New SSX bigger than all past games combined

Line up every track from every SSX release so far, and you'd still not approach the breadth of content in the new game.

"I think the size and scope of our world and the number of tracks is an order of magnitude bigger. I think our game is bigger than all the other SSX games combined, in terms of levels and tracks you can ride," SSX creative director Todd Batty told CVG.

Batty name-dropped a number of games as inspiration for various aspects of SSX. Need for Speed and Burnout both have high-octane racing in common, but other choices are a little more obscure.

Plants vs Zombies, Batty explained, was the inspiration for SSX's growing inventory of tactical equipment, and World of Warcraft gave EA Canada the idea to rank equipment in tiers.

Borderlands also spiced up the gear system.

"We looked at the procedurally generated weapons and we thought, we could do that with snowboards," citing the "literally millions" of items available to buy in the in-game store.

Even call of Duty: Black Ops left its mark, on SSX's global events, which players can earn in and bet credits on.

SSX launches on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in late February in the US and early March in Europe.