Cool Runnings

Amped® 3 offers a wickedly inspired take on extreme sportsmanship, what with its gigantic mountain ranges, hundreds of available challenges, and twisted single-player storyline. The game isn't just an attractive snowboarding simulation that makes it possible for armchair athletes to perform the type of gravity-defying stunts that'd cripple mere mortals. It's also an all-purpose action-adventure that allows you to get the most out of featured virtual winter wonderlands by riding on a variety of crazy vehicles.

Let's hope he lands on his feet.

Snowboards
Tuck to gain speed and soar down courses on your snowboard, the basic mode of transportation in the game. Turning is easy enough—riders can achieve a great deal of momentum, and executing tricks simply requires pressing various combinations of the stick and buttons on your controller. While on a snowboard, you can:

• Grind and jump between rails and other narrow objects while creating monster combos and racking up points all the way. A meter which pops up when you make contact with a pipe or tree trunk and will show you if you're holding the controller in such way as to avoid taking a tumble.
• Rocket off ramps into spins, flips, twirls, and tail-grabbing maneuvers. All have clever nicknames, such as the Indy, and Crooked Cop. The more you string together, the greater your score increases upon a successful landing.
• Tilt your board forward or backward so that your rider is perched precariously on it. This process, known as buttering, requires that you carefully tap the joystick upward or downward as necessary to make sure you don't careen over backward or fall flat on your face.
• Complete point- or time-based challenges to unlock medals, gain respect, and unlock additional items for use with the park builder tool.
• Race up or along the side of moguls, a.k.a. giant mounds of snow. It's almost like playing Prince of Persia® Warrior Within, only with extreme sports gear, not swords.

Yes, that is a bathtub…

Sleds
Sliding down a mountainside on your butt isn't the flashiest way to descend a high peak, but it sure is fun. Certain challenges actually require that you hop into a sled and smash through a bunch of giant garden gnomes. Other times, randomly rocketing along on an inner tube or porta-potty is just too much of a temptation to resist. Either way, here's what you can do during these sequences:

·Maneuver while sitting down or reclining on your belly or back. Just a few of the featured sleds include toilets, toboggans and recliners. Be sure and check out how detailed character models are as you dodge bystanders and trees; even the bottom of their shoes are realistically rendered!

• Lean precariously in either direction. Obviously, it's not a smooth ride as you tumble over dips, hills, and myriad obstacles. To stay upright, use the left and right buttons to tilt towards the corresponding side of the sled.
• Achieve breathtaking speeds while simultaneously exerting almost no control over the contraption. There's nothing quite like hitting maximum velocity on a coffin or mattress, and then smashing headfirst into a nearby pole.
• Hurt yourself grievously. To win some events, you'll have to inflict as much damage as possible on a rider. Try sledding off of a ramp, and watch them land on their side, bounce down the slope, and finally slam into a tree. It's cringe-worthy stuff.

Driven to succeed.

Snowmobiles
After a hard day of boarding, nothing beats the feel of a little horsepower. Unless, of course, you're veering wildly out of control and straight into a 15-foot high sheet of show. But hey, that's life when you jump onto a snowmobile, the fastest form of transportation in the game. Still, on the bright side, bear in mind that motorists can:

• Get from point A to point B in record time. Given that the game plops you down at specific drop points, and actually asks you to ride to different challenges by following a rainbow-colored arrow, you can never overestimate the value of this function. It cuts down on travel time tremendously.
• Slow down or speed up on-command. That's the nice part about having left and right triggers. They make such a great substitute for gas and brake pedals. You can also switch into reserve or climb right back up a steep hill as needed.
• Show off your skills. While on a snowmobile, a whole new set of tricks like the Cliffhanger and Heart Attack become available. Let go of the handlebars or kick your legs out—there's a full load of additional moves to master!
• Wipe out like a champ. With insane speeds comes big air. With big air comes great opportunity for risking life and limb. With great opportunity for risking life and limb comes, the chance to see yourself fly headfirst into a tree trunk or snow bank. Strap in and observe firsthand what aches and pains a single drive can bring.

Article by Steve Richter