"The Real McCoy"

A lone man, dressed in baggy jeans and a short sleeve shirt, jumps off of a building, and Acid Drops down ten stories to hit a quarter-pipe at the bottom. He then goes across the street, launches into a McTwist, and lands as smooth as ice. This is the world of Tony Hawk's Underground.

Game Synopsis:
In the game of Tony Hawk's Underground (herein referred to as T.H.U.G.), you play yourself as a skater trying to rise through the ranks to become a pro skating champion. But along the way, twists and turns surprise you, a betrayal burns, and shame looms over the horizon.

Graphics: The best yet. The ground looks realistic, the character models are more expressive (and their lips move when they talk, thank God!), and the buildings are all unique and weathered. With everything so realistic, it was easy to be absorbed into. Unfortunately, the car models leave much to be desired, with few details and drab paint jobs. I give the graphics and 9/10

Audio: Once again, the amazing soundtrack, with it's impressive array of songs and variety of music is back, with more artists and more songs than before. The characters all groan, everyone has voices, and the ambient sound are good. I give it a 9/10.

Gameplay: Definitely the best in the series, with more abilities and tricks than ever. Now, in addition to all of the moves in the past (reverts, spine transfers, manuals, etc.) you can now get off and on your board, letting you have an unprecedented way of exploring the massive environments. Also, you can drive cars! Although it isn't a la Grand Theft Auto, where you take any car you see, you can still use the occasional car (sometimes you have to finish a goal to unlock it) and drive around, causing mayhem in the streets. All of tricks are back, with a new twist, which I will explain later. Also, there is the biggest addition of: a story mode. *Gasp!* Yes! Now the game that was awesome to begin with has a real story that you play through, with interesting twists and a great presentation. It lasts for a long 27 chapters, so you'll be playing it for awhile. For this, I give the gameplay a 10/10.

Features: This covers things that you can do or make. Now, there are four reasons to feel like a mad scientist; create-a-skater, create-a-park, create-a-deck, and create-a-trick. In create a skater mode, you can customize your own skater, and he'll be who you are in Story Mode. In create a park mode, you can create a park to build and ride in, but now there's more: With more pieces and an expandable environment, this is the biggest one yet. You can now, also, make your own goals and such to make your park an actual level! Make a story out of it, maybe. And in create a deck mode, which you unlock during Story Mode, you can create a deck (the design on the bottom, with all kinds of layers of graphics, letters, and numbers) and make it your own Pro Board. Also coming with it is Online Play (A PS2 EXCLUSIVE!), and another feature exclusive to PS2: FACE MAPPING! Yes, that's right. You send in a photo to Neversoft, they'll make a digital map of it, and then you can put it on you character. Talk about being in the game! All of these features give hours of enjoyment, and I therefore give it a 10/10.

Overall. With all things considered, the game is the best in the series, hands down. No other skating game gives you this much freedom to do what you want! So rejoice! But it does have it's drawbacks (which could have easily been fixed), and it therefore gets a 9/10. Great job, Neversoft!

Should I rent it or buy it first? That depends. If you like skate boarding games, buy this game. If not, or your leery, rent it. Even with its high score, you never know if it's what you really want.

I hope I was of some service. Have a great day!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/11/03