Preview:
Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding
Due Fall 2001 for Xbox.
Because a launch just wouldn’t be a launch without the creamy goodness of a snowboarding title, Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding is going to bring the love to the Xbox. Operating on the solid premise of “Trickin’ Snowboarder,” but certainly with better technical and “fun” qualities, you’ll be riding your butt off, trying to catch the eye of photographers and sponsors in order to get as much international press exposure as possible. Your basic goal is to become a well-known snowboarding superstar. No sweat.
The runs on Amped come from real resorts. Utah’s Brighton, Vermont’s Stratton, and California’s Snow Summit are represented. Add to the real-life locations some fantasy venues, and you’ve got over 120 runs to explore. These runs are supposed to be realistic, wide-open courses with plenty of obstacles to jib, bonk, grind, and air from. In Freestyle Multiplayer, you will be able to punch or huck snowballs at your buddies, and it sounds like four-player split-screen is going to be a blast.
It’s a crowded market for snowboarding games, but Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding has its hype in the right place. If it pulls off what it’s supposed to pull off, SSX better watch its pretty little butt.