The success of the legendary 1080 Snowboarding on N64, everybody wanted a version of the new genre for their console. The belated and, if we?re honest, disappointing, sequel, 1080 Avalanche on the GameCube, didn?t get there in time to claim the crown that should have been its by birthright, though. That?s because somebody had already made a better selling snowboard series, indeed, a whole dynasty of them: Electronic Arts. There?ll be none of the usual criticism of the industry behemoth here, though. EA are regularly pilloried for derivative games and unfailing sequels, but the SSX games really are splendid, and have gone from strength to strength. They are regarded by many as the finest snowboarding games available. But not by many Xbox owner/fanboys, who?ll rarely be overheard espousing the awesomeness of anything other than their beloved Amped.

The first Amped set out its stall with a huge array customisable fashion for your snowboarder. And it also included an enormous library of music to nod your trendy head to knowingly. 150 songs to be precise ? famously the most ever on any videogame at the time. Amped 2 brought more of everything ? more clothes, more music, and bigger mountains. Now a new Amped graces the screen of a new Xbox.

Amped 3 is bigger in every way than its predecessors. The intriguing storyline follows a gang of snowboarding misfits and will take you through no less than seven mountainous environments, each more than three times larger than anything you?ve seen before in an Amped game. Each one is based on a real life resort, and being a radical sort of dude, you don?t stick to the designated runs ? you?re free to roam wherever you like. You can also customise the resorts? parks, choosing where you put rails and ramps, and you?re not limited to your board, with the opportunity to try out sleds and snowmobiles also on offer. The Amped ethos continues, too, with more than 300 tracks to listen to, and even the most beard-stroking among you will be satisfied by the revelation that every single one is taken from the catalogues of independent record labels. This is a 360 game, so expect lush graphics, and some online content ? in this case an online leaderboard where you can post your high scores. Gnarly.