Grind Session

"Is this the Tony Hawk killer? Not quite."

With the success of Tony Hawk: Pro Skater, skateboarding games have been looked at in a whole new light. Enter Grind Session. Although it was apparently in production before Tony Hawk, many of the same mechanics can be found in both games. However, Grind Session has some differences which make it a different game.

Graphics: The skaters are rather large, but aren't extremely detailed. However, the lack of detail in the skaters and the boards is easily made up by the detail in the stages. Minute things such as drawings sketched into the Burnside skate park or the pipes of Detroit enhance the overall feeling of realism. However, there are two problems with the graphics: one major and one minor. The major one is that the images will sometimes break up, but that is often due more to a lag rather than the engine. The minor one is that there is often clipping when you get close to walls. But otherwise, the graphics are crisp and clean. (8/10)

Music: The tracks are surprisingly good. Artists such as Sonic Youth and Gza are represented and the majority of the alternative and rap tracks aren't annoying to listen to. However, there are a couple which are mildly irritating. (9/10)

Sound Effects: Every sound effect in this game is crystal clear and accurate, from the sound of the skateboard rolling across the street to the grinding of wood on metal. However, there is no voice in the game aside from grunts and applause, but that's merely a minor detraction. (10/10)

Gameplay: All of the tricks are easy to pull off with a button press or two, and it's nearly impossible to crash unless you don't give yourself the proper amount of air to do a trick. The controls get a little stickier during combos, but that adds to the difficulty. However, the game sometimes lags and ignores any presses you make. But with about a couple hours practice, you can execute impressive 4000+ point combos.

The stages are huge and mostly well-designed and each of the street ones have three goals: gain points, vandalize things and complete technical runs. These extra goals add respect to your meter, and more importantly, add challenge. Getting the necessary amount of pro points is an incredible chore in the later stages and the technical lines run from mildly easy to very difficult. These objectives also add to the replay value of the game. (8/10)

Replay Value: The game isn't that difficult to go through, as the first 8 stages can be completed in about an hour. However, the real replay value lies in the Dream House. In order to fully explore the Dream House, you must get keys from each of the levels and getting keys requires that all objectives are fully met. Thus, there is an incentive to continue working at the game in order to unlock the rooms of the Dream House and eventually the ultimate skater. Unfortunately, multiplayer is horrible as there is no split-screen option. What does that mean? It means you're stuck with passing the controller to the next person, which gets tedious and lessens the feeling of competition. (7/10)

Overall: While there is a lot in Grind Session that's similar to Tony Hawk, that doesn't make it a bad game. It will provide a good deal of fun, but don't expect much from the multiplayer. If you already have Tony Hawk and want to play other games in the same vein, then rent this and see if you like it. If you don't have Tony Hawk, then buy Tony Hawk. Grind Session isn't better. It is a great game on its merits, but it's not better than the originator. (8/10)

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/03/00, Updated 08/03/00