Who does like snow? I know I do, in fact if it snowed all year round I’d be very happy, just imagine a land of snowboarding fluffy pink bunnies and abominable snowmen, hey wait a minute that isn’t fantasy that’s Amped3.
Now if the above sounds a bit strange then that’s because it is. Basically the point of this game is to follow the story mode through to it’s conclusion therefore enabling you to unlock all of the mountains for you to board on, along the way you will encounter bizarre cut scenes, crazy tasks and impossible missions but it all adds to the general gameplay which to be honest is absolutely great.
The cut scenes are really strange, but can also be very funny, it reminded me a bit of some American sketch show, where it seems like they are trying to be part of a crowd, but it does fit in generally with the rest of the game and the gang which you are part of. The gameplay itself is good fun, you can make all sorts of tricks and it is great trying to get combos and impress all the bystanders enough for you to own the mountain (therefore unlocking that particular achievement). During the game you can unlock all sorts of equipment such as new clothes, a snow speeder bike, hand gliders and a sort of inflatable doughnut, there are all sorts of tasks involved with these items which range from doing yourself as much damage as possible to hand gliding through gates, it all makes for interesting playing though.
Now once you get to the top of the mountain the only way is down, there may be times when most of that is spend rolling down the mountain rather than snowboarding down it, but hey I’m sure you will get used to the route and soon find yourself much the expert. In my travels down the mountains I have noticed plenty of ski jumps which give you good air resulting in plenty of time to show off and there are also lots of rails and tree branches which you can ride along, you need to be careful though as it is very easy to fall off and make yourself look like a fool to the bystanders and fellow boarders.
On your way you will also notice circles with stars, all you have to do when you see these is board into the middle and push the blue button and then once this is done you have found a challenge, this is where you gain respect points which unlock the next part of the story mode when you have enough of them, you can also compete here on the Xbox live game boards for the best score. Once all the tasks are done and you get near the end of the run you will find yourself getting hit with snowballs, this can be annoying but you can get your own back on them by doing the same.
The controls for this game are very simple, it is just a case of using A to crouch and the other buttons to do a combination of tricks, the top shoulder buttons can then be used to modify your tricks. When on rails you can use the shoulder buttons to spin while sliding along the rail. (just make sure you don’t fall off, this is done by using the analogue stick to keep your balance).
Although this game is probably one of the least popular releases for the 360, I think this is a great game which more people need to try, the gameplay itself is fantastic and the cut scenes and humour provide great entertainment, if you like snow, pink bunnies or just games with great speed and awesome tricks then get this game and if you are still unsure then rent it and see for yourself what you are missing.
