With SSX Tricky and Transworld Snowboarding coming to the Xbox, is Amped worth it?

I’m not a huge fan of snowboarding games, but for some reason, this one really got into me. I popped the disc in my Xbox and without even knowing, I spent 8 hours playing. I guess the gameplay got me hooked, it’s different from most "extreme sport" games. Simply because in this one you have to get sponsored, not get the most points.

The controls feel a little odd, because the buttons on the Xbox controller are too close together. Don’t get me wrong, but often, I ended up doing a grad instead of grinding. Even after 2-3 hours, I still had the problem, it took me around 7 hours to get used to it. Other then the controls, the gameplay is addictive as hell. In each level, there are different missions you must accomplish, such as impressing the sponsors, find hidden objects (like snowmen), or just a certain amount of points. The hardest part of the game has to be, doing half-pipes, it will taker you while to figure out how to get enough air to pull crazy combos.
The multiplayer mode is deceiving since there are only games like "King of the Hill, "Best Trick" or "High Score", where you don’t play in split-screen mode, but have to take turns playing.

Graphically, this game lives up to the expectations, the levels are huge and extremely detailed with no pop-ups whatsoever. The characters are a also very well made, and they cast shadows on themselves. The effect of the snow flying off your board when your get air adds a lot of realism.
The bad part about the graphics are the jaggies, there seems to be a lot especially around corners.

With more then 100 songs from Hip-Hop, Reggae and more to choose from, the game has one of the biggest and best soundtrack ever. You can also rip your favorite CD’s to the Xbox’s hard-drive and listen to them wile playing. The in-game sounds are nothing amazing thought, the photographs will repeat the same lines often to the point where it gets annoying.

To sum everything up, this game has a lot to offer and many features which wont get you bored anytime soon.
This game is a must if you like (extreme) sport games!