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Intro Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding, the original title in the series, was released as a launch title for Microsoft's big black box back in '01. The original title was a combination of great graphics, a multitude of modes, and many interesting features, but was, unfortunately, marred by shoddy gameplay that felt loose and unpredictable. Now, with the release of Amped 2, Microsoft hopes to make amends. The newest release brings more modes (including the original career mode), Xbox Live support with accompanying multiplayer mode madness, and new tricks. But somehow, somewhere things just went wrong…. Gameplay: 6/10 There's one thing that Amped 2 players can't complain about: a lack of modes. There's simply no shortage of ways to play Amped 2. We have the ol' reliable Free Ride modes where riders can just kick around the hill without having any certain objectives or run requirements, just high scores to beat. There's the bread n' butter of the game-the Career mode-that allows you to start as a nobody trying to work his or her way up to the pros. Just Ride allows up to 8 riders, either via split screen, system link, or Xbox live, to just goof around on a run together. Then, there's the Session mode which is just a competitive multiplayer version of Just Ride. And finally, there's the XSN Sports mode, which supposedly allows players to join Packs online, and then compete with your Pack; in online events and competitions. Unfortunately, this mode is yet to be implemented as of writing time, so I can't tell you how it works. Even with the wide assortment of modes to choose from, most gamers will find themselves starting with the Career mode, where players pick and customize their own snowboarder right down to choosing real gear and then build that boarder up from rags to riches. The customization options are quite impressive; my housemate was amazed as I outfitted my lil' virtual boarder with a true-to-life K2 159 board. Once a boarder is created, it is time to go snowboarding. Unlike that other recent snowboarding game, SSX 3, Amped 2's focus is on tricking, not racing. Additionally, Amped 2 provides a more realistic approach then SSX 3's, although calling Amped 2 realistic is a bit of a stretch. But before gamers take to the hill, a helpful tutorial mode is offered to help gamers adjust to Amped 2's idiosyncrasies. And although the tutorial is very well done and can even be described as "good", there is a problem so glaring and so annoying that gamers across the world will find themselves rushing to turn down the audio-the announcer. Microsoft has seen it fit to find the most painfully uncool guy in the world to read lines obviously written for the absolute coolest guy in the world. Apparently the Fonz wasn't available, because this guy sounds painfully awkward saying lines like, "Awesome bro!" and of course, "rip dog." To sum it all up, he sounds like a 50 year old Mormon reading out of an Ebonics dictionary - it's just painful. It's also in the tutorial where things begin to go wrong for Amped 2. You see, after playing such trick-focused games as the wonderful Tony Hawk series, gamers have a certain expectations of controls and ease of pulling off moves that Amped 2 just completely violates. The left analog stick is assigned movement, spinning, flips, breaking, and butters-snowboarding equivalent of a manual. Meanwhile the face buttons are assigned to various traicks-railslides and ollies. But grabs are handled by the right analog stick; push the stick in a direction and a corresponding grab will be executed. For example, pressing the stick down will execute a tail grab while pressing it up-left will execute a melon grab. It's a system that's flawed. Gamers will find their right thumbs struggling to get the right presses and stick movements, as their thumbs skip from face buttons to stick and back again. Meanwhile, the left stick is even worse off. Because it's responsible for so many functions, gamers will often find themselves pulling off the wrong function at the wrong time. Because the left stick handles in-air spinning and on-ground turning, winding up for a jump often cause the boarder to veer off course while winding up for a flip will leave cause your boarder to brake. And then there's the decision to rely on the Xbox's stick as opposed to the d-pad. Every tricking gamer knows which is better for these sorts of games, unfortunately Microsoft doesn't. To add to my list of complaints, the collision in Amped 2 is terrible. Missing rails often results in passing straight through them and other obstacles. In fact, this is such a problem, that the back button has been assigned to a reset button. Should your boarder get stuck in the game geography, this little button can reset your boarder on course. Furthermore, landing in Amped 2 is so touchy and frustrating that tricks become a lesson in finger-crossing. Too often, a few degrees left or right will be the difference between a perfect landing and a crash. Amped 2 features some new gameplay elements from the original, the most important of which is the butter/combo system. Gamers familiar with Tony Hawk will instantly recognize butters as a manual. Butters can be executed between tricks in order to link them together for a higher, multiplied score. It's not a revolutionary change, but it's a change nonetheless. Additionally, players can jump on a snowskate for a welcome diversion from the main game. However, the snowskate controls pretty much about the same as the snowboard, which means the same control problems which plague the snowboard, plague the snowskate. If it sounds like I'm unfairly throwing jabs at Amped 2, let me apologize. The career mode is really a lot of fun. Snowboarders have any number of challenges for a given run that include the traditional high score mode, a media score, a sponsor challenge, a photo shoot, a pro challenge, "own the mountain" challenges, events, and the penultimate legend challenge. Between impressing photographers with sick combos and tracking down that last gap for the own the mountain challenge, gamers have plenty to accomplish on the hill, and shouldn't find themselves bored with the single player any time soon (assuming they can get themselves past the control hurdle). Although
packs have yet to be implemented for Amped 2, the game still features one
of the best Xbox Live communities out there. Because the current online modes
are either non-competitive or a slow-paced competition, gamers are very laid-back
and helpful, often offering pointers for bettering your game - a very welcome
change to often immature and annoying Live crowd. But, it is incomplete. When
a mode promised in the manual isn't in the game, it's always frustrating. It's
amazing what game publishers are getting away with these days. But when the pack
options do get added, Amped 2 will get a huge online boost, so stay tuned.
Graphics: 7.5/10 Sound:
9/10 Control:
4/10 Overall:
6.5/10 [ top ] | |||
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