Amped 3 demo boards onto Live

There doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason with Xbox 360 demos debuting on the Xbox Live Marketplace. Some appear weeks before the game hits retail shelves, as was the case with the demo for Electronic Arts' Battlefield 2: Modern Combat. On the other end of the spectrum, some limp onto the scene months after the title has been in retail, such as Peter Jackson's King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie.

The latest demo late to the party is a sample of 2K Sports' Amped 3, which was one of the Xbox 360's launch titles in November 2005. After more than four months of being available for purchase in stores, the game's trial version is now available as a 767MB download from the Xbox Live Marketplace.

Amped 3 takes the series in a new direction, ditching the relatively straight-laced snowboarding action for a presentation style that seems fueled by a mescaline trip. In the game, players strap into the bindings of a snowboarder looking for fame and slope cred. Along the way, a colorful cast of characters and a unique storyline will be revealed through a series of wacky cutscenes.

Amped 3 is rated T for Teen and now has a suggested retail price of $39.99. To see if the game is a bunny slope or a double diamond, read GameSpot's full review.