With Wiis and PS3s out of stock all over North America, here's a game that's been overlooked by most on a console that should be a lot easier to get your hands on (if you don't already have one). I recently dusted it off after ignoring it most of last winter, and I was glad I did!
Too busy to devote 12+ hours a day to your gaming habit? Here's a review that's sensitive to your needs: Short and focused on just the things that a busy gamer like you really needs to know.
Busy Gamer Review-
Amped 3
Reviewed On: Xbox 360
In a Nutshell: Edgy, arcade-style snowboarding action. The opening is spellbinding and funny: Manfred Mann's Blinded By The Light fades up as you ascend a mountain ski lift... in a giant pink bunny costume! The song continues as you execute your first challenge, to the amusement of other boarders. Then some wacky cut scenes kick in as the game proves immediately that it's like no other snowboarding game you've ever played. Alas, later scenes lose their entertainment value as an inane storyline takes a few uninteresting twists. But the game is still compelling as you embark on a variety of challenges to gain respect, awe bystanders and unlock music, gear and new mountain areas to explore. There are seven mountains, and some contain as many as four areas. And there are hundreds of challenges to keep you busy. Besides, there hasn't been a new snowboarding game in a couple years, and nothing as fresh as this since SSX Tricky.
Learning Curve: Pretty easy to pick up if you've ever played a snowboarding or skateboarding game before. It's also much easier to play than its predecessors (Amped, Amped 2), which were both less forgiving and harder to master than pretty much any other game in this genre. If you're a novice boarder, you'll improve your skills in stages, and fortunately there are many challenges to choose from if you find one you're stuck on one. Spend some time on some easier tasks and then come back to it. As a last resort, you can actually modify the courses in Build Mode to make it easier to beat a particularly vexing mission!
The Save Game: This game saves constantly! Just select the Trail Map and it will auto-save anything you've done. A great game to play for a few minutes or a few hours.
Family Factor: The cut scenes are a bit off the hook; no doubt the producers watch a lot of Robot Chicken and Aqua Teen Hunger Force on Adult Swim. The videos' violence, crude humor and suggestive themes are where it earns its Teen rating. Basically, keep the pre-teens away from the main story objectives and the My Stash area, if you've unlocked any videos there. Simply sailing down the mountain and performing tricks and side-missions are pretty tame and fun for the whole family.
Buy, Rent or Skip? If you're a snowboarding fan who likes to explore every nook and challenge, this is a buy (and a great deal at $30-40 new or $20-30 used!). If you just want a quick diversion and plan to tear through the main story, you can rent it and beat it in 8-10 hours. But there's 20+ hours of gameplay here overall, plus decent replay value.
Too busy to devote 12+ hours a day to your gaming habit? Here's a review that's sensitive to your needs: Short and focused on just the things that a busy gamer like you really needs to know.
Busy Gamer Review-
Amped 3
Reviewed On: Xbox 360
In a Nutshell: Edgy, arcade-style snowboarding action. The opening is spellbinding and funny: Manfred Mann's Blinded By The Light fades up as you ascend a mountain ski lift... in a giant pink bunny costume! The song continues as you execute your first challenge, to the amusement of other boarders. Then some wacky cut scenes kick in as the game proves immediately that it's like no other snowboarding game you've ever played. Alas, later scenes lose their entertainment value as an inane storyline takes a few uninteresting twists. But the game is still compelling as you embark on a variety of challenges to gain respect, awe bystanders and unlock music, gear and new mountain areas to explore. There are seven mountains, and some contain as many as four areas. And there are hundreds of challenges to keep you busy. Besides, there hasn't been a new snowboarding game in a couple years, and nothing as fresh as this since SSX Tricky.
Learning Curve: Pretty easy to pick up if you've ever played a snowboarding or skateboarding game before. It's also much easier to play than its predecessors (Amped, Amped 2), which were both less forgiving and harder to master than pretty much any other game in this genre. If you're a novice boarder, you'll improve your skills in stages, and fortunately there are many challenges to choose from if you find one you're stuck on one. Spend some time on some easier tasks and then come back to it. As a last resort, you can actually modify the courses in Build Mode to make it easier to beat a particularly vexing mission!
The Save Game: This game saves constantly! Just select the Trail Map and it will auto-save anything you've done. A great game to play for a few minutes or a few hours.
Family Factor: The cut scenes are a bit off the hook; no doubt the producers watch a lot of Robot Chicken and Aqua Teen Hunger Force on Adult Swim. The videos' violence, crude humor and suggestive themes are where it earns its Teen rating. Basically, keep the pre-teens away from the main story objectives and the My Stash area, if you've unlocked any videos there. Simply sailing down the mountain and performing tricks and side-missions are pretty tame and fun for the whole family.
Buy, Rent or Skip? If you're a snowboarding fan who likes to explore every nook and challenge, this is a buy (and a great deal at $30-40 new or $20-30 used!). If you just want a quick diversion and plan to tear through the main story, you can rent it and beat it in 8-10 hours. But there's 20+ hours of gameplay here overall, plus decent replay value.
