EA Sports Big

When it comes to sports in video games, Electronic Arts is by far one of the most prolific publishers in the space with annual titles like Madden and FIFA. Not only are these games officially licensed titles that include the big leagues and superstar athletes, but they are also some of the best selling games every year. Although some fans dislike the repetitive releases and microtransactions, these games continue to be the biggest sports simulators among their competitors. While today EA is more likely to be known for its Battlefield shooters and previously mentioned sports series, they were once well known for other sport related titles that didn’t play by the rules. These titles were under the banner of EA Sports Big, a subdivision of EA that focused on arcade-styled games like NBA Street and extreme sports like SSX. These games were known for their over-the-top gameplay full of flashy tricks and a set of soundtracks that defined an entire era of EA which hasn’t been seen since the label’s last entry in 2008.

FreekStyle

The positive reception of SSX helped launch the EA Sports Big label as the brand’s flagship game and soon put multiple games into production to try to replicate that success. Games like SSX and NBA Street were some of the most popular titles under the banner but early on there were a few others that didn’t quite catch on. Some of these games included Sled Storm, Freekstyle, and Shox which swapped the snowboards for snowmobiles, motorcycles, and rally cars but kept the arcade approach with their fast paced gameplay. Looking at Freekstyle, it was essentially SSX but on wheels —  it focused on freestyle motocross and actually featured real riders like the godfather of freestyle himself, Mike Metzger

Def Jam Vendetta

In between all the snowboard and streetball games, EA Sports Big also delivered one of the best wrestling games that wasn’t based on a wrestling franchise. Released in 2003 Def Jam Vendetta successfully brought together the worlds of wrestling and hip-hop into a video game where street beef was settled in the ring. While it wasn’t the first video game about hip-hop, it’s by far the most notable one to incorporate the genre thanks to its soundtrack and roster of rappers from Def Jam Records. Originally meant to be a World Championship Wrestling video game, the rights to the title were lost during a buyout, which left the developer without a license for their wrestling game. Fortunately some hip-hop heads at EA knew people over at Def Jam Records. Coincidentally, the record label was also interested in making a video game. So together with EA, they released a game often regarded as one of the best hip-hop video games ever made.

SSX series

The most important EA Sports Big title without a doubt is SSX which is the game that started it all. The SSX series started its run as a launch title for the PS2 in 2000. It’s one of the highest rated games on the PS2 thanks to its track design, smooth gameplay, and dynamic soundtrack. A sequel, SSX Tricky, was quickly released in 2001 and refined the gameplay with the introduction of the iconic uber tricks. These special moves are extreme tricks that are risky but give a big boost and are worth more points. The series’ momentum continued with the release of SSX 3 in 2003 which made the biggest improvement by adding an open world environment to explore. After the third game, SSX never reached the same heights again but it did attempt a few more runs before going dormant.