Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3

"Grinding along the line of perfection."

Introduction:
In the midst of a flood of great games and new consoles, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (THPS3) shows style as it emerges onto the Playstation 2. Neversoft, the development team responsible for the first two THPS games, proves that the third installment is better in every respect. This fantastic game is one of the year's best. Neversoft improves the original formula with new moves, a well mixed soundtrack, stunning graphics, and dives into a completely new region not yet seen on the Playstation 2: online multiplayer modes. In every aspect, this game lives up to the standards set before it, and in most cases, surpasses them.

Graphics:
Neversoft obviously knows how to work sufficiently with their Playstation 2 development kit because THPS3 looks excellent. The levels are not only well designed but they are also visually stunning. The courses are very sharp looking, as are the players that inhabit them. The primary character models are quite intriguing, and offer a wide variety of details. When you are viewing the replay, you can pause the game to get a glimpse of the real level of detail put into the game. The many decks and their logos are quite detailed as well. Compared to the last two THPS games on the original Playstation, this game plays at light speed. The game itself runs constantly at 60 frames per second with minimal slowdown. Even the huge levels are lushly detailed as far as textures are concerned. Each and every move that the skaters can perform looks authentically beautiful. The gore factor has even been pumped up. You will see that THPS3 earns its ''Teen'' rating when your skater's blood is smeared down a half-pipe as you bail. Fortunately, for the kids, there is an option to turn the blood off. At any rate, the simple fact is that this is a second generation Playstation 2 title and it shows graphically.

Sounds:
The sounds of THPS3 draw you, the gamer, into a world of skating. Neversoft did an excellent job of composing the various sounds you will hear throughout the game. The basic sound effects are awesome, as they are very distinct and ring out with clarity. Every agonizing fall and bail sounds realistic, even to the point where you almost cringe at the sheer sound of crunching bones. The objects surrounding you give off plenty of unique sounds as well, such as the vehicles passing by or the local people that inhabit each level. The soundtrack in THPS3 brings a mixture of hip-hop and rock. While most of the songs are average, many of them are extremely catchy and help you skate. There might be one or two songs that annoy you, but that all depends on your taste. There are several additional songs in THPS3, helping any repetitious attitude you might have acquired while playing the previous THPS games. The list or artists includes: the Adolescents, AFI, Alien Ant Farm, Bodyjar, CKY, Del the Funky, Guttermouth, House of Pain, KRS-One, The Mad Capsule Markets, Motorhead, Nextmen, Ozomatli, the Ramones, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Redman, Reverend Horton Heat, Rollins Band, Xzibit, and Zebrahead. Yes, that is quite a list. There is even a bonus song in there written by one of the skaters. There is also an option to edit out certain tracks while you play the game, which is great if you dislike a track or two. When you combine the soundtrack with the sound effects, you are left with a great audible experience. You are well advised to turn up the speakers on this game, and use a surround sound system if you are fortunate enough to own one.

Gameplay:
Even in the other THPS games, the controls were perfect. So how does a team of developers improve an already perfect control scheme? Simply include all of the previous moves, add a slew of new moves, and add a new type of trick. Yes, it is that simple. The control scheme of THPS3 is perfect. While the many of the moves take a bit of learning, you will have the hang of the game in no time. In fact, the new move, called the revert, is imperative to your success throughout the game. This new move gives you the ability to link all of your tricks together to perform an outrageously high-scoring combo. Once you have mastered the controls, performing these combos will become second nature to you. There are also a few additional features not seen in the previous versions, taking advantage of the Playstation 2's controller. The right analog stick can be used to look around your skater to get a complete feel for the area. This is quite useful when looking for places to skate or items to collect. Also, by holding down on either the digital pad or control stick, your skater can come to a complete rest. Unlike the previous THPS games, you can actually let go of the controller while your skater is stopped. The faster frame rate makes the old THPS games for the Playstation feel really sluggish. While this new sense of speed will be a little bit harder than the old Playstation THPS games, veterans and newcomers alike will feel welcome. I found myself using the digital pad for an easier execution of tricks rather than the analog stick. Although this poses the threat of sore fingers, it is a much better way to execute tricks accurately.

Replay:
The sheer replay value of this title alone is completely mesmerizing. I shall begin with the basics. When you start the career mode, you have 13 available skaters to choose from. Going through each level with one skater will not only prove to be insanely fun and addictive, but quite challenging as well. There are countless secrets in each of the levels to discover and skate. Each character has certain randomly placed items, meaning you will have to re-explore each level with each character you play through with. The levels themselves are so non-linear that they will feel fresh every time you play through them. Each time you beat the game with a certain character, something new is unlocked. There are several new characters to be obtained by beating the game with the original characters. I will not spoil anything, but trust me when I say these are some of the coolest bonus characters ever put in a game. So, you are tired of the single player mode already? Impossible! Even after playing through THPS3 with every character, Neversoft ensures you will not be bored. Neversoft included a few features I find extraordinarily innovative. They are, Create-A-Skater, a Real-Time 3D Park Editor, 2 Player modes, and, oh yeah, Online Multiplayer madness. Let us explore these in depth.

Create-A-Skater mode has been vastly improved from last year's feature in THPS2. That is saying quite a bit, as last year's was nearly perfect. The Create-A-Skater mode in THPS3 allows for complete customization of a character, male or female. You can control such a wide variety of appearances that you might spend hours playing dress-up with your skater! Anything you see on your skater you can change. About the only think you cannot do is make them without any clothes, but you sure can come close. You need to beat THPS3 with at least one custom made skater to unlock a few of the secrets anyway, so you might as well design an awesome character.

