Microsoft's Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding was one of the first games out of the gate for the Xbox two years ago, and the first real competition for the SSX series. It met with mixed reviews, mainly because of the steep learning curve and awkward control scheme, but gamers who toughed it out were treated to a fun, if not overly-realistic, snowboarding game that more than held its own against the original SSX. Now, two years later, and facing stiff competition with SSX3 and 1080 Avalanche, Microsoft returns with Amped 2, and fans of the first game will definitely not be disappointed.For better or worse, the basic gameplay here is still the same. The left analog stick handles the brunt of the control - it moves your boarder and controls your spins while in the air. Holding down the A button accelerates your boarder, while releasing it will make him jump. B and Y are used for grinding and lip tricks, respectively. The L and R triggers are for tweaking your tricks. The main difference between Amped and SSX, and the one thing that most gamers have trouble getting past, is the fact that the right analog stick is used for grab tricks. This means you'll constantly have to move your thumb from the face buttons to the stick, which never feels completely natural, even after extended play. Fortunately, there's a lengthy tutorial mode to help ease new players into the game.

New to the game are "butters," and the concept of "style points." Butters are the snowboard equivalent of a manual, which will allow you to link tricks. Earning style points requires slower, more fluid, spins and tricks. Instead of simply jerking the stick around, you'll now need to slowly move it one direction, and then hold it at about the half-way point. This applies to tweaks, as well, using the analog triggers. This isn't required, of course, but you'll start racking up a lot more points once you master it. There's a definite learning curve involved with this aspect of the game, which, on top of the difficulty inherent in the basic control scheme, will likely turn the average gamer off.

Also likely to turn off many gamers is the fact that Amped 2 is closer to being a sim than any other extreme (sorry - I hate that word, too) sports title on the market. You're not going to be jumping off cliffs, boarding through sprawling cityscapes, or doing any crazy tricks like in the SSX series. Amped 2, instead, goes for the more realistic approach, which means you're going to spend your time boarding down fairly normal mountains, and doing comparatively mundane tricks. The game is also extremely unforgiving when it comes to landings, so you'll find yourself crashing quite often, even after you've become accustomed to the controls.

There are 7 mountains in Amped 2, in total, but each features at least two different paths down. Typically, one path will be heavy on jumps, while the other will have more grind opportunities. There's special areas on a few of the mountains that allow you to use snowskates, which are a combination of snowboards and skateboards. Snowskates allow you to do kickflip tricks with the X button, as in the Tony Hawk series, but control is otherwise similar to that of the snowboards. Because the control is so similar, and because they can be used in so few areas of the game, the snowskates actually add so little to the experience, that they're scarcely worth mentioning.

The main draw here for many people will likely be the Xbox live support. It's not quite as fleshed out as in other XSN Sports titles, but it certainly puts SSX3 to shame. Going online allows you to compete with fellow gamers, or simply hang out with friends, chatting and doing tricks. The most interesting aspect of Amped 2's online gaming is the ability to form packs with other players, and then go out and challenge other packs to competitions.

If you don't have Xbox live, or you're simply anti-social, the game's single-player mode is enough to keep you busy for a good long time. The career mode requires to complete various objectives on each mountain, including surpassing a certain amount of points, doing specific tricks, finding Tony Hawk-esque gaps in the landscape, and finding 8 snowmen strewn about each level. Completing these tasks will earn you ability points, which allow you to upgrade your board. You'll occasionally be required to impress sponsors by doing their favorite kinds of tricks, or doing big tricks through a set of rings while a photographer takes your picture. You'll also compete with other boarders on special courses, to see who can get the highest score in various categories. The career mode in this game is absolutely huge, and definitely not something you're going to complete in short order.

Graphically, Amped 2 doesn't quite meet the standards set by SSX3. The animations are stiff, and the levels often look bland. The snow has a flat look to it, and because of this, it's often difficult to tell just how high up you are, which will cause you to miss your landings. On the plus side, you can always see a respectable distance down the mountain, which will allow you to plan your route. You'll never feel boxed in here, the way you sometimes will in SSX.

Fortunately, any shortcomings in the graphics are more than made up for in the aural department. Sound effects are crisp and clear, and the game makes excellent use of Dolby Digital 5.1, if your sound system supports it. There's over 300 full music tracks in the game, mainly from unknown artists. Yes, you read that right - 300 tracks. Even on the off-chance you don't hear anything you like, you can always just rip your own CDs to the Xbox hard-drive and use those.

Amped 2 is certainly not for the average gamer, as it lacks the pick up and play mentality of the SSX series, but for anybody who's willing to invest enough time into it and push past the steep learning curve, there's really a lot of fun to be had with this game. The focus on realism obviously isn't for everyone, but the lengthy career mode coupled with the satisfying Xbox Live support, make for an overall great experience - one that some gamers will find themselves enjoying long after the appeal of SSX3 has worn off.

Oct 28, 2003 | 0 comments
Michael Parks