Okay this is where I call "bullshit" and say that, as an "SSX vet," I really enjoy the physics and the control scheme. Did it take a while to learn? Most definitely. Now that I feel comfortable handling the physics and have an understanding of how to effectively pull off tricks, I'm loving it.
If the complaints are evidence of anything, it's that the developers have failed to "make awesome easy," because some people in this thread just aren't "getting it."
I've said it before, but as someone who still plays SSX3 to this day, I don't ever want to go back, really. The old games feel outdated and I don't like how "locked on the track" I feel. You call it more in control, I call it restrictive. I think the new physics offer more freedom of control and more expression, but I can understand why some people aren't down for it. It's the same reason some people would want to play the old Tony Hawk games over something like Skate.