Five reasons to be Stoked

3. Get to the chopper!

You begin each run by jumping out of a helicopter, landing at one of eight drop points placed strategically across the mountain’s slopes. After you've pulled off enough tricks, though, you can get complete control of the helicopter, enabling you to leap onto the powder wherever you want, literally anywhere on the entire mountain. You’ll have full, 360-degree control over the chopper, too, flying it manually to any point in the terrain that looks interesting.

4. 360 Exclusive

Speaking of 360, Stoked is a 360 exclusive. While you may see Shaun White around town with all the other consoles, Stoked still knows how important console monogamy is to consumers. Such a rarity needs to be applauded in this day and age. It won't bring its Skate-style trick system anywhere else this year.

5. Be Ansel Adams, except with a snowboard

When not doing tricks, players can stop at any time and take photos of their picturesque surroundings, and of other snowboarders pulling off tricks. And it works with multiplayer as well, enabling you to take pictures of your friends doing tricks as they drop in on your mountain via Xbox Live. If the art of it isn’t enough for you, the photos are also attached to sweet, sweet Achievements.

Oct 15, 2008

Henry Gilbert

Henry Gilbert is a former GamesRadar+ Editor, having spent seven years at the site helping to navigate our readers through the PS3 and Xbox 360 generation. Henry is now following another passion of his besides video games, working as the producer and podcast cohost of the popular Talking Simpsons and What a Cartoon podcasts.