Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3

"A great game that leaves the old versions behind"

Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3 is just one of the many extreme sports games created by Activision, and is also the best. The game is similar, yet different to the previous versions of the game. The levels are much bigger, and more interactive. Some of the goals are interesting and funny, for example when you have to knock the foreman into a tub of water in the first level. There are also goals where you will need to impress people by landing good tricks in front of them. Other goals will have you squashing pumpkins, blocking a car chase and grinding on a red hot molten bucket, and of course, there are still the classical high score, pro score and sick score goals to complete. With bonus characters to unlock, including Darth Maul, Officer Dick and Ollie The Magic Bum, the game provides hours of entertainment. Getting the Secret Tapes is also a lot harder, but more interesting to do than in the previous versions of the game.

Game Play: 9/10 – In career mode, you skate your way through nine highly interactive levels. Three levels are competitions where you are judged on your skills, and 6 are normal levels, each with 9 goals to complete. The main problem with this game is that it takes a long time to get used to, so you will probably need to work out the controls. When you first start out, however, you could just mash random keys until you fine tune your skills and learn how to do particular tricks. You will have to learn this pretty fast though, because each goal oriented level requires you to do a specific trick in a set up situation. One great advance from Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2 is that if you complete all goals within a level, it unlocks a new special trick slot. You can also access all tricks without paying for them. Another relief is that Stat Points can be found scattered throughout the levels, and also don’t have to be paid for. In fact, the entire concept of money has been removed from the game, and I feel it is for the better.

Graphics: 10/10 – For the first version of a game to be released on PS2, this game has stunning graphics. The environments are rendered perfectly, and you can pick out a good amount of detail on the skaters. I feel that the create-a-skater function could be improved, because you can’t change the facial features or expression. The graphics on the bottoms of the boards are well drawn, with great variety and color. The movies that you unlock as you progress through the game are great, and show a few minutes of each featured skater. There are also some bonus videos including the pro bails movies, and the hilarious Neversoft Staff Kick Flip Contest. One feature that could be improved though is when you change the color of something in the create-a-skater section, which is very hard and frustrating to do. I hope this is changed in Tony Hawks Pro Skater 4.

Sound: 9/10 - The game features a wide variety of music, which is very catchy. You will probably find that you will enjoy playing the game to the music when you start to learn the tunes of the songs. I even sometimes get the songs stuck in my head, but not for too long. Characters have their own voices, and other people on the levels will talk to you, and even criticize you. Also sounds are played when you achieve certain goals, along with short movies. When you are in one of the contest levels, the judges will cheer, clap, and even laugh at you if you complete or stack certain tricks of combos.

Game Value: 9/10 – Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3 is a game that would be enjoyed by many people with different interests, but only a few will be persistent enough to beat the game with all of the characters. The game is worth every cent that it costs you, because the two-player mode will blow you away. The one mode that I find most fun is graffiti where you have to beat the high score recorded on any obstacle and it turns into your color, and you can steal off the other person, which is fun to do. If the game had a few extra levels, I would be happy, because now that I have completed the game, it is easy to redo.

Conclusion: I have never picked up a skateboard in my life, but on this game there are no worries. You can stack a trick, slam into a wall, fall into molten lava, and be thrown overboard a ship, all in the comfort of your own home and without a scratch to your body. The game has realistic physics and is the most realistic extreme sports game I have ever played. Therefore, this game receives a 9/10.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/14/03