source: IGN
Amped 3 made an early appearance at the premier of the new Mack Dawg snowboard movie in San Diego. The scene was crowded with professional boarders but the real star of the show was a lone Xbox 360 Beta Kit playing an early version of Amped 3. We met with Mathew Seymour, the game’s senior producer and discussed how 2K Sports will take the Amped series to the next generation this winter.
Besides crisp graphics and a selection of realistic mountains, Amped also featured a control scheme that was relatively difficult to master. This time around the team decided on a more accessible and less punishing angle for those who just want to experience some quick boarding action. As the game’s producer put it “People don’t buy games to get bitch slapped.”
From what we’ve witnessed so far, this means that beginners and even button mashers can put down some fresh tracks without being punished by constant face plants. Grinds no longer require holding down a rail button making transfers much easier. For the pros, the style meter has returned, meaning that a series of flips doesn’t score as many points as an expertly performed single rotation that’s landed with precision.
It is also easier to link together moves with the addition of tricks that can be performed from butter. Butter is basically a manual on snow and now players can bust out a cartwheel or a flip while balancing down the mountain. As an alternative to butter, players are also awarded points for powder carving and given a bonus for rhythmic turns.
Aside from being a bit easier, Amped still has the legitimate tricks and real life resorts. Gamers can carve powder at Northstar, Snowbird, Valle Nevado, Zugspitze, Laax, and D.C. Mountain Labs. The customization options include tons of real-life gear from Sessions, Burton, Volcom, Dragon, and once again the game is packed with real pros like Jeremy Jones and David Benedict. However, reality is mixed with a heavy dose of fiction with a wacky storyline that has players saving the sport of snowboarding from the clutches of a villain named Baron Von Havok. The Baron has brainwashed four of your friends and the only way to set the world straight is to grab some sick air! The storyline will take a casual gamer around 10 hours to complete. The concept is interesting to say the least, and if this sounds a little strange, it’s nothing when compared to the visuals.
