Tony Hawk's Underground

"Not perfect, but a great advancement for the series."

I don't know how some people got the idea that THUG was gonna be like GTA. Maybe Neversoft, in a whirl of ambition, said it. But THUG is very close to THPS4. Only it reaches new peaks of customization, and ties the random goals toegether with a purpose. THUG doesn't offer huge cities to jack cars and destroy. The normal sized Tony Hawk levels are back, with some cars , that unfortunately, absolutely suck. However, the great trick system has been improved.

Gameplay: In the old Tony Hawk games, I found the perpetual movement disorientating. You couldn't just stand up, pick up your board and look for a line. In THUG, you can get off your board. Movement is very digital, you can only run. The skaters don't control very well. And Neversoft has clumsily put in some "platforming", which is totally lame and out of place. And I already told you, the driving really sucks. The cars go around skateparks, crashing into ramps and bouncing off. But I am glad for getting off your board. For one thing, you can tie lines toegether even more. You can stop and look where to go. And you can jump into grinds. And the trick system is as good as ever, allowing for great combos and flashy tricks that are even crazier. Add some even better levels, three classic levels, and you've got some great gameplay. The main addition, according to Neversoft, is the story mode. You go from a casual skater to a pro. I love the story, it's light-hearted, but it gives the apparently random goals in the Tony Hawk games more purpose. Also, Neversoft has added way more celebrity voicing, and included lots of stuff from the skating companies that affect the Story. You can also watch a slew of skate videos, which are really good. 9/10

Graphics: Tony Hawk games have never been about great graphics. With low-res character models, clipping, and no real art style, THUG dosn't look incredible. But the levels are bigger, the sky is really good, and the trick animation is superb. While knockable objects have the worst physics I've ever seen, your falls are better than ever, and your skateboard shows impressive physics as it flies of in falls. I do see, however, that Neversoft is using a more cartoony art style in THUG2 (not cel-shading though), that is going to look far better than the rest of the Tony Hawk games. 8/10

Sound: THUG has a HUGE soundtrack, with punk, rock/other, and hip hop. I must say, falling while hip-hop is going on is REALLY nauseating, but Neversoft thankfully gives the option to turn off genres. The punk and rock/other happens to be very good, so I turned off all hip-hop. For sounds, I really like the voice acting, and the scripts do it justice. Also, all the Tony Hawk sounds are familiar, like grinding, the SFX when you do a "special" trick, etc. 9/10

Replay Value: Well THUG has loads of customization. You can make your own tricks, make your own goals on the solo levels, you can make your own level, which takes time but is a lot easier thanks to some intuitive tools. You can make goals for your own levels, you can make your own skaters, you can make your own decks. You can make your own many things. But the solo levels eventually to get very boring, once you know everything in them. Still, if you take advantage of the custom level tool, it should be fine. And there's also two player multiplayer, which you can play on your own levels too, and you can have free-skate, which is just exploring the levels without competition, or heated rivalries with Trick Attack, Combo-Mombo, Graffiti, Fireball, and much more. PS2 owners also get online. 9.5/10

THUG isnb't the best extreme sports game of 2003. That goes to SSX 3. But fans will like this game, it makes loads of improvements and give you more customization than ever. Some goals involving driving, platoforming or sneaking feel slapped on and totally rushed. But even if it's not incredibly polished, THUG is the best Tony Hawk game so far, and any fan of skateboarding, the Tony Hawk series, or just extreme sports games should rent it or buy it.

8.9/10 - rounded to 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/11/03, Updated 09/26/04