Tony Hawk's Underground

"Doing What THPS4 SHOULD Have Done"

Tony Hawk's Underground is the fifth installment of what everyone who uses this board knows to be the premier skateboarding game (if not the grandpappy of all extreme sports games.) Starting as nothing more than a simple, yet technically sound game which enthralled people all over the place, the series has grown and grown, making sure that those of us who have run across this game stay addicted.

Story Mode - The first thing that you will notice with THUG is the story mode. Now, while I was INCREDIBLY worried about how this would pan out, I have to admit that they did a fantastic job of making this idea work, without breaking any real cheese barriers. You create a character right at the start (using a system virually identical to the Create-a-Character from the previous games), and will be happy to see that the graphics you decide on for your created character will actually show up in the story movie exactly the same way. (Something that always bothered me about other games which will ask you to put in a name for your character, and then proceed to just use the default name during the story.) During the course of the story, you will be accompishing goals in about the same way as in THPS4 (seek out person, hit O button to talk, complete mission). Completing a couple of missions will move you on to the next city. The whole story progresses along the lines of your character going from a dirt-poor nobody to amateur to pro...and the trail of broken hearts and wrecked tanks left in your wake.

Level Design - ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC. For those of you out there, like myself, who were getting very tired of watching everyone do the same line on the pipes in San Francisco, you will be glad to know that the number of ''idiot grinds'' has been kept to a minimum. They are still there, and those hopeless, helpless grindmongers will find them and abuse them. For the rest of us who enjoy tricking off of more than the same three objects, our prayers are answered. Every city on this game is larger, and more diverse than those revealed in earier titles.

Music - ugh...This is the entire reason for a 9 rating instead of a 10. Not for lack of selection in music, mind you. Oh, no...there is a neigh-infinite list of downright awful music. I understand and appreciate the placement of some unknown artists in the soundtrack, but can we please, please, PLEASE get back the kind of music that was on THPS1 and 2...even 3. Just turn off the music and put in your own...you'll skate happier.

Graphics - Same as THPS4 to me...I can live with that.

Extras - What I am calling extras here are little extra things in the game that make THIS one exceptional. Create-a-Skater is the first...to make it short, this extra is just like the others...with more stuff. Especially hats. Next would be the fantastic Deck Designer. I could not believe the diversity in stuff I could do to this deck...everything short of drawing my own emblem by hand. Amazing...try it. The Park Creator seems to be the same (I haven't spent much time with this yet, too busy skating) with one VERY noteworthy addition...the ability to put rails anywhere and everywhere. The tool for rail placement is now completely independant from all the other pieces in the park. Finally, the single greatest extra gets its own heading...

THE CREATE-A-TRICK - Mindboggling. Whoever sat down and came up with the system for this deserves a medal. I thought that this was going to be lame as hell, but this is so well done, so neatly incorporated that if this were the ONLY addition to THUG, I would still pick it up. It essentially allows you to combine one or more tricks into one trick which can execute simultaneously or in circuit, at a speed determined by you. Also thrown in is the ability to tweak out the type and direction of rotation during the move...allowing you to design, for example, a 900 which is done upside down. All my fellow Pro Skater junkies out there will be dedicating LARGE amounts of time messing around with this extra. Absolutely great.

New Moves - This is where THPS4 fell on its face. THPS4 had two noteworthy innovations which I can remember...the Spine Transfer and the 2-button trick change during grinds, lip tricks, and flatland. If I missed something else, forgive me, but it still left some big holes. Holes have been filled nicely in THUG. CAVEMAN - You can jump out of a combo, land on your feet, run a few steps and continue that same combo. Don't sweat...it is VERY nicely incrporated into the game. WALLPLANT - Where the heck was this move before? Mat Hoffman Pro BMX, that's where...and thats just not enough to play that game for me. The Wallplant now means that a wall looming ahead in your path is no longer the end of your combo (or a difficult wallride)...it is now nothing more than another multiplier for your combo as you kick off and go back down the path you just skated. (On a lesseer note, there is a Wallpush for when you aremindlessly skating into a wall and want to turn around.) HIP TRANSFER - Another big hole filled in (finally). Hard for me to describe, though. Kind of like a sideways Spine Transfer...go up one ramp and come down another one which is perpendicular. INSTANT 180 - I don't know what they call this at Activision, but that's my name. Down, Down, R1 and your skater does a move which looks almost like a revert, but this one turns you around. I haven't been able to combo with this one yet, and that may be for the best. Great fun to play with though. Those are just the highlights...there are others, of course...and some new Special Tricks, as well.

Overall - I gave this game a 9 for two reasons; 1) Perfection is damn hard to achieve; 2) That horrible music. Everything else about this game is wonderful. All the moves that I was hoping to see in THPS4 have finally arrived in THUG. No THPS fan should be disappointed with this game. Go buy it. Be happy.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/29/03