcut comes out. Follow it to the end at a glass ramp. Jump up onto the main track OR go around this glass ramp, then go around that large mound of snow and turn around. There'll be a tunnel the leads down a the subway! Yes, the subway. Nothing fancy really, just dodge the two trains, dodge the fence, and hop out at the end. That's it, sadly. If you take the top track, you can follow it through the building and right, down the track through curves and turns all the way to the end onto the last main stretch OR you can go behind the fence after going through the building and jumping the 3 rooftops. After the third rooftop, jump off to the right back onto the final stretch OR go through the building, turn right and aim yourself at the SSX sign which leads off to a rail. Jump at the end to reach a bowl jump over onto the final main stretch OR if you took the subway you'll pop out right at the main stretch. Sorry about all of the OR words, there's just so many paths. Anyway, the main stretch will lead to a final jump. You can either take this final jump to the end and into the domed building to the finish line, or you can end with a BOOM. Boost from far away from the ramp and then jump over and up onto the highway. From here, jump through the domed roof to the finish. ////////////////////////////// 2.3 MESABLANCA ////////////////////////////// The day is coming to a close and the snow has slightly melted. The miners have left and the boarders have taken over. Make your way through caverns and dug out mine ways, jump over colossal rock formations and race your way to the finish. Difficulty: Expert Location: South West USA Vertical Drop: 2345 m. Length: 3875 m. This level can be played in these modes: World Race Race Show-Off Free Ride STRATEGY: This level is not very long, but has a lot of different paths, but nothing too bad. Yet again, best shortcuts are surrounded by stars. When you first start off, there'll be three jumps straight ahead and then a branch off to the right. Already, there is a shortcut. *1* At the curve, go up above the track and through a fence that has a danger sign posted above it. This leads through a back "alley" type of place. Grind on the fallen tree to dodge the rocks, then jump off of the cliff at the end over a river. ~2~ Follow track and go through the SSX sign to the left before the long curve downward. When you land back on the track, use the bridge up ahead to jump over the river. To make it, you actually have to jump before touching the bridge, otherwise you'll fall into the water. Up ahead is a split where the path goes to the left and right and a rail up the middle. Take the rail up the middle for a faster path, if not take the left up into a jump which leads over onto a tall boulder with a long bar ending with a light. Now, you can either follow the path under a huge arc with a hand rail on either side, continuing left into another jump and then into a right turn, or, after the river you can go off track to the left and through a SSX sign which is a shortcut to pass up these curves. Before the check point, there are a few different paths to take. You can jump through the SSX sign to pass up a curve, go around the curve on the main track, or go up to the right through a danger section which leads into the mine section. If you happen to pass up the mines, don't worry, there's another way to get in. Up ahead is a split, which goes to the left and right, and then intersect in the air. If you don't jump, you can go through the boards in the ground to the mine. *1* In the mines, there is a lot of rails with gaps in them. ( This is where the mines before connects), continue to a jump. If you fall, you're ok, don't worry about it, just keep going and you'll end up in the same place anyway. ~2~ Jump from the left or right and continue down back to the intersection of the track. There's a sign ahead letting you know of a bridge about to show up around the corner. Make your way across the wavy bridge and to the other side. The mines will connect to the path around here. There'll be a caution jump. Make it over the gap and follow path into some more different directions. ~1~ Follow the path all the way to the bottom, zigging and zagging back and forth until you make it to a jump. *2* Off to the left is an SSX sign. After the sign, jump to go over a fallen tree and back onto the track, farther ahead then where you would originally be on the main track, which also leads to the jump. This jump will land you right in front of two arcs, make your way under either one and dodge the boulders and rocks. You can either go through a long archway to the right, or follow the path around. This will connect and lead down through a multitude of sharp turns. At the high sharp turn to the right, up above is a SSX sign that cuts through the trees instead of continuing along the long, meandering