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Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 30 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 16 votes
Read user comments
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Game Info
Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Microsoft
Genre(s): Sports
Players: 4
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Release Date: November 15, 2001
Summary
A snowboarding game focused on open freestyle boarding down real-world mountains like Utah's Brighton, Vermont's Stratton, and California's Snow Summit. With a huge variety of rails, kickers, and terrain, you'll experience a completely different ride on every one of over 120 wide-open mountain runs from real-mountain resorts. [Microsoft]
Also On Metacritic
GAMES: Amped 2
Cheat Codes & Hints: Adrenaline Vault Cheat Code Central Game Revolution GamePro IGN
Also On The Web: Official Website
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Xbox Exclusive
Not only the best snowboarding game to date, but one of the better games out right now for any system. With its amazing graphics, good sound and unbelievable gameplay, Amped will keep you busy for a long long time.
Read Full Review >Sports Gaming Network
No question about it, Amped is the most addictive snowboarding title on the market today for any system.
Read Full Review >Cloudchaser
Beautiful huge environments, a killer career mode, great trick system, and flexible audio setup make this game a must-own for any extreme sports gamer.
Read Full Review >GameZone
The sound track is exceptional. The music is solid, the vocal abuse is crisp, and the sound effects are exactly what one would expect to hear.
Read Full Review >TotalGames.net
This steep learning curve will put off some people but if you stick with it there is a sublime game to be discovered.
Read Full Review >netjak
If you prefer realism to fantasy, you will be more than happy with Amped. At a measly 20 bucks, this game is a steal. I will mention once again though: this game is very unforgiving.
Read Full Review >GameSpy
Amped may not be exactly like snowboarding, but it's the closest you can get without equipment.
Read Full Review >GameShark
Lots of real life mountains, different drop points and huge, realistic environments are this game's strongest points.
Read Full Review >IGN
With the open air feel of the levels, the breathtaking coolness of sliding through powder, and the breezy sound effects and in-game chatter, and you've got yourself the gaming equivalent of sitting in the hot tub after a long day on the slopes.
Read Full Review >Operation Sports
A snowboarders game. Graphically it's not going to blow your mind, but with a deep career mode and wicked tricks you will get your money's worth. Plus, this game is more about snowboarding than "SSX Tricky."
Read Full Review >GamerWeb Xbox
The levels are not timed - in those that require you to meet a set point limit; it is very easy to just perform the same move over and over again to get the necessary score. The lack of difficulty in certain areas drops the replayability.
Read Full Review >Electric Playground
Easy to get into but hard to master, Amped offers a surprising amount of depth and graphical splendor for what is basically such a simple premise: point your board down a mountain and become famous in the process.
Read Full Review >Official Xbox Magazine
It's not SSX/ Snowboarders don't like racing/ They crave snow ballet. [Review Haiku - Feb 2002, p.80]
Cincinnati Enquirer
While its game play is good, its graphics and sound are unsurpassed.
Read Full Review >G4 TV
Amped isn't the most fun-filled snowboarding game you can buy, but it's easily the deepest and most satisfying.
Read Full Review >TeamXbox
Although it has a rocky start, most will find it highly addicting after you have learned the basic mechanics of the game.
Read Full Review >Games Radar UK (Pre-2006)
The interlocking level goals in the career mode ooze intelligent design. [Xgamer Magazine]
Read Full Review >Next Generation Magazine
The first next-generation game to “get” what snowboarding is all about. [Jan 2002, p.32]
GamePro
A solid, enjoyable snowboarder with a fairly high difficulty factor and lots of gameplay.
Read Full Review >Gamezilla!
Just average. Although it has some nice original features, I could never get over the strange controls.
Read Full Review >GamePen
If you want beautifully rendered mountains and an awesome soundtrack, get Amped; if you want to actually have fun, get "SSX Tricky."
Read Full Review >Yahoo! Games
Though it's good, it's overshadowed by the mighty SSX Tricky and Tony Hawk's - don't buy it until you've bored with these two.
