The original SSX was one of the first and best games I ever played on the PlayStation 2. I was originally a Nintendo kid, but once I took control of that sample PS2 in a lowly K-Mart and proceeded to defy the laws of physics, I fell in love with the system. Now, a console generation later, I anxiously await another chance to fly down the powdery slopes of one of EA’s greatest franchises.

Video Blips:

• The unique designs of SSX: Deadly Descents’ insane tracks are matched only by the characters who brave them. The series has always caught my eye with its colorful and eclectic array of snowboarders. My all-time favorite has to be Simon from SSX Tricky; I have a soft spot for brutal, psychotic metalheads.

Continue after the break for a serving of Call of Duty: Black Ops Escalation, another time-bending adventure in Back to the Future: The Game – Episode 4, and a peek at MX vs. ATV Alive’s online features.

• If you’re already bored with its original multiplayer modes (which I doubt), you’ll find plenty to hold you over in Call of Duty: Black Ops Escalation. I’m going to admit that if I hear this song one more time, I’m going to do something evil. Martin Scorsese has used it enough in his films, thank you very much.

• In Back to the Future: The Game – Episode 4, Marty McFly returns to 1986 to find an Orwellian Hill Valley run by an alternate Doc Brown. I never was a fan of the film trilogy, but I suppose if I missed the '80s enough (which I don’t, thank God), then games like these might appeal to me. At least they don’t have to worry about spinoffs like these in China.

• Unsurprisingly, MX vs. ATV Alive will give you the opportunity to grind axles with other gearheads online. What does surprise me is that THQ expects gamers to pay real money for individual pieces of bonus content. But I suppose if people are willing to pay $2 for a stormtrooper outfit for their Xbox Live avatar (by “people” I mean me), then some would be willing to pay the same for a digital dirt bike.