Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding

First thing that gets noticed here, are the visuals. They always have been, and always will be. The visuals in Amped are breathtaking to say the least. The horizon, as far as the eye can see, there are trees, snow, boarders, and of course, the camera men. I'll talk more on that later though. For once, your boarder leaves fairly accurate impressions in the snow if he bails. Standard effects like lens flare and snowflakes are in place, all making for a beautiful visual package. Even the little details help. Clothes flow, hitting a snow covered tree will knock some snow off the limbs, and even the powder from other boarders around you kick up during their jumps, and at times, even has you boarding through someone else's trail of snow. The sheer size of the runs and the amount of things on the screen, from trees and buildings, down to boarders and picture takers, are truly amazing. Also, have no fear about those pesky Уtouched-upФ shots. Once you play the game for a while, you will forget all about them.

So how does this boarder play? Wonderfully I would say. The grabs and spins take a bit to get used to, as the control layout is slightly different than any other boarder game out there. However, it takes next to no time at all to get the hang of the controls, that's when you'll start shredding like a pro. You progress in the game by advancing through the various runs. This is where I expected different than what actually is. I was under the understanding that runs wouldn't be selected through a menu, but rather on the fly as you go. This is both right, and wrong. Let me explain. Foremost, not all courses are unlocked at first in the career mode (makes sense I suppose). As you progress, different runs are selectable through the menu screen. However, as there are several runs on a mountain, and many of which are adjacent to each other, it is quite possible (and fun) to start on one run and end up on an entirely different one. There is an out of bounds area though. Travel too far off course and the game will assume you got lost, and return you to the run. Not entirely realistic, but helpful if you are in need of points.

Advancement is achieved in several ways. The basic ways are to pass the high scores by tricking on each run, and also, hit the media coverage goals by tricking in front of the cameras. At certain points, you have to Уshow offФ for sponsors, and build the meter to full by the end of the run. Each sponsor likes a certain type of trick, and performing the said trick earns you massive points on the interest scale. Be careful though, as bailing will cause the meter to drop like a rock. Get better, and eventually you will get the chance to do a little Уfollow the leaderФ down the run with the course pro. Beat his tricks, and he'll teach you a new grab, which will give you that many more tools to impress the crowds.

This might come out sounding bad, but the most impressive thing about Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding is what they did with the audio. First off, like many Xbox games, Amped supports full on Dolby Digital 5.1 in game, so pump up the volume kiddies, it's time to rock. The music alone is a tremendous УfirstФ. I mean, what other game out there do you know of that has 150 REAL music tracks in it? Even Philiphony Digital's prized Gran Turismo 3, one that boasts real music tracks, only clocked in at about 20-30 tracks. Not only does the amount alone stagger the mind (not to mention the pictures on the walls), but also, Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding uses the CD-ripping feature that comes with every Xbox. Simply put, on top of the already huge song list, you can add your own shredding tunes. The quality of the ripped music sounds exceptionally well too. The first couple times I didn't recognize a ripped song till it got further into the music. It's all seamlessly integrated, and works really, really well. One thing I should point out though is in the options menu; there is a list of all the music types like Hip-Hop, Techno, Rock, etc. Not only does this allow you to turn on your custom tunes, but also you can turn on/off each different type of music. So you can't stand Hip-Hop? Just hit the button and the bump goes bye-bye.

Music aside, the sound effects in Amped are great. Slide over ice or rock, and it actually sounds like ice or rock. Loose powder has a different sound to packed snow, and the collision sounds are painful (literally). I cringed the first time I accidentally missed a jump and landed on my head. One of the cool things though, is the voices, mainly, the cameramen. They yell at you to try out a jump, and if you hit it, they give input. If it is an amazing trick though that they catch on film, things like УDid you see that?Ф or УCRAZY!Ф can be heard. However, bite snow, and they will laugh at you, or tell you to Уstop wasting my film dudeФ. As your ratings go up, you might hear stuff like УHey I know that guy!Ф or УThat guy rules!Ф Some of the voices can get a little on the repetitive side, but for the most part, its funny to listen to. Of course, if the guys with the camera get too annoying, you can always just run them over. Oh, and watch out for the other boarders, as hitting them will cause them to fire off insults at you.