The Xbox has arrived and we are nicely treated to some snowboarding action. Even if you're not a fan of the alternative sport, you might want to give this one a try.

Downtown Jimmy's Lowdown
Amped is a wicked trip on the board. Its by far the best snowboarding game i have played to date. The game real life physics give this game a moderate learning curve to getting all your moves down, but the rewards are great.

There is allot more than just running down the hill. There events where you have to gain sponsors respect and this takes performing tricks to their specific liking. There are also pro challenges, where you go head to head through different stages of the pros and at the end ultimately gaining the pro's unique board. There are tones of gear to suit yourself up in and tones of insane snowmen to crash into!

Once you get rolling you'll never want to stop. You start ranked well over 100 and your mission is to be the best in the world! Its hard let me tell you, I have put in my fair share of hours into Amped and i have made it to a respectable #3.

If you are looking for a snowboaring game for the xbox pick this one up, beware all SSX Tricky fans this is what a snowboaring game is suppose be like. "Pick This Sucka Up"

Gameplay: 8, Graphics/Sound: 7, Innovation: 8, Mojo: 8. Final: 8

Jive Turkey's Lowdown
Amped is a cool game that lets you jump on the board and go wild. It puts you in some intense gaming action right from the start. Some good jumps combined with high flying tricks makes for an awesome trip. Throw in some of your own tunes from the hard drive and bop around on the slopes and try to get the score up.

The reason why I gave the innovation a lower score was that it was very reminiscent of 1080 Snowboarding for the Nintendo 64. However, gameplay was excellent and the career mode really gives the game an awesome feel. The learning curve isn’t too bad once you get the feel. A couple hours on this game and you can be a decent rider ready to take on the slopes. The way the game is set up it eases you into the high-tech maneuvers that you are raring to do.

Overall it’s a great game that leads to hours of fun. For the low price you can pick this game up for now I would definitely say "GO FOR IT!"

Gameplay: 8, Graphics/Sound: 8, Innovation: 6, Mojo: 8. Final: 8

• Open freestyle riding. Snowboard enthusiasts can forget miles of barren wasteland and tight tunnel races. Amped offers 1,500 jumps and rails on 80 wide-open mountain runs.
• Players can jib, bonk or spin between runs to hidden areas and cool jump sequences.
• Mountains are alive with crashing boarders, flying pros and roaming photographers.
• Spectacular real mountains. Players can ride the runs on real mountain resorts: Utah's Brighton, Vermont's Stratton and California's Snow Summit.
• Premier snowboarding resorts are re-created with perfect snow conditions and jaw-dropping, built-for-Xbox graphics.
• Four international fantasy venues designed by world-renowned terrain architect Chris Gunnarson are ready for exploration.
• Snowboarding media stars. Players vie for enough global exposure to become one of the world's snowboarding media superstars.
• Snowboarders have the chance to perform insane tricks in front of roaming photographers and camera crews to get their face on video and magazine covers.
• Players also can take on challenges such as "follow the pro" or jib the snow off trees to gain exposure and unlock mountains.
• More music. Amped: Freestyle Snowboarding offers ten CDs worth of hot new indie music from pounding hip-hop to rhythmic reggae.
• More in-game choice for maximum replayability. Players make gameplay choices on the mountain, not in a menu of disconnected events. Snowboarders start at the top of a peak and decide how to win from there.
• There are hundreds of ways down each mountain packed with rails, kickers and half-pipes. Players take on 125 challenges, explore hidden areas and locate new spectators for a different ride every time.
• Gamers can design their own multiplayer sessions and make up the rules of freestyle competition.