Tony Hawk's Underground

"Tony Hawk's Underground. Was it all it was hyped up to be?"

Gameplay - 9/10
The gameplay in this game was the highlight of my gaming experience, this is the most fun I've had on my GCN yet. The trick system is still as good as it was in THPS3 and 4, but it just seems much more smooth and refined. It is simple, B plus down is pop shove it, X plus down is tailgrab, etc. Simple, but for the more experienced gamer, it gets more complicated, with hidden combos and moves containing double taps and other special button combos. The create-a-park mode is great, it allows you to make nice, detailed parks, and even create goals for your parks. The create-a-deck mode was disappointing, but it did atleast let me get a better deck than the one provided at the start of the game. There are also many hidden ''easter eggs'' in the game, like KISS. No, seriously, I said KISS. There is a way to unlock a KISS video, and have them play onstage for you, as well as three KISS songs in the soundtrack. I like KISS, but somebody just was on a KISS high and went overboard at Neversoft. At least Peter Griffin is happy.

Audio - 6/10
The soundtrack has made the most buzz in the gaming community than anything else in the game. I, for one, wasn't too happy with the soundtrack, but it is acceptable. It consists of three categories: Punk, Hip Hop, and Rock/Other. There are many well-known artists/bands such as Jane's Addiction, KISS, Nas, etc. And then there are........others.

Graphics - 7/10
The graphics are not as bad as some people say, I have even seen reviews with ridiculous bashing such as ''these graphics belong in a Playstation game.'' But, in fact, they are definitely not that bad. The characters are not the best I have seen, and are not that detailed and blocky, but you can't tell me you didn't expect that with all of the different customization choices. The courses are very detailed and just beautiful. Overall, the graphics weren't too impressing.

Story - 9/10
The story in this game hooks you in and then wraps you up in it and keeps you there for hours. You start out as a homegrown skate punk with a dream. You're friend Eric Sparrow, starts by telling you about the Chad Muska demo coming to your town, so you follow him. The whole story is about you trying to become a pro, and there are many twists. Some you see coming, some just hit you from behind. But the biggest obstacle in your way is Eric himself.

Replay Value - 9/10
This game has great replay value, but there are some bumps. First of all, there are some choices to make, but they don't affect the game at all, except for your clothing and board. Another gripe is the length of time you can play. The first day I got the game, I started on normal mode, and beat it in two more days, doing all goals. Beginner and Easy modes took me one day each, and Sick mode I still haven't beat, because of getting stuck on many occasions.

Rent or Buy?
Buy, even after you beat the game and get all of the unlockables, you can free skate your life away, trust me.

Overall - 7/10
This game is great, but frankly, I found THPS 3 and THPS 4 more fun and fast paced, but this game is definitely a keeper.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 02/18/04