The Real-Time 3D Park Editor has also been improved when compared to the one found in THPS2. Excellent! There are new themes to serve as the locale for your custom park. Most of the pieces are the same, but there are still plenty. Editing your park is a breeze, as the navigation is very user friendly. You will be a Pro Park Editor with just a little bit of practice. The possibilities here are endless. Think about it, an unlimited number levels to be played! You can trade them with your pals locally, or nationally using a special device designed for sending memory card files over the Internet. There are also several expertly designed pre-edited parks that the developers threw in the game. These are extremely fun as well, however, they may not be played in career mode. Even though the Park Editor is not in any way vital to career mode, it is a load of fun.

Grab an extra controller and a friend of course! There are several 2-Player modes, most of which are from THPS2. THPS3 includes; free skate, graffiti, trick attack, horse, slap, and king of the hill. The latter two are completely new, and quite fun I might add. Using split screen is not too bad. The perspective is obviously reduced making it harder to pull off huge tricks, but it's cool nonetheless. The 2-Player mode is always smooth and shows no sign of slowdown, even during intense play. If you have another controller and a friend, you must try this out.

Additionally, Neversoft has taken the liberty of being the first developer to implement online play into a Playstation 2 game. Well, THPS3 is the first Playstaiton 2 game to include online play that is. With this new step of faith, Neversoft runs the risk of failure. However, they have exceeded my greatest expectations. To start off, the official Sony Network Adapter (Ethernet/Modem) will not be available until Spring of 2002. So how does one achieve online status beforehand? Neversoft was clever enough to include support for 3rd party peripherals, meaning you can get online with THPS3 as soon as you put it in your Playstation 2. There are multiple networking options to suit your needs, or, for the gamer still using a 56K modem (that would be me), there are four officially supported 56K USB external modems. There are also four officially supported Ethernet Adapters. I have not tested out the Ethernet hardware, but I have heard from friends that they work flawlessly. As far as the supported USB Ethernet Adapters:

LinkSys EtherFast 10/100 USB Network Adapter USB100TX
D-Link DSB-650TX USB ETHERNET ADAPTOR
SMC EZNET-USB 2102 USB
SOHOware 10/100 Mbps USB Network Adapter NUB100

And the supported USB Modems:

Zoom FaxModem 56K USB Model 2985L
USB Pocket 56K NetSurfer NMT00700
MultiTech Systems MultiModemUSB MT5634ZBA-USB
Actiontec Call Waiting USB modem USB56012-01CW

While it is possible that more 3rd party dial-up modems work, these four already have software built into THPS3. I bought the fourth one on the list, and to my surprise, it worked without any errors. It was very easy to set up. I simply selected my modem type from the game menu, then input my ISP (Internet Server Provider) information, and connected to THPS3's GameSpy network. When I arrived, the menus were easy to understand. I could join a game or hose a game without any trouble. The only downside is that a 56K Dial-up user may not host a game for more than 3 people. This is only a minor drawback, which basically means if four people want to play, someone using an Ethernet Adapter must host a game. All of the 2-Player modes are intact online, and run flawlessly. Even on my 56K modem I experienced hardly any lag. There only seemed to be lag when I was hosting a game, but I have a terrible connection at my place and even at the moments with the most lag, THPS3 was very playable. The game is free to play online, after all, I bought the game why would I want to pay a monthly fee to play online? This is a good trend and maybe most of the upcoming Playstation 2 games that feature online capabilities will remain free. The only downside is that you have to buy the hardware to get online, which, at the time, can be an additional expense that is not welcome. My USB modem was about $70 (USD) and was the cheapest of the four. Take that into consideration that the Sony Adapter will be cheaper and a must buy for anyone wanting to get online in the future as most of the upcoming titles will not support 3rd party hardware. However, if you can afford it, you should pick up a 3rd party adapter, as it will vastly increase the already huge replay value of THPS3. The only other downside to online play is communication. While THPS3 supports USB keyboards, you have to stop playing the game to type. That is to say, when you press the space bar to initiate talk mode, your character stops. While this isn't a big deal it is quite fun for someone else in the same room to do the talking while you skate (in theory). Nevertheless, the first online Playstation 2 game is a smashing success.

Overall:
In summary, I would like to say that you should get this game no matter what. Even if you find a few flaws here and there, they are nothing to even comprehend, much less get all exited about. They will never draw you out of the exquisite world THPS3 takes you to. While THPS3 may not take the full media glory it deserves due to other game consoles shipping around the same time and even other anticipated Playstation 2 games (Metal Gear Solid 2), I consider this game an instant classic. It is a must have, unless you hate video games. While I recommend the Playstation 2 version, I advise (to those who don’t have a PS2) that you stay far away from the original Playstation version of THPS3. It's far worse than the other two THPS games. I'm not really sure why, perhaps it tries to live up to the Playstation 2 version, which is physically impossible. Well, back to the good old Playstation 2 version. The graphical side of THPS3 is, for the most part, flawless. The only think that you might not enjoy about the sound is the actual band selection itself. The gameplay is top-notch, and the replay value is endless. What more could a gamer want from a game? Oh yeah, there is also a demo of Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder packaged on the THPS3 DVD disc itself. So why don't you stop reading this review and go buy Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 for the Playstation 2!

Scores:
Graphics: 9
Sounds: 9
Gameplay: 10
Replay Value: 10
Overall: 10

Positive Aspects:
+ Great on the PS2
+ Graphically Stunning
+ Awesome Sound Package
+ Perfect Controls
+ Unlimited Replay Value
+ Online Play
+ Nearly Perfect Online Play

Negative Aspects:
- Time Consuming
- Very Time Consuming
- Forget a Well-Balanced Social Life
- Sore Thumbs
- Lack of Productivity

Still readying the review? Well stop. Get out and buy THPS3!

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/08/01, Updated 11/08/01