path. Know now though, this shortcut is HARD to reach. You really have to have a full boost in order to get up there. Once these two different paths connect, you'll be in front of a split in the path, which go off in different directions, but both connect after a little bit, just stay away from the fences along the path to keep yourself from slowing down. After they connect back together, the path will lead down through a few more sharp turns to the final jump. Jump the small gap back onto the path and cross the finish line. Congratulations, you're one step closer to Untracked! /////////////////////////////////////// 2.4 TOKYO MEGAPLEX /////////////////////////////////////// It's a pinball machine the size of a three football fields and you're the ball. Shoot up the tube and find yourself looking through the eyes of a pinball. Dodge flippers, slip through sliding walls, zigzag through dummy bags, hit switches, jump ramps, do whatever! Difficulty: Super Expert Location: Tokyo Japan Vertical Drop: 488 m. Length: 1300 m. This level is played in these modes: World Race Race Show-Off Free Ride STRATEGY: Now this level is short, but you go through it three times. There's really only two shortcuts besides the obvious, either way though, you should do fine. Here goes nothing: You start of on a hill that heads towards a long, tall tube with two fans under a fence. This sucker will shoot you way up to the top of the course. After slowly descending back onto the track, you'll notice the many different raceways. Whichever one you land in doesn't really matter, just try to stay off the walls and make it to the jump at the end. If you land on the middle of one, grind the fence and jump at the end for a huge dose a points and a nice boost of adrenaline. After this jump, you can either continue down around the fan with the SSX sign on it, or hit the button before the ramp and jump down into the fan. ~1~ If you continue on past the fan, you can use the boosts to jump off the ramp. After this there are three buttons followed by three ramps, hitting the button will higher the ramp to jump off of. After this is another jump and then there is a section with lots of dummy bags. In order to make a path, you must hit the green button and dodge the blue one. This opens a path up through this section. *2* If you hit the button before the ramp, you'll be able to use this jump to go up and through the fan, now that the air is turned off. This leads down into a tunnel that goes straight to the dummy section. Dodge the dummies and then continue past the big walls that turn and to a rough terrain type of area with sharp turns and good jumps. This will lead to an area with lots of dummy bags zigzagging back and forth. Dodge them the best you can, unless you jump and land on the long purple boards that will pass this section up easily. If not, dodge the dummies, then dodge the walls moving up and down. After this there are buttons with ramps again. You can use these to get up above the pinball section up onto a glass roof that passes up the whole pinball area. If not, go through the pinball section and either use the button and ramp to go up the glass floor, go in between the flippers, or jump through a SSX sign to the far right and through a spinning thing. All of these ways will lead to a purple tarp-like jump, which goes up and over back onto the beginning of the level. Do this two more times to beat the level. The fan will stop on the third lap, which leads right to the finish line. ////////////////////////////////// 2.5 ALOHA ICE JAM ///////////////////////////////// Hawaii has run out of cold water! What are they gonna do? Bring an iceberg there of course! While waiting for this huge block of ice to melt, they decide to chisel out a track for amusement. This is where you come in. Make your way down huge rivers of melted water, jump glacial gaps, keep away from the sides! You're in for a wet one! Difficulty: Super Expert Location: Hawaii USA Vertical Drop: 1132 m. Length: 2766 m. This level is played in these modes: World Race Race Show-Off Free Ride STRATEGY: This level had some very weird places in it that I had found while writing this. It's amazing what you'll find after playing a level 20 or 30 times, hehe. Anyway, take my advice once again and use all of those starred shortcuts, they'll help out a lot in this level. You start off traveling downhill and to the left a little. This leads into a tunnel with ice pillars in the middle. Take either the left or right side and jump at the end or grind a rail to cross the gap. Easy enough, right? Up ahead, the track will spilt and both sides will have SSX signs on them. Either one will do the same, just crash through them and pass up some track. Splash through the melting wave of water afterward and jump yet another gap. If you want to take an alternate route here, just fall