VAN
11-26-2001, 01:34 PM
Amped. Is it an action game? Is it a sports game? I dunno, thats why I have opted to post in here. Please relocate the thread if necessary.
###backstory###
I stood in line a tolerable 8 and a half hours on November 14th to be one of the first to own an XBOX. At the time of purchase, I also spent a fair amount of cash on a start-up library of titles for my new system. I bought Dead or Alive 3, Munch's Odyssey, NASCAR Thunder 2002, Project Gotham Racing, and of course, Halo.
As of Thanksgiving Day, I had completed DoA3, Munch, and Halo, and was halfway through the 2 race titles. I needed something new. I needed another game.
###end backstory###
So....
Yesterday, I went to Best Buy to check out the games. They had several titles that were unavailable at the Wal*Mart where I bought my system. I chose to get Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding, and here are my honest, unbiased thoughts on the game.
Bottomline? On a scale of 1 to 10, I would have to rate this game a modest 6.5 (7.0 at best). Why so low? Well while the game is extremely fun to play, I couldn't help but get annoyed by some of the games shortcomings.
The graphics are quite nice, don't get me wrong. Nothing stellar, but they are great nonetheless. What irritated me was the rather cumbersome series of Interfaces you are forced to wade through prior to starting a game.
Several times I would be disappointed with my gameplay halfway through a run, and would want to simply begin again. Not so simple. To restart a course, you must pause the game, select New Run from the menu, then RESELECT the level, and then sit through a brief description of the course. Granted, this last step ca be avoided in the future by pressing X to not display again, but thats yet another step.
I would have preferred a PGR-esque method of handling things should you choose to restart a halfway completed stage. Hit pause, choose restart. Done. I know, sems like a small detail, huh? Well, it gets extremely irritating, extremely quickly--especialy when coupled with the next game flaw.
Unresponsive menu items. I'm used to pressing a button and instantly being sent to the next section of a menu. Not so in Amped. Pressing "A" to indicate your choice can sometimes take upwards of several seconds before the screen catches up and paints the new menu. Often times I was left wondering--did I push the button? So I'd push it again..and again. Very annoying. Those of you who have the game will know what I am referring to.
The biggest gripe I have is in regards to the CHEATS menu. One of the first things did was enter the RidinwRaven cheat so I could play as her--and it worked like a charm. The problem arises when you wish you quit playing as your cheat character and instead wish to start up a quick run, or a career mode.
If you have cheats enabled, the game will actually instruct you to TURN OFF the XBOX and TURN IT BACK ON before you can continue. What kind of ridiculous system is this? I entered a cheat code to gain a hidden rider, and now I must switch off my XBOX and switch it back on again before I will be allowed to continue playing the game? Very frustrating.
A couple *minor* details which also irked me were the massive amount of polygon degradation when your rider becomes "trapped" behind a log, pipe, tree, or other obstacle--often times your rider would flicker completely out of view.
Another minor detail is that when racing against the Pros, you can hear them commenting on the tricks you pull off, yet they started down the hill before you. How can they say "Wow! That was sick!" when they are supposed to be busy wiht their own run? Eyes in the back of their heads perhaps? :)
Yes folks, I realize these last 2 items are very petty, but I'm a picky guy.
Would I recommend this game? Of course! Even with the amount of dodgy menus and button problems mentioned, this is still an extremely "fun" game to play--the likes of which I have not seen since the days of "Skate or Die" on the NES.
Oh well. Those are just my thoughts. :)
###backstory###
I stood in line a tolerable 8 and a half hours on November 14th to be one of the first to own an XBOX. At the time of purchase, I also spent a fair amount of cash on a start-up library of titles for my new system. I bought Dead or Alive 3, Munch's Odyssey, NASCAR Thunder 2002, Project Gotham Racing, and of course, Halo.
As of Thanksgiving Day, I had completed DoA3, Munch, and Halo, and was halfway through the 2 race titles. I needed something new. I needed another game.
###end backstory###
So....
Yesterday, I went to Best Buy to check out the games. They had several titles that were unavailable at the Wal*Mart where I bought my system. I chose to get Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding, and here are my honest, unbiased thoughts on the game.
Bottomline? On a scale of 1 to 10, I would have to rate this game a modest 6.5 (7.0 at best). Why so low? Well while the game is extremely fun to play, I couldn't help but get annoyed by some of the games shortcomings.
The graphics are quite nice, don't get me wrong. Nothing stellar, but they are great nonetheless. What irritated me was the rather cumbersome series of Interfaces you are forced to wade through prior to starting a game.
Several times I would be disappointed with my gameplay halfway through a run, and would want to simply begin again. Not so simple. To restart a course, you must pause the game, select New Run from the menu, then RESELECT the level, and then sit through a brief description of the course. Granted, this last step ca be avoided in the future by pressing X to not display again, but thats yet another step.
I would have preferred a PGR-esque method of handling things should you choose to restart a halfway completed stage. Hit pause, choose restart. Done. I know, sems like a small detail, huh? Well, it gets extremely irritating, extremely quickly--especialy when coupled with the next game flaw.
Unresponsive menu items. I'm used to pressing a button and instantly being sent to the next section of a menu. Not so in Amped. Pressing "A" to indicate your choice can sometimes take upwards of several seconds before the screen catches up and paints the new menu. Often times I was left wondering--did I push the button? So I'd push it again..and again. Very annoying. Those of you who have the game will know what I am referring to.
The biggest gripe I have is in regards to the CHEATS menu. One of the first things did was enter the RidinwRaven cheat so I could play as her--and it worked like a charm. The problem arises when you wish you quit playing as your cheat character and instead wish to start up a quick run, or a career mode.
If you have cheats enabled, the game will actually instruct you to TURN OFF the XBOX and TURN IT BACK ON before you can continue. What kind of ridiculous system is this? I entered a cheat code to gain a hidden rider, and now I must switch off my XBOX and switch it back on again before I will be allowed to continue playing the game? Very frustrating.
A couple *minor* details which also irked me were the massive amount of polygon degradation when your rider becomes "trapped" behind a log, pipe, tree, or other obstacle--often times your rider would flicker completely out of view.
Another minor detail is that when racing against the Pros, you can hear them commenting on the tricks you pull off, yet they started down the hill before you. How can they say "Wow! That was sick!" when they are supposed to be busy wiht their own run? Eyes in the back of their heads perhaps? :)
Yes folks, I realize these last 2 items are very petty, but I'm a picky guy.
Would I recommend this game? Of course! Even with the amount of dodgy menus and button problems mentioned, this is still an extremely "fun" game to play--the likes of which I have not seen since the days of "Skate or Die" on the NES.
Oh well. Those are just my thoughts. :)