Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4

"Sometimes change is a good thing."

Sometimes change is a good thing and by that I mean that this game is different than the others.

At first, I was skeptical about the new format of the game, I'll explain in a little bit if you don't know what I'm talking about, but after playing I realized that this game was the better than all the previous Tony Hawk games.

For those of you that don't know, there is no longer defined two-minute runs like there used to be, sort of. Now you simply start skating and when you see someone that wants to talk to you you talk to them. They give an assignment and you have a certain time limit to do it. Sometimes it's two minutes, sometimes it's not.

In graphics I give it a 10 out of 10.
The game looks sharper and overall looks smoother than in Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3. It is one of the better looking games available for the Game Cube

In control I give it a 10 out of 10.
The controls are basically the same as the previous games. The newest feature is the spine transfer. This allows you to transfer from one quarter pipe to another by going over the top of the quarter pipe. The game makes you do it a few times in different goals, to try to make you notice their new feature.

In sound I give it a 9 out of 10.
The new sound track is very good. It has a lot of variety, most notably to me ''Express Yourself'' by N.W.A. (Dr. Dre's old rap group). There are plenty of other great songs, too. I still prefer the first game's soundtrack but its still enough for me to actually leave the volume up, which is a big thing to me.

I haven't seen any glitches, at all, in the game.

In challenge it's a 5 out of 10.
Overall the game isn't that hard. It's just that some of those goals drove me wild and some dollar bills seemed impossible to get. You can spent hours on a goal if you let yourself. Just keep your cool and if you get stuck, take a break and come back. You can do it!!

In fun level it's a 10 out of 10.
If you had fun with the old games you'll have fun with this one. Maybe even more fun because the levels are more complex and without the two minute restrictions you can just play around for as long as you want. Also, since it is so different it is more exciting.

In replay value it's a 10 out of 10.
Just as in the other Tony Hawk games you could play the game for a million hours and still have new combos and tricks to do. Multi-player never gets old and single player is great too. You can just keep playing and playing and never get bored.

Overall this game is a 10 out of 10.
Go out and buy it. If you can't afford to buy it, rent it. If you don't have five bucks, than find somebody who does and be their friend. You don't want to miss this game, it's the best game in the series and one of the best games for the 'Cube.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/10/02, Updated 11/10/02