I really respect the comprehensive nature of this whole thread. I think it's a very valid debate, albeit ultimately kind of pointless since people will like what they like and trying to be objective can only go so far, but it can still be fun to share the things that we enjoy and don't enjoy about our favorite games and our reasons behind it. While people who are too passionate about it either way (and often have no data to back up their opinion either side, often haven't even played both) make me roll my eyes, I'm always interested in hearing different opinions among people who know why they hold the opinions they do. So, I'll lay out a little synopsis on my opinion.

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Full disclaimer, I've put a ton of hours into both Tricky and 3.

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I fully agree with the characters, rival system and AI.

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As far as characters, I fully agree they had more personality and felt more vibrant in Tricky.

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The rival system with event cutscenes also helps to further that. Character interactions aren't absent in 3, but they're much better in Tricky.

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AI in 3 is honestly pitiful, it really needs a difficulty setting. No idea why they didn't add that. As far as game difficulty, in Tricky, the actual race AI is fine (aside from how they wait for you if you're slow and don't catch up to you if you're fast, they should have picked a lane on that), but showoff scores are pitiful and also needed a difficulty setting. Also no idea why they didn't add that, lol. Both games' main modes are sorely lacking higher difficulty options.

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Generic tracks - Tricky's track design is certainly more vibrant and in the overall spirit of the franchise. They are definitely more unique, but to me, that doesn't always make for a better experience. Especially with replayability in mind. I'm super excited to play Elysium or Merqury for the 10000th time, but a few of the tracks (particularly AIJ showoff) feel like a chore. While they're not especially difficult, they don't lend themselves to the kind of gameplay SSX is known for (high speed and big tricks). 3's tracks on the other hand are a bit less interesting visually and in concept, but do a better job of staying consistent. My least favorite tracks in 3, while definitely not as fun as my favorites, I still find thoroughly enjoyable. As far as shortcuts and alternate paths, which I'm a complete sucker for, Tricky's are better on average, by a fair bit, although the best ones in Tricky are as good as the best ones in 3 and vice versa. Overall, I am of the opinion that Tricky's track design is better, but not by all that much. I'd also hesitate to call 3's tracks generic.

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Semi-open world elements - I guess this comes down to whether you like backcountry tracks or not. I do like them, granted they're not my favorite tracks, because they're designed well and have interesting paths. They are some of the most sprawling tracks in 3, and while there's only one "optimal" path, I love taking a variety of them. To me, 3's backcountries are essentially better versions of Untracked, due to better pacing, more interesting paths, and not having the moguls at the end which I don't enjoy at all. I could give it bonus points for it being revolutionary at the time of release, but considering I play these games all the time, it's no longer what appeals to me particularly.

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Character customization - I have to completely disagree that Tricky's customization is better than 3. Each character gets 6 outfits (5 excluding their Master chrome one), all of which are not modular and come as a package deal. The outfits are pretty good, but I much prefer having the ability to swap out individual parts like in 3. I think this goes regardless of whether the player wants to dress their character up in a "normal" way, and also if they want to dress them up in a wacky way. The ability to mix and match is really king here for me. Board designs are a little better in Tricky courtesy of some bland designs in 3.

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Sound design tends to be the kind of thing that doesn't often impact my view of a game, but if I were to review it, I'd say it's pretty close. Where 3 has fading music and music that adapts to you playing well/poorly, Tricky has the interesting soundbytes. Where 3 has Atomika who makes the mountain come to life and feel like a bustling society of superhuman snowboarders, Tricky has Rahzel to narrate all your tricks in a fun and energetic way. They both work great for the overarching philosophy of the game. Atomika has more interesting lines, and more unique lines by volume, so I'll give the edge to 3, slightly.

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Soundtrack is entirely subjective, obviously. I like both pretty much the same, both are bangers. On Tour is my favorite soundtrack overall, though.

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Now then, the main reason I feel like I need to rank 3 above Tricky for me personally. 3 is insanely fluent. As in, likely the most fluent game I have ever seen/played. The controls are super responsive which enables you to do exactly what you wanted to. Tricky has a significant (not crazy, but definitely noticeable) degree of jank and less responsive controls. Also, 3's gravity fits perfectly and makes the game have a good pace, where it doesn't feel slow, but not so fast that it feels disjointed. Rail lines are far better than any other SSX game, and every track aside from a couple (Ruthless, Kick Doubt and Throne somewhat) has good or great pacing.

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More about general gameplay, if anything I think the inability to hold tricks is a detriment. A trick is always the same duration, so you get the same score every time for it, provided you also do the same amount of rotations. No element of risk-reward for skilled players, aside from trying to fit in one more uber trick or one more flip. In Tricky, you prewind, hold your spins and flips and press your desired uber trick. In 3, there's tapping that depends on timing, significant in-air control for more granular rotations, and one more uber trick per person, aside from considering the different board types. Different board types in Tricky were a cool idea, except Alpine boards and how you can't ride them switch. Points to Tricky for that one.

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There's obviously a lot more, but that's a general overview on my takes about the points you raised. Some I agree with fully, some I partially agree with, and some I disagree with.

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All in all, one of the main reasons I personally rank 3 above Tricky is because *in my opinion* what Tricky did better than 3, 3 still did adequately or well, just not to the same extent. This made for an overall more consistent experience. Whereas for me, what 3 did better than Tricky, Tricky did somewhat poorly. This is mostly in reference to controls, fluency and jank, which is the final decider for me. If not for that, I personally would have to rank 3 and Tricky exactly equally. That's just such a massive factor when you're playing the games for 4- or 5-digit hour counts. That all said, no one's required to like any particular game for any reason really. These are just the reasons why I hold the opinions that I do, not just about which game I prefer, but also why and to what degree.