SSX

SSX is the de facto standard in snowboarding games. It optimises the functions of the PlayStation 2 to the fullest extent and the speed and detail is incredible.
The concept is easy, you choose between different riders, each with strengths and weaknesses. As you progress with the initial four riders, additional riders become available. The same goes for the tracks, eight in total, but only two are available in the beginning.
Anyone familiar with other snowboard games will feel right at home in this game, except for the increased speed and powder-feel of the snow.
The speed, design, caracters and tracks are truly awesome. Add kick-ass music, and you have the sweetest sports game on earth. The tricks you pull off are totally insane, and not those of a world with our laws of physics...

In term of gameplay feel, SSX is quite closely related to Tony Hawk Pro Skater. It is also one of the first games to exercise the true potential of the PS2 platform. Unfortunately, its side-by-side two player mode is barely playable on any but the largest of televisions.

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What I'd like to know is why the game artists put so few polygons into the female characters' asses. Well, ok, so maybe that's just what I noticed first. But the jagged edges on the characters are really unacceptable. My feeling is, it's the PS2, and they could spare the polygons to make better-looking (pointy-edge wise) characters. I figure if the N64 guys can make Mario's ass look nice and smooth in the years-old Mario 64, then the SSX dudes could do at least as good a job. Especially on the cute asian chik. (Who sounds suspiciously like Seung Mina, come to think of it...)