Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure

"Somewhat dumbed down, but somehow more enjoyable than THPS"

Point one: For some reason, I love skating games. Since the advent of Tony Hawk Pro Skater, I have been devouring them voraciously, if in private.

Point two: For some reason, I love Disney. I still go to Disney movies, I buy the soundtracks, I'm collecting the Special Edition DVDs. I loved Kingdom Hearts, and when I heard about Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure, I sure hoped I would love that too.

I was not disappointed.

Gameplay : Ah, the meat of any extreme sports game. I have no complaints with DESA, except that maybe the characters move a little slowly. You start out with two characters from each of three Disney worlds (Toy Story 2, Lion King, and Tarzan) and a couple random kids unlocked as playable characters. You also have four levels unlocked. As you go to each level (each world is restricted to either one of the kids or one of the characters from that world) you can unlock more characters, more levels, and more things to add to your own created characters. There are goals for each stage, but unlike the ''checklist'' format you see at the beginning of a THPS stage, you have to find the challenges in DESA, by finding people and talking to them. Although they are usually generic ''beat this score'' and ''collect S-K-A-T-E'' challenges, sometimes you have to herd wildebeast, defeat foes, and even deliver McDonald's food! Although the game is much easier than the core games of the THPS franchise, it is also, somehow, much more fun. (Maybe it's watching Timon try to carry Pumbaa during some tricks..)

Graphics : The graphics are average. Not exceptional, but by no means bad. The characters move realistically, but have generic ''I'M HAPPY!'' looks plastered on their faces. Almost every time you fall, it looks like you broke your neck, for some reason. The backgrounds can be very bland and uninspired (although Andy's Room is excellent). You do, however, have a wide range of customizability when you create the looks of your characters, which is always a plus.

Sound : In a word, mediocre. There are not very many songs on this game's soundtrack (only fourteen, if I'm not mistaken), and none of them are particularly noteworthy. In fact, some are downright annoying. This game also found it hard to stick to any one genre (it ranges from pop-punk to rap to ska to synthpop), and so even if you like a few songs, it's almost impossible to enjoy them all. The voice acting isn't anything amazing, either. Whereas Kingdom Hearts got the original Disney actors to come back and do the voices, DESA seems to have forgotten that we know what the characters sound like, and it is a wreck. The new voice actors are not even very good; they grate on your nerves more than they add to the experience. Also, the characters tend to have a very small repertoire of phrases to say, so you end up hearing them repeat the same five or ten things over and over as you complete tricks or crash.

Play Time/Replayability : There really isn't that much replayability in the aspect that there are new things to find, but if you even feel like having an EXTREME SKATE ADVENTURE!!!, the game is not boring to play again, which is fortunate, because it is not very long at all.

Final Recommendation : Not the best game on the market at the moment, but don't pass this one up without a chance! Although it may seem a little kiddyish, there is a lot of pure, unadulterated fun to have here. If you are in the mood for a light hearted game jam packed with enjoyment, and have just a little dexterity with a PS2 controller, DESA may just be for you.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/29/03