Amped ditches the conventional race mode of other snowboard games and instead focuses on snowboard freestyle--executing tricks with style. The excellent trick system and accurate physics make for tight game play across the board. It sports a robust career mode as well as quick start and multiplayer modes. Career mode is divided into four parts: high score, media, sponsor and pro ride. High score challenges the player to pile on as many tricks as possible. Media requires the player to execute tricks at certain points where a photographer is waiting. Sponsor mode focuses on a particular group of tricks. For instance, one sponsor may favour grinds over airs, so players better make sure to grind everything in site to win the sponsor's gear. This mode is also the least forgiving since it's the only one where mistakes detract from the overall score. Finally pro ride has the player follow and out-trick one of 17 professional riders in a follow-the-leader manner. Multiplayer mode allows up to four players to participate in a round-robin tournament with numerous selectable conditions.
Graphically the game isn't as sharp as EA's SSX Tricky, nor are the physics and pace as extreme. That isn't to say the game looks bad. The real-life locations of Stratton, Brighton, Altibahn and more look great. The soundtrack features more than 50 songs in a wide array of genres including electronica, hip-hop, rap, punk, ska and reggae. Players can also opt to use their own soundtrack off the Xbox hard drive, so they can snowboard to Journey and Air Supply as nature intended. --Raymond M Padilla
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