The snowboarding sensation that is Amped returns. Amped 3 (A3) slides into the Xbox360 launch line up and shows us once again why snowboarding is so much fun. The soul of snowboarding is all about style and this is what Indie Built have provided us with in Amped 3. Mastering this game is a lot easier than previous Amped games, so there’s less chance of landing face first in the white stuff.
A3 is massive. It features seven new resorts and levels up to three times larger than Amped 1 and 2. The big resorts in the game are Northstar, Snowbird, Valle Nevado, Zugspitze, Laax, and D.C. Mountain Labs. You can take on hundreds of challenges around the resorts, or simply pull out your sled and go crazy! Another good thing about A3 is the fact that you can explore the entire Mountain on a snowmobile! You can also find a spot and build your own obstacles, rails and/or jumps. The park builder is impressive, allowing you to plant your own jumps and rails to create a personal terrain park, add things to trick off and get better high scores, or just make a difficult challenge a little easier. In other words you can let your imagination go crazy and create a ramp where you can kick out a 1080 degree leap and land perfectly just for the fun of it!
Graphically this game is awesome. The players look real and the weather effects work really well. The landscapes are absolutely breathtaking and when you look down from the top of a mountain at the snow below, it just makes you want to hop on your board and ride!
Amped 3’s story is, well, strange. You and your crew have been saving up cash for a trip to Chile, where you all plan to keep riding until the money runs out. A good plan I think you’ll agree! But when someone steals the cash and tries to pin it on you, the rest of the crew mysteriously disappear and you’re on your own. Things from this moment on get worryingly weird. It’s up to you to find out what’s happening as you ride some of the greatest resorts around the world. The style meter has returned which means the pro’s can take pride in landing a trick perfectly. Another addition to the game is “Snowbox”. The resorts are packed with hundreds of challenges; complete them and earn upgrades and new stuff. These challenges aren’t just about your skills on a snowboard, there’s snowmobiling, sledding, and loads more for you to try your hand at.
Xbox live is catered for with the top scores, hang-times and crashes automatically posted for all to see. Sadly theirs no online multiplayer action which is a shame because that would have finished the game off nicely. Offline multiplayer has some strange features to say the least. The strangest is Co-Op Sled Slaughter (I kid you not!). Hop on a sled and just try to hang on! The longer you can rise, the greater the destruction and carnage and the bigger your medical bills (your score). Or, if you want to teach your mate a lesson, tie your sleds together with bungee rope and see who can do the most damage to themselves. No, seriously, this is in the game!
Overall Amped 3 has some psycho features to it’s name. The best way to describe this game is SSX on acid – it’s so crazy, but it also has that Amped attitude that we all love. The realism is still in there, it’s just got loads more fun added!
