Amped Impressions

2K Games is providing a full compliment of sports titles at launch for Xbox 360™. They've got two main staples represented in next-gen glory with NBA 2K6 and NHL 2K6, and the third offering is Amped 3, the latest sequel to the much-loved Xbox® exclusive snowboarding franchise. What's new to this year's version? What can you expect on Xbox 360? Let's find out.

Enjoy the view.

Amplified Presentation
Snowboarding has always been branded as an alternative sport, and Amped 3 takes major strides in representing the punk-rock virtue that pervades the hobby, grasping onto that rebel edge that helps define the experience, while still being welcoming enough to offer anyone an invitation.

Part of that rebel presentation can be found in the 300+ songs integrated into the game (largely alternative in nature), but much if it lives in the wacky hijinks you experience during your boarding career. You experience a psychedelic trip through your friends' school-days sketchbook, an eight-bit mini-game challenge, rainbows that help guide your path, oft-humorous dialogue, and cut-scenes starring action figures— Amped 3 grasps every opportunity to offer a unique experience.

Amped 3 offers all you could expect from a sequel,
while ensuring that any changes and additions solve
the design qualifier "does it make it more fun?"

Quality over Quantity
Too often combo-heavy sports games get too wrapped up in just how many tricks you can pull off in one jump, and lose the style somewhere in the process. Amped 3 offers a more graceful method to racking up points, and one that might make for a more natural presentation.

You can still (and should) pull off more technically challenging multi-move combos, but you can now press gently in any direction after a jump, and begin a slow-motion trick judged more on style than combos. Pulling of a single corkscrew indie in mid-air with a stylish touch can be worth just as much an indie-to-stalefish backflip combo'd into a butter for a grind on a short rail (and you thought ordering coffee was hard).

Lean to the right, the right!

Exploratory Fun
Like the hobby itself, Amped 3 isn't only about racking up huge point scores and winning tournaments and challenges. It's also about the simple act of snowboarding, and the joy it can and does bring to the multitude that trek year after year to the resorts.

• Free roaming: The resorts you've unlocked are free to roam at any time. Just pick your drop location and explore to your heart's content.
• Creative locations: During your travels, you may notice locations that look traversable, but you can't get to them. Fear not! Amped 3 offers you an opportunity to throw in your own props and jumps in real time, right onto the course. Think you can grind a tree branch above? Drop a short ramp down and get on up there!
• Inner tubing: Quite a lark in concept, it's even more fun in practice. Amped 3 offers a delightful mini-game, letting you inner-tube down a runway, looking for the perfect spot to eject your rider and cause them the most possible harm. You win the challenge by ringing up the biggest prospective hospital bill.
• Snowmobiles: If you want a quicker look at the course, you can hop on a snowmobile at any time and race around the mountain. This is especially good for getting back up a hill as you scope out a strategy for a later run.
• Off the beaten path: With seven real-world resorts, there are plenty of acres to explore, but there are many more beyond the designated barriers. Find access to less-accessible "off limits" locations and test your mettle against more natural challenges.

With a more intuitive control scheme; more options and opportunities to create your own experience; presentation and graphics slick enough to do Xbox 360 proud; and a quirky and often irreverent take on the snowboarding culture, Amped 3 offers all you could expect from a sequel, while ensuring that any changes and additions solve the design qualifier "does it make it more fun?" Enjoy the slopes.

Article by Alex McLain