Amped 3
- November 18, 2005 16:54 PM PST
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Amped 3 tries hard to impress, but it's not enough.
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I have to give it to Amped 3; it certainly tries hard to impress. The premise is simple: create a male or female boarder, deck them out in fly snowboarding gear, and then travel around the world taking part in small events to raise cash and reputation as you play through a hackneyed and tired story-based campaign that throws every single winter sports stereotype in the book straight in your face. It's am ambitious direction, and while some aspects of it work perfectly, others merely end up with a face full of snow.
Master Of None
The event-based game-play of Amped 3 should keep hardcore fans occupied for hours. There are a ton of events, each of which are imbued with some pretty witty humor. From score attacks to gate challenges, you're bound to find something to keep you busy. Thanks to the open mountain vibe that's also present, you'll actually feel like you're part of a living, breathing world where anything is possible, whether you want to jam down the mountain or take off of a massive cliff for some serious air.
Where the game really starts to break down is in its less-than-spectacular controls. Simply put, the controls are awful. The first two Amped games suffered from this same Achille's Heel and the third installment is no different, with controls are that are way too floaty to really give the game any sense of enjoyment. Couple this with a sometimes finicky camera and you have a formula for some truly frustrating game-play.
Granted, there are some positives about the game. The unique and irreverent art style is appealing and innovative, as are the game's attempts at breaking free of the snowboards with hang-gliders, snowmobiles, and even sleds. But it's this nagging feeling that so much attention has been focused on the secondary features, instead of the primary ones, that really kill the overall Amped 3 experience.
