Amped 3
Xbox 360
From: 2K Games
Visuals: Barely better than regular Xbox
Audio: Fantastic slate of indie bands
Difficulty: Easy
Fun Factor: Surprisingly playable snowboard game
Amped 3 was lost in the shuffle of the Xbox 360 launch back in November, but with a lack of new games to play on the system right now, 2K Games’ snowboarder warrants a second look. Many gamers will be turned off by Amped’s failure to look the part of “next-gen”–it was obviously intended as an original Xbox game and switched over later. But the 360’s boost does push back the horizon, allowing boarders to see all the way to the bottom of Amped’s massive mountains. The game is very playable, thanks to easy controls that let anybody pull off huge tricks and have a good time. It takes finesse to coax out 200,000-point combos, so more hard-core players can dig in for a challenge too. The game is framed by a bizarre story mode that features cut scenes with sock puppets, anime, classic video games and scrapbooking. It’s over-the-top and a lot of fun to watch. The biggest thing Amped 3 is missing, though, is online play–and on the 360, built for online gaming, it’s a pretty harsh sin to overlook.
RATING: 3 ghosts
True Swing Golf
Nintendo DS
From: Nintendo
Visuals: Workmanlike, but nothing special
Audio: Harmless muzak doesn’t distract.
Difficulty: Moderate
Fun Factor: Excellent new way to play video game golf
It’s good to see a sports game for Nintendo that doesn’t feature the ever-diluted brand of Mario. Even better, True Swing uses the touch-screen sensibilities of the Nintendo DS to offer an entirely new way to play video game golf. To swing the club, the players run the stylus across the bottom screen as the DS measures the quickness of the stroke, as well as how straight the line is drawn. Both factor into power and accuracy, giving players a new level of interactivity with a vid sport that, after a while, basically boiled down to a game of numbers. There is no shortage of courses for digital duffers to swing across, either. The 15 courses offer increasing challenges, and winning tournaments unlocks new gear to help your game. Unfortunately, Nintendo didn’t spring for the graphics, as True Swing looks decent, if not a little Spartan. But, then again, the goal of the DS is not to wow with visuals like the PSP, but offer new game-play experiences. And True Swing is indeed one of them.
RATING: 4 ghosts
GADGET
Gadget Power Station
$24.95, hollywoodforces.com
If you’re a gadget hound, this power station allows you to charge and store all of your portable electronics in one location. The station comes with three electrical outlets and a built-in surge protector to make sure your goodies don’t go boom.
— Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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COMING SOON
In stores next week
Payout Poker and Casino, PSP (right)
American Conquest: Divided Nation, Windows 98/2000/XP/NT
Torino 2006, XB/PS2/Windows XP
World War II Combat: Road to Berlin, XB/Windows XP
