Tony Hawk's Underground

"The best Tony Hawk Game EVER!!!"

I finally got my copy about a week ago, and all I can say, it is a mix of the best gameplay in a THPS game yet, but also the one of the most rewarding (to a point).

Gameplay- 10/10
What can I say? It's a Tony hawk game! The gameplay is better than ever, the walk move is easy to do and quite useful during a combo, and there are a lot of new moves. A new move I really like is the space walk.( manual then left,right square) This lets you get up to speed during a manual instead of standing still. Also new is the realistic board physics AFTER THE TRICK. This means that the board falls realistically when you crash, and the board also breaks now.
Also, It seems like the levels have gotten taller, letting you trick over stuff you couldn't before. It seems like the game flows a lot better, it seems more like real skating, not the the fake fantasy stuff of THPS4. The levels, although taller, are not as good as some of the levels of the past, there isn't really any places to do great lines on a high ledge, probably because the high ledges are a lot easier to get to now.

Sound- 10/10
A usual great part of the THPS series, nothing changes here. There are now 75 songs, not many annoying ones, but nothing really great. Every skater makes their own noises and talks, and you can talk too. I swear you can hear bones breaking when you fall... But maybe that's just me.

Graphics- 10/10
Amazing. Everything looks realistic, no cheesy looking cars or environments, the boards look great, wow. I was surprised how they made New Jersey look so ghetto, proving that the graphics are the best yet in the series.

Story- 10/10
I never thought a story would be necessary, but I liked it. It has it's own twists and turns, but kind of moves too fast, it seems like you become a pro in about a month instead of a year like a normal person. If only Neversoft took the Final Fantasy way and gave you missions outside of the story... Any ways that can be cleared up for the next one.

Missions- 10/10
Not very challenging on normal, but still extremely fun. There is a lot of variety, and most of it is skating, unlike in THPS4.

Re playability/ Extra Features- 11/10
Neversoft once again has offered so many options it is insane. Online, create-a-deck, create-a-park, create-a-goal, create-a-skater, multi player. All these are good, especially deck creator. I just wish you could put five graphics on the board instead of four...
The replay value really depends on if you are a vet or new to the series. You will play this for a long time if you are new to the series, but only about 2 weeks if you are a vet.
Create-a-skater is great, I was actually satisfied for the first time with my created character. Very customizable with a lot of options.

Rent or Buy?
Rent if you are a vet of the series...unless
Buy if you like to play online or are pretty new to the series.

Final Thoughts-
I really wish Neversoft would have spent some more time to add replay value. The videos were way shorter than normal, and the game was too easy. But I didn't pay for it, so it's all good. The game could have been a whole lot longer, I wish that for once a company other than Square can put in missions that don't relate to the story, but instead are just something to do. I would have really appreciated '' Super Challenges'' where you have really crazy goals, but sadly, they don't exist. A great game that should not be missed.
Thanks for another great game Neversoft, I can't wait for THUG 2.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/13/03