Tony Hawk's Pro Skater

"I am a member of a new breed . . . the punk nerd!"

Skateboarders have got to be angry at this game. It is near-perfect, and so every gaming geek (including me) has gone out and bought this game. Now the nerds think they can skate.

Graphics: 9/10. Expansive areas with little fog (except in two-player) and great skater models are just part of this cart. There is also no slowdown, high detail, and the use of none of the same textures over (it seems like). There are some clipping problems, though, as you bail and your head goes through a wall. Ouch. If one more PSX gamer whines about the omission or the blood, I'm going to scream. The PSX blood looked like crap anyway.

Sound: 10/10. Can you expect any more from your Nintendo 64? No, you can't. The sound effects are awesome and realistic, from the sound of skating on different terrain to rushing water to vans' horns as they speed by. The music is awesome, too, even though the expletives were taken out.

Story: 1/10. Just skate, skate, skate.

Replay: 8/10. The three two-player modes are very entertaining, and the Career Mode will take you a while. It's fun trying to get the Trick Tutorials for every character, and the challenge level is high, without being too frustrating.

Gameplay: 9/10. The control will take a little getting used to, and it is probably better to use the D-Pad for this one. Actual gameplay is fast and furious. I never thought that two minutes could last as long as it seems to in this game. You are often rewarded for playing, and the game becomes very addictive the more things you earn. The tricks are spectacular, especially for someone like me who can barely ollie (I can actually do a 900, but that's on the round writhing in pain from attempting to jump some stairs). This is a must-have for every N64 owner.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/21/00, Updated 07/21/00