Amped 2

One of the first action-sports titles available for the Xbox, the original Amped was a nice showcase for the system's capabilities. Along with sharp graphics, the game offered a nice alternative to SSX. Instead of mimicking SSX's combination of racing and action-sports gameplay, Amped was a slower-paced game with a focus on executing tricks. I really enjoyed the original and preferred its tricked-based style to SSX's racing excitement, though I was definitely in the minority.

Its sequel is rooted in the same deliberate style that set it apart from the competition, though numerous changes have been made to the gameplay. Like its forerunner, the Amped 2 attempts to be the snowboarder's snowboarding game with its relatively realistic style and physics. While it offers unique gameplay mechanics, gorgeous mountains, entertaining online play, and a humongous soundtrack, some of the changes made to the game hold it back. Amped 2 is a good game, but the series hasn't made as much progress as SSX and it's clearly the number-two snowboarder for the Xbox.

The main problem with Amped 2 is its controls. Unlike most games in the genre, it doesn't mimic the control scheme of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. Instead, it makes interesting use of both analog sticks. On paper it's a novel system that controls like no other action-sports game. In practice, most players will find it difficult to learn at best and frustrating at worse.

There's way too much going on with the left analog stick, which controls accelerating, decelerating, turning, flipping, spinning, and "butters" (the game's version of a manual). I really missed the d-pad when linking moves with butters, since I was only successful around 80 percent of the time -- far too low a percentage for such a crucial move. The right analog stick isn't as cluttered and is used to controlling and modifying air tricks. The problem is that moving back and forth from the right analog stick to the face buttons often leads to mistakes. It's irksome on a Type-S controller and ridiculous on an original Xbox controller.

The game rewards slow, controlled, and stylish maneuvers just as much as it does wild and frantic tricking. Pulling off moves in the former manner is one of the reasons the developers relied so heavily on the analog sticks -- to give you more of a connection with your rider's movements. A small percentage of players will like Amped 2's control scheme since it's very involved and complex. Your typical action-sports fan will just be left wondering why the game doesn't control as well as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater.

Despite its awkward control scheme, the game does a lot of things really well. Its graphics are pretty sharp, though not nearly as impressive as the sights in SSX. The mountains look phenomenal and the character models are solid. Amped 2 is one of the few games that supports 720p, making it a real treat for gamers with HDTV sets. My big gripe with the visuals is its animations, which aren't as smooth as they should be and make the riders seem rigid.

Sound is another strong point. The aural effects are impressive and make good use of Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. The game's soundtrack is gargantuan, with over 300 songs. Most of them are from smaller labels and there's a good chance you won't know more than half the artists on the soundtrack, but the number and variety of songs can't be beat. Of course, this didn't stop me from using my customized Journey soundtrack, which makes soaring down a mountain a surreal experience. The one ding against sound is with the voice acting, which gets extremely annoying really quickly.

If there's one area where Amped 2 owns SSX 3, it's online. While not as extensive as Microsoft's other XSN titles, the game does more than SSX over the Internet and does it better. There are free ride and sessions modes where you can compete for the best overall scores, media scores, tricks, and combos. Up to eight players can tackle a mountain over Xbox Live or System Link. XSN tracks the various leaders and allows you to hook up with other riders to form packs.

While it sports a fairly complete feature set, Amped 2's appeal is limited by its controls. It's nice that the developers tried something different, but different isn't always good and most people will find that's the case with this game's controls. If you're up for the challenge and really appreciate an intricate control scheme then you might enjoy this game. For the majority, Amped 2's graphics, sound, and online play aren't enough to recommend it over SSX 3.