release at the July 2003 Camp EA event, and earlier in May at E3 2003. The Gizmondo version was also available to play by journalists at E3 2005. The open ended nature of the game was influenced by Battlefield 1942 and NBA Street Vol. 2, both EA titles, as the developers of SSX 3 enjoyed features in both games that allow players to choose the way they want to play. Developers were also inspired by their own personal experiences with snowboarding at Island Lake Lodge. EA Canada hired people from various different work backgrounds to develop the game, including the Academy Award-nominated visual effects designer Henry LaBounta, who worked as one of the game's three art directors. The game contains thirty different types of snow, ranging in consistency, and rendered using various shading techniques and more realistic lighting effects than SSX Tricky. Improvements to graphics over the previous game in the series also include better models and shadows, as well as more reflections in the in-game snow. SSX 3 is the first game in the SSX series and one of the first games in general to be THX certified. Reception 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 GameSpots Greg Kasavin wrote that it "delivers a rush like few racing games or action sports games have ever achieved". Reviewers particularly praised SSX 3s technical advancements, with Game-Revolutions Ben Silverman calling the game's snow effects unrivaled, while also recognising its "consistently high" frame rate. Eurogamers Tom Bramwell directed his praise at the game's draw distances, seamless animation and colourful environments, and GameSpy's Bryn Williams commended the game's lighting and particle effects. Reviewers also