Video Games

LOS ANGELES--Next-generation sports game fans have two more reasons to be happy. 2K Sports, a brand of Take-Two Interactive, has announced that the Xbox 360 has netted Top Spin 2, the sequel to the Xbox game, and Amped 3, the third snowboarding game.

The Top Spin and Amped licenses were from Microsoft when Take-Two purchased the Utah-based developer responsible for the games. The studio, now called Indie Built, recently Top Spin for the PlayStation.

In Top Spin 2, gamers will be able to play as, with, or against 24 professional players, including Andy Roddick, James Blake, Roger Federer, and Maria Sharapova. A new create-a-player function using the new DigitalIdentity system allows gamers to customize characters' look, from physical features to wardrobe.

With the new high-definition technology of the 360, the graphics will see improvements in the players' animations, stadiums, and crowds. Top Spin 2 will also have new strokes, including all new risk shots.

The Amped series, which has ridden on the Xbox since 2001, takes a third run down the mountain on the Xbox 360. Amped 3 lets riders customize tricks, boarders' clothes, and runs. The story-driven single-player mode will see gamers trying to save their buddies from trouble on the mountain.

There's no word on whether or not the games will be available at the Xbox 360's launch this fall.