down through the gap to the right and make your way through some tight turns which leads back onto the track with the glass tunnel. Anyway, after the jump the track will go slightly to the right. While turning you'll see a SSX sign. Try and jump through it without hitting the ice wall to the right, which may happen occasionally, it's just something you need to master. After this there'll be a glass tunnel with a dummy bag going back and forth in front of it. You can do one of three things here: ~1~ Go around the ramp and the big hole after the glass tunnel and follow the meandering path all the way to a jump. Use this jump to go over the gap below. ~2~ Go around the glass tunnel to the right and stay off of the track. You need to go slow to make sure you make this. Keep to the right and don't fall back onto the track. There'll be a sudden opening to the right behind a sign that will lead to a track behind the main track, with lots of penguin signs and lost of penguins. Knock through them and follow this back to the main path. *3* Use the ramp to jump down into the big hole and make your way through the water tunnel, enjoying the cool effects. Jump out and land back on the main path once more. Follow the path up either side of the big split and jump down to land back on the track again or go underneath these to a jump that goes over a sign. Here we go again: ~1~ Taking the jumps to the left and right will continue on through a long, meandering path through signs and crowds, ending up at another gap jump. *2* If you use the middle jump and happen to land on the rail on the top of the sign, just use this to jump into the big mouth that opens ahead on the big platform. If not, use the jumps on the side and aim yourself at the mouth. Boost and jump in. Now, use the left path to jump onto an open platform. Use this to jump over into a tunnel platform. Boost and jump from this to land on another open platform, then jump from this into another tunnel platform. Boost and jump from this one to yet another open platform, then boos and jump from this into the downward tunnel platform that leads straight over the gap below. Take note of those boost jumps and the normal ones. Boosting on open platforms could make you crash while tunnel platforms when not boosting could make you fall to the track below. Now pick from one of two things: ~1~ Follow the path after the jump and take the right path at the split. Ramp off the jump and land onto the path to the left. You can use the SSX sign here for a great shortcut to pass the up the long U-turn ahead or take the long U-turn, but you lose a lot of time. The right side doesn't have something like this, so make sure you end up on the left for the sign. *2* Right after the gap jump, turn left sharply and go through the SSX sign before the glass wall to the left. This is a back way through an area with ice boulders and lots of pipes and heaters. This will lead straight to the final jump. Whichever way you choose from above, you'll end up going through an ice tunnel. If you took path one, dodge the dummies and then head down the long path, if you took two, you'll come out right here. At the end is a jump through a waterfall which lands you right in front of the finish line. /////////////////////////// 2.6 PIPE DREAM /////////////////////////// We're going underground to visit the city's plumbing. Pipes and drains cover the ceiling and walls, some jut from the ground, ready to grind on. The weirdest part of all….there's snow down there! You've never seen a half pipe like this before. See how many combos you can make and try and find the secret room by hitting the switch….. Difficulty: Super Expert Location: England Vertical Drop: 870 m. Length: 1480 m. This level is played in these modes: Show-Off Free Ride STRATEGY: The secret area has been revealed! I would have told you sooner, but I didn't want to jump ahead, I wanted to get all levels done at once for this update. Anyway, check it out, all has been told: At the beginning, you can go left, right, or down the middle: ~1~ Straight will lead to a jump and then another jump. After this, you'll land on a long stretch with smaller hills and a ramp at the end leading over to a wall. ~2~ To the left, you will go down the hill and around a rail loop. After this you'll end on a long stretch with small hills and a ramp at the end. *3* To the right is also a rail loop, but this path is the easiest way to go if you want to open secret area. Follow it down a stretch with small hills and a ramp at the end too. This all end up at the same place, but the right path is easiest for the secret room. If you don't want the secret room, which really doesn't do anything at all for your score, then take the middle. Anyway, instead of jump off this ramp, just ride off of it, you'll land on the ramp below that leads back over to a wall on the