Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
Don't let the title fool you. This game isn't just for skateboarding fans.

It's About Time!

Videogame fans, and especially skateboarding fans, have been waiting patiently for a decent skateboarding game. The PlayStation currently has the horrible "extreme" series that features some skateboarding, but the little bit included is done terribly. Electronic Arts also tried its hand at a skateboarding game, releasing Street Sk8er, but it will hardly satisfy any cravings you've been having for a skateboarding game. Now, with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, we finally have a real skateboarding game that scores well in every department. Activision and developer Neversoft have brought us the best skateboarding game ever, not to mention one of the best PlayStation games in a while.

The God of Skate

Look Ma! No hands..

If you're wondering who this Tony Hawk character is, you most likely live in a log cabin in the middle of the woods. Tony Hawk recently pulled off an incredible feat in skateboarding — the 900. Words cannot begin to describe this remarkable accomplishment. If for no other reason, buy this game just to see a quick spot in one of the videos where he is seen pulling it off at this past summer's X-Games. Oh, and you will have your own chance to pull off the 900 in the actual game...if you're good enough.

Skate & Destroy

After the PlayStation finishes loading the game, you will be greeted with an opening video sequence featuring the nine pro skaters in action. From there, you will be brought to the main menu, where many options and modes await you. Here, you can choose from Career mode, Single Session, Free Skate, 2-Player mode, options menu, or view some videos.

The Career Mode is the main mode of the game. You must collect five videotapes in each course, which are needed to unlock other courses, equipment (raises your skater's stats), videos, and secrets. You can play a level as many time as needed, but a two-minute time limit is present. You earn tapes by meeting preset scores, performing certain tasks in a level (similar to Gex: Enter the Gecko), collecting letters that spell out the word skate, and finding one hidden tape on each level. There are also competitions within the Career mode in which you have a chance of winning one of three medals: Gold, Silver, or Bronze. Only once you unlock the courses in Career mode will they be available in the others. Just make sure to have a memory card available to save your progress, because it will take more than a day to beat this game.

Single Session mode is a two-minute session where you pick a course (must be unlocked in Career mode) and try to set some high scores.

Free Skate is just that, a free-skating session where there are no time limits or videotapes to worry about. Again, you will need to unlock extra courses in Career mode to skate them in Free Skate.

There are also a few types of two-player games that you and friend can try. Graffiti Mode is played via a split screen, and obstacles in the game will become "tagged" after performing a trick on them. If you bust out a better move on an obstacle already tagged, it will be awarded to you. Whoever has the most spots "tagged" at the end of the two minutes wins. Trick Attack is similar to the one-player Single Session mode, except you go head-to-head against a friend. The final two-player mode is a skateboarding version of horse. It's very similar to the basketball version, but here it is played using skateboarding tricks. You will receive a letter if you bail or cannot match your opponent's score. The first person who spells out the word loses. Overall, the two-player modes greatly enhance the life of the game.

The game's options let you customize the controls, turn vibration on or off (must have a Dual Shock controller), adjust sound and music levels, turn trick tips on or off, and more. You can also view any videos that you received in Career mode.

Everything but the Kitchen Sink

Sassy!

The actual game simulates skateboarding pretty accurately, but there are plenty of insane maneuvers that spice up the action. Choosing from one of 10 professional skaters, each with their own advantages and disadvantages, you have a number of tricks you can pull and link together. Everything from flip tricks to a variety of grinds can be executed with a press of a button along with a move on the direction pad (or analog stick). Only once you get the basics and timing down will you be able to link spectacular tricks together without falling. Of course, the pros have their own special moves, so you can master those as well. However, you must fill your trick meter first, which will accumulate after you do some tricks without falling.

Just about everything you see in each of the nine levels is completely skateable. If you want to grind on top of a car, go ahead. There's even a couple of levels that have some moving automobiles that you can shred. Other than that, there are your standard half-pipes, quarter-pipes, launch ramps, rails, pools, and staircases awaiting you in each level. The levels are spread among many different areas. From a school to an empty shopping mall, each level requires an individual strategy to get all the tapes and the highest score. If you have a Dual Shock Analog controller you will be able to "feel" your grinds, bails, and rough surfaces — a nice added touch.

After you finished tearing up a particular course, you can view a replay of your session. You can view a full replay or choose to view the highlights of your run. Every time you do a great trick, you will hear a camera click, letting you know that it was included as a highlight. You can also save your favorite replays to show them off to your friends.

Sights and Sounds

As already mentioned, each level takes place in a different area and has its own unique theme. There are different types of skateable surfaces on each level that affect your speed. The levels look good, for the most part, but there are some pixellated objects and a small amount of fog (most prominent on the San Francisco level) to reduce draw-in. Many levels also have video walls that play clips of actual music and skateboard videos. This doesn't add anything to gameplay, but it is a nice touch. The skaters are very well modeled, creating a feeling that you are really skating as Tony Hawk or one of the other nine pros. The animation is also superb, making each trick very satisfying to pull off. The on-screen action doesn't interfere with the camera system, which actually keeps up with your quick moves. Rarely will you blame the camera for any of your falls.

The frame-rate remains consistent throughout the entire game, so you will always have a nice sense of speed when flying off ramps or racing down hills. I must also mention the convincing sound effects. The grinds sound like grinds, and each type of surface (e.g., metal, wood, pebble, concrete) has its own unique sound. I did grow tired of the lame sounds that came from the skaters every time they would fall; there could have been a little more variety. However, that's just nit picking. Finally, the game features a soundtrack that includes ten rockin' bands, ranging from Primus to the Dead Kennedys. As much as I like the bands and the music included in the game, hearing the same songs repeatedly does become annoying. Well, at least you can turn the music down or completely off.

Don't Forget Your Helmet

Two-player split-screen action.

When you bail, blood squirts and it takes a couple of seconds to get back up. My main problem with the game is the unrealistic falls. I would've liked to have seen a health bar for the player in the Career mode, allowing for only a certain number of falls before the player is severely injured, ultimately ending their career. In real life, skaters have been known to get up after some very bad falls, but not as bad as some of the ones in this game. I would have also liked to seen some broken bones and mangled bodies, reflecting the nature of some of the particularly bad falls (e.g., falling of a high building). If you're going to include blood, why not take it to the next level. It wouldn't have hurt to add a few more secret characters (like some of Tony's old Bones Brigade buddies), either. The only other thing I would have liked in the game would have been a dedicated brake button to execute a power slide (an old-school move). This would have made it easier to turn on the dime, preventing missed opportunities to do tricks off ramps and such.

What a Game!

If you are a skateboarding fan, you probably already bought this game and didn't need much convincing. Its mixture of realistic and not-so-realistic skateboard action will please any fan of the wooden toy. The secret videos for each skater will keep you playing until you have seen them all (the bails video is especially painful to watch). Even after you beat the game, unlocking all the secrets, there is still a great deal of enjoyment to be had skating freely around the levels. You don't have to be a fan of skateboarding to enjoy this game, either. If you like fun, challenging games with great gameplay and lots of depth, you will enjoy this game. Who knows, it might even make you pick up a real skateboard and try it out.

Supports:

• 1-2 Players
• Dual Shock Analog Controller (recommended)
• Memory Card