2K plans three for 360 launch

2K Sports is aiming to have Amped 3, NHL 2K6 and NBA 2K6 ready for the launch of Xbox 360 in Europe on December 2nd, the publisher confirmed today.

It's all a question of whether the games get through Microsoft's submission process in time, but speaking to Eurogamer this morning a 2K Sports rep said, "That's what we're working towards".

Of those, Amped 3 is probably the most interesting prospect from our perspective - it's 2K Sports' extension of the Amped Xbox series, formerly Microsoft-owned, and features seven new real-world snowboarding resorts.

Rather like SSX On Tour, which featured skiing in addition to 'boarding this year, Amped 3 also dumps the board now and then - in favour of snowmobiling and sledding. It'll also feature a worldwide ranking system run over Xbox Live, naturally.

EA hasn't yet announced an SSX for 360, so certainly to begin with Amped ought to be the system's only entry in that field - good news for those who favour what the developers believe to be a more realistic take on the noble art of riding a plank of wood down a snowy hill at stupid speeds.