THUG... Now how do I go about reviewing a game with such a record of quality, yet one that also fails on so many levels?
To start off, the gameplay is what you would expect from any Tony Hawk's game. You have your grinds, flips, and grabs, all of which you will use to complete various objectives in a variety of locales.
The catch is that this TH's game actually has a story mode. You are, after going through a fairly deep Create a Character, a penniless boarder in Jersey. You work your way out of Jeresey, into the pro circuit, to the top, and a series of twists will have you struggling again. Let me just warn you: The story is very bland and cliche.
Too go along with your amatuer status, you won't have any Specials, or high-point moves you can use when your sepcial meter is filled. Instead, you have to get these moves from other professionals by earning them.
Now about earning. The objectives in this game are stupid. They may have some variety in such things as driving, racking up points, scaling buildings, etc; but they are all horribly designed. Especially the driving. Remember the driving sections of Enter the Matrix, especially the one after the airport? Now add a half-ton block to the back of your car. The other objectives I ran into were pretty nonsensical, like they were only there to make you suffer in cruel and unusual ways. (Emphasis on UNUSUAL)
One thing to note about this game are the adverstisements. This game seemed to me more of a giant, interactive commercial for various products rather than a game, which is sad because the skating itself is quite good.
Sound is decent, and up to par with anything done in the past, so no complaints here.
The graphics are average, with some sections looking really bad, and others almost awe inspiring (Especially a chopper-video, but you'll find out). Beyond a sometimes troublesome camera, nothing to really complain about.
FINAL WORD: Rent this game first. It doesn't have as much replay as its predecessors, save the create a skater mode, which should give you plenty of things to show your friends.
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