Tony Hawk's Project 8

"Not as bad as people say it is but I've seen better"

Project 8 kept the series alive but it definitely didn't step it up a notch. Tony Hawk will probably always be fun to play even if you're just skating around. So it's hard for a game to really kill the whole series. This game was basically just a little extension from American Wasteland with a few extras thrown in. I like a series to get better and be more fun with every game it comes out with but Project 8 just didn't do this for me.

Gameplay 8/10- Like I said before Tony Hawk will always be fun to play. Skating around, getting big air, and busting huge combos are still alive and well in Project 8. To add on to this, a new feature called “nail the trick” was introduced in this game. “Nail the trick” mode is when you're in the air, you have the option to control your character's feet with the analog sticks so you can do kickflips, heelflips, impossibles, etc. This is fun to do once you get it figured out but it doesn't make the game that much better. Customization is also very limited which wasn't a huge deal to me but some people might have a problem with it. I usually just go with the default skater in story mode but that's just me. The levels are really varied so you get a lot of different environments to skate in that are mostly a lot of fun. Basically this game is the same as any other Tony Hawk game with tiny improvements thrown in.

Story 4/10- The story was the biggest let down of the game in my opinion. The title gives nothing away so you're pretty much swinging in the dark. Project 8 could mean anything. Basically all you do is play random challenges that are scattered around the levels and try to increase your rank by doing these. The overall goal is to get to rank #8 so you can be on a team Tony Hawk is putting together. Throughout the game there are no plot-building cutscenes except for talking with a few pros that have challenges for you. Skateboarding games don't need a very in-depth story to keep the game going but a little something more would have been nice.

Graphics/Sound 6/10- Graphics never have mattered too much to me and they probably never will. As long as they aren't tremendously bad, I don't complain too much. This game's graphics were good enough for me and they probably will be for you too. You shouldn't have too many complaints and if you do you'll get over it. The sound on the other hand is something worth complaining about. Not so much the sound in general is bad but it's just the playlist that bothers me. I usually depend on Tony Hawk and Need For Speed to have good soundtracks in every game they come out with. Project 8 let me down this time. There was a good song here and there but overall it didn't spark my interest. But soundtracks can't really be judged too much because everybody has their own taste in music so you'll have to find out for yourself and get your own opinion. But to me, it was pretty bad.

Play Time/Replayability 6/10- This game has a decent size to it. Even though there aren't as many levels as previous Tony Hawk games, there is a lot to do in all of them and getting it all done perfectly can take some time. If you're a Tony Hawk pro you probably won't find it too difficult and you will be able to finish the game in a short amount of time. Replayability isn't good at all but that's how it is in almost all Tony Hawk games. After your first play through there isn't really anything to do a second time. I guess you could go for all the gaps and get 100% on absolutely everything in the game but you can just as well do that in your old profile that you made it into Project 8 with. But for the most part there is really no reason to play through story mode again.

Overall 6/10- Like my title says, this game got a lot of harsh criticism that I thought was pretty unnecessary. There are a bunch of worse games out there that deserve more denouncement than Project 8. But don't get me wrong this game definitely has a lot to be ridiculed for. I expected more from the eighth game in this series. I wouldn't advise you to stop what you're doing right now and go get this game but if you have a couple of extra bucks and some spare time you might as well give it a try. Another way you could do it is to rent it first and see how you like it. If you're a big skater, there is probably a lot to appreciate in this game. Either way you should have some fun playing it and it's not going to be a huge waste of cash.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 03/22/07