side you just came from. DON'T FALL OFF! Travel all the way to the right of the level and you'll see a black and white logo on the other wall. If you took the right path, all you have to do is jump from the ramp above, come down and jump again, but if you took the middle or left, ride back up the wall, come straight down and jump across to hit it. If you hit it correctly, it will disappear. You'll now fall into the room with lots of arrows and such. ~1~ If you don't want the secret area, take the middle again. This leads to a few handrails after a jump, which then leads down into a long stretch of hand rails to grind and jumps to jump. ~2~ If you want to take the right handrail that leads up into the ceiling, you can, but it also doesn't lead to the secret area entrance. This will go down a long stretch with a nice big jump at the end. The exit to the secret area is right under this section. *3* Take the left handrail all the way on the other side of the level to lead you to the bowl on the left. You can either jump out diagonally or hit select to restart you outside of the bowl. Now go around the outside rim of the bowl and you'll fall underground. This is the entrance to the secret area. This place is fast and furious and most of the time is hard to tell where you are. It's fun, but there's no jumps. Expect to go upside down and around a lot. Not good for the weak at stomach. This will come out right under the end of shortcut two. After the long stretch of rails and jumps is another jump surrounded by weirdly bent rails. After this is yet another jump. There are also rails on both sides that will swirl and twist, bend and flip with gap and jumps galore. At the very bottom is the finish line. If you're going for the gold and don't even have bronze yet, then here's your chance. Go straight down the middle of the level, using the jumps to your best advantage. Once you reach the bottom you should have around 20 to 30,000 points, but maybe less, but that's ok. You should also have around 3 to 4 minutes left. Use the ramp at the very end of the level repeatedly to pull off your best tricks in as many varieties as possible. You can either do this by hitting select after land a jump or by going back up the hill a little, turning around, and doing it again. When I did it this way, I got gold with about ten seconds to spare. You should be able to do better because that was my first time around. You'll get the hang of it in time. /////////////////////////// 2.7 UNTRACKED //////////////////////////// Probably the coolest level in the game. With smooth, upbeat, yet soft music, you get to make your own path down a mountain side into a forest and through ice caves. This peaceful scenery really sets the stage for a normal good time in the snow. This level is just plain fun. Enjoy, you've earned it. Difficulty: Unclassified Location: Unknown Vertical Drop: 2700 m. Length: Unknown This level is played only in: Free Ride STRATEGY: You've done well if you were able to open this level. There's no real strategy for this level, this is just yours alone. You have conquered all and deserve this. Show this mountain what you've got, or venture out into the wilderness to find ice caves and fallen trees to grind. This is just plain fun. Enjoy this, you deserve it. ////////////////////// 2.8 RECORDS ////////////////////// Send in your best times and highest amount of tricks and be put into the spotlight! Be fair, cause lying is only gonna cheat yourself out of a true feeling of triumph. BEST TIMES: Snow Dream: 2:14 by ptubey@yahoo.com Elysium Alps: Merqury City Meltdown: Mesablanca: Tokyo Megaplex: Aloha Ice Jam: Pipe Dream: BEST TRICK AMOUNT: Snow Dream: 288,970 by Shoot2Scre@aol.com Elysium Alps: 608,000 by duhskeebum@aol.com Merqury City Meltdown: 300,455 by Shoot2Scre@aol.com Mesablanca: 202,290 by Shoot2Scre@aol.com Tokyo Megaplex: 249,710 by Shoot2Scre@aol.com Aloha Ice Jam: Pipe Dream: 369,200 by ssxt@mwoody.com ///////////// 2.8 FAQ ///////////// 1. Is it possible to complete the trick book on the first two levels? You can but you can't at the same time…. What you have to do is beat levels to upgrade your character with experience points. Once you've got them juiced up a bit, then you can do all of their tricks. It's possible to pull them off on the first two levels, but now that all of those other levels are now open, who really needs them? 2. JP's trick book has some glitches or something? What's going on? I've had this question asked a few times. I don't really see any problems with his trick book. There's either a glitch with your game, or you're using an Alpine board, or you're just not pulling the trick right. Alpine boards will change the trick's name, so this could be the case. Doing the trick correctly means to do the trick asked and only that trick. You can't add or subtract anything from the move needed. If