Read Full Review >Game Informer
It's too bad that all these extras outshine the game's dull and problematic gameplay. [Dec 2001, p.104]
GameSpot
While Amped is visually impressive and loaded with options, its technical merits are drastically undermined by its shoddy gameplay.
Read Full Review >Media and Games Online Network
This game stays true to its sport for better or worse. If you dig snowboarding and you want the most realistic experience, look no further than Amped...But for the rest of us (and I suspect that is a majority) you’ll probably want to steer clear of Amped.
Read Full Review >Electronic Gaming Monthly
The game’s biggest sin, however, is its overall lack of play modes. [Jan 2002, p.228]
Xbox Nation Magazine
It’s fresh that you don’t have to search for stuff to hit, but not-so-fresh that you have to wrestle with sluggish controls in order to do it. [Jan 2002, p.94]
All Game Guide
The main problem comes from Amped's lack of a racing mode, which takes away from the game's intensity.
Read Full Review >XenGamers
It’s fun in small doses, but frustrating whenever you try to get into it.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this game is 9.5 (out of 10) based on 16 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
jared gave it a10:
It is a god d*** travesty that this game has a rating of 78. It truly shows how ignorant reviewers can be. Lack of a race mode? Who watches snowboarding on espn or goes snowboarding in order to race? It's all about the tricks. This game is so incredibly awesome, it's hard to find words to describe it. Everything about it is top notch and it's truly one of the best games i've ever played. I'm so glad I was able to play this game when it was originally released because looking back on it now it gives me such a great sense of nostalgia. Days of high school when I didn't have a care in the world. This game goes for $10 brand new on amazon, do yourself a favor and buy it, it plays on the 360 and if you have the slightest interest in snowboarding you will not be disappointed. It also features one of the best soundtracks in videogame history. This game is incredible.
Bob J. gave it a10:
Extremely frustrating, but worth it. Once you get the hang of it there is only really one hard challenge, and that is pro 3 (mainly snow summit 2) Awesome graphics and it is sick. I snowboard and this is the closest to real that I have played. Anyway as for a racing mode as mentioned above by one of your critics who gives a crap? no one buys a freestyle snowboarding game for a race mode. I mainly freeride (aka go really fast) and I love how it is only freestyle. I think that would take away from this.
Andrew M. gave it an 8:
Graphically, it is the best snowboarding game in history! You can almost taste the fresh powder! But...and yes there always is a but, the lack of play modes lets the near classic title down. The game is fabulous in most catagories, and especially in the challenge department. The tricks, while a little unrealistic, are very hard to pull off, which may cause some to get frustrated (me...lots) but that is the whole point of the game... is it not a challenge to become the best in the world? A worthy inclusion however, would have been the ability to compete in races etc...and actually lose rankings for poor performances. Every game developer should take a good hard look at this one, and realise that gamers seek a title that will not take fifteen minutes to complete... Too many games these days are over in the blink of an eye...but finally amped offers a real challenge that sorts the men from the boys!
Joe S. gave it a 10:
This is the best snowboarding game ever made, period. Amped 2 will address the 'issues' some have had with Amped, such as complaints that it is too difficult to land tricks. (Try real snowboarding, you clowns! Amped offers a true analog to what it is like to learn to snowboard and advance your skills - Best of all the lift tickets are a far cheaper and there are no hospital bills or broken bones...)
Zinkan gave it a 10:
This is the game of the game.
Michael L. gave it a 10:
The game is the best snowboarding game I've ever played. The graphics are great, the sounds 2 cause U can add ur own songs 2 it. The only thing I've been disapointed with is the gameplay, not for the fenominus tricks U can do of course but cause U can't do any race. And I've beaten the game and after that there's just nothin' 2 do anymore cause you can't race. But there's something real cool when U beat the game, there a special video waiting 4 U. Even though the gameplay is discustable, I give it an unconditionnal 10 on 10. A must... If U have any question or comment write me at odd_cemetery_gates@hotmail.com.
Bill K. gave it a 10:
Great fun, hard, realistic!!!
