Tony Hawk's Underground

"Best Tony Hawk game yet?"

Yet another Tony Hawk game has hit the shelves. How does it add up compared to the other four big-name games in the series? Quite well, I think. The new ideas put in are portrayed excellently.

The graphics were far from impressive in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4, and the developers did not improve the graphics for this outing. The characters are blocky, and the environments are usually rough. On the bright side, the textures are pretty good and so is the animation. I was expecting much more from the graphics, they’re bad, even by Playstation 2 standards!

Luckily, the audio corner of the game is almost good enough to help us all forget about the half-baked graphics. The music is rap, but it is used as background music that sort of dangles in your mind as you play the game. Plus, there is a play list, and even the option to turn off music if you hate it that much. The voices are all very high quality, and the sound effects of the skateboard are very realistic. Overall, you’ll want to keep the volume pumped high.

Unlike other Tony Hawk games, there is a story. You start out as a punk skateboarder, who you can create, and along with your friend, Eric Sparrow, become pros. The story has twists and turns that will make you question who you can trust. Though it’s not deep or moving, I found the story to be quite enjoyable.

You know the deal with Tony Hawk games – skateboard. You can grind with the Y button, ollie with the A button, grab with the X button, flip with the B button, and now you can hop off your skateboard and walk around by pressing the Z button. The controls are tight, so if you screw up, the only person you can blame is yourself. The walking mechanic is very useful and can string combos together. Another new feature is that you can drive cars in certain missions. The controls for walking and driving are not as perfect, but still up to snuff. You will not be thinking about the piece of plastic in your hands as you play this game.

As with the other Tony Hawk games, there are many modes. Story Mode, as stated earlier, is a satisfying way of going from mission to mission around the skate parks. There are four difficulties so that players of all skills and ages can play. Free Run will allow you to explore the courses or do a Trick Attack. 2-Player will allow you to play with your imaginary friend in many modes, including the new Flame Attack. Create-a-Park is as good as ever, but now you can make your own goals. Sweet! You can even make your own goals in the courses of the game. There is also Create-a-Skater, which gives you more options than ever. Want to create the typical punk skateboarder to achieve the feel of realism? Go ahead. Want to create a girl wearing nothing but a coconut bra and a mini-skirt to make you giggle as you stare up into her panties? Go ahead. Want to create a headless clown to laugh at as he does odd things? Go ahead. The Create-a-Skater has more pieces of clothing than ever before to experiment with. All of the modes are very satisfying and add value to this disc.

Like all video games, Tony Hawk’s Underground has its fair share of flaws. First off, the graphics are not up to standards. The second flaw is the fact that there are some missions that are flat-out stupid. Examples range from having to hide from Russian guards or operate a blimp. Luckily, these are not too common. Also, the difficulty can seem unbalanced at times.

Despite these flaws, there is no way you can argue with all of the modes and courses on this disc. Tony Hawk veterans will love it, and now is a good time for new people to jump aboard. All of the customization and modes will keep you playing for a while. This is perhaps the best Tony Hawk yet!

Rate: 9.25/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/28/04