none of these are the case, then you've got a glitch in your game, because mine doesn't do it. 3. Why are the shoulder buttons different sizes in the trick book? R1 and L1 are rectangular because that's what they look like on your controller. L2 and R2 are bigger for the same reason. This has nothing to do with how you pull the tricks, it's just a little help on defining what buttons to hold on a trick. ///////////////// 2.9 CODES ///////////////// Here's the codes available for the game. I suggest not even using them unless you absolutely have to. It ruins the fun factor and challenge of the game, draining the life right from it. If you've beaten the game though, and want to have some fun messing around, go for it. Enjoy! ( Thanks to Cheat Code Central for these codes) CHEAT MODE At the options screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and press Down, Left, Up, Right, X, Circle, Triangle, Square to unlock all courses, characters, boards, and costumes. If you entered the code correctly, you will hear a sound. Repeat this code to disable it. MAXED STATS At the options screen hold L1+L2+R1+R2 and press X 7 times, then square once. Do it again to turn it off. ALL COURSE HINTS At the options screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and press Circle, X, Circle, X, Circle, X, Circle, X to view all course hints before racing a course. Repeat this code to disable it. RUNNING MAN MODE At the options screen, hold L1 + L2 + R1 + R2 and press Square, Triangle, Circle, X, Square, Triangle, Circle, X. Repeat this code to disable it. MERQURY CITY MELTDOWN COURSE Earn a medal on the Elysium Alps course to unlock the Merqury City Meltdown course. MESABLANCA COURSE Earn a medal on the Mercury City Meltdown course to unlock the Mesablanca course. TOKYO MEGAPLEX COURSE Earn a medal on the Mesablanca course to unlock the Tokyo Megaplex course. ALOHA ICE JAM COURSE Earn a medal on the Tokyo Megaplex course to unlock the Aloha Ice Jam course. PIPE DREAM COURSE Earn a medal on the Tokyo Megaplex course to unlock the Pipe dream course. UNTRACKED COURSE Earn a medal on the Aloha Ice Jam course to unlock the Untracked course. PLAY AS JURGEN Earn one gold medal in any mode to unlock Jurgen. PLAY AS JP Earn two gold medals in any mode to unlock JP. PLAY AS ZOE Earn three gold medals in any mode to unlock Zoe. PLAY AS HIRO Earn four gold medals in any mode to unlock Hiro. THIRD COSTUME Successfully complete all green circle tricks to unlock the third costume. FOURTH COSTUME Successfully complete all blue square tricks to unlock the fourth costume. THIRD BOARD Reach the rookie rank to unlock the third board. FOURTH BOARD Reach the sensei rank to unlock the fourth board. FIFTH BOARD Reach the contender rank to unlock the fifth board. SIXTH BOARD Reach the natural rank to unlock the sixth board. SEVENTH BOARD Reach the star rank to unlock the seventh board. EIGHTH BOARD Reach the veteran rank to unlock the eighth board. NINTH BOARD Reach the champ rank to unlock the ninth board. TENTH BOARD Reach the superstar rank to unlock the tenth board. ELEVENTH BOARD Reach the master rank to unlock the eleventh board. //////////////////////////// 2.10 IN CLOSING /////////////////////////// It sucks when your computer breaks down. That's what happened people. I had to reboot up everything on my computer. After a few weeks, I've finally been able to get back to work on this. I'm sorry about taking the trick books out, I just felt it was necessary to do so because of the others already posted. The trick records are getting pretty high, don't you think? Well, looks like I'm almost done here. I'll give everyone two more weeks to send in records, ideas, info I should add, and whatever else for you, then I'm closing this strategy. Sorry, but if you want me to write new ones, I've gotta finish this one. (I'll be trying to make one for these upcoming games, so watch for me alright?: Silent Hill 2, The Bouncer, oh yeah, since nobody seems to be getting very far in Summoner, I might pick that one back up out of the collection and get one for you, alrighty?). Ok, e-mail me whatever you got here: endeviguel_unknown@yahoo.com See you in the gaming world. ////////////////////// 2.11 CREDITS ////////////////////// This is the section of thanks to all who has contributed and worked hard on this strategy guide for you: 1. This game wouldn't have been possible if EA Sports BIG hadn't made it. They're the true winners. 2. Cheat Code Central for the codes posted in the Codes section. 3. Sephorith9 for sharing his scores and suggesting the Advanced Replay instructions. Thanks bud. 4. Ryan ( you know who you are), for finding that darn subway!\ 5. Alec McKeown for submitting his record score. 6. For all others who contributed their time and hard work to this strategy guide, I couldn't have done some of this without you, thanks.