Grind Session

"TKimmel626's most hated game ever."

If you ask me (or several of my friends, at that) which game I hate most, you'll get a very quick answer: Grind Session. The game tries to be like Tony Hawk's Pro Skater too much, and while it tries to be creative, it just bombs out.

Graphics: 7
Graphics aren't bad. Environments and backgrounds are very well-done, but the skaters themselves look bland. Some levels have good design, such as Da Banks.

Sound: 10
The game's only perfect spot. The music is awesome...nuff said. NoFX, Zen Guerilla, Cornelius, KRS-1 and more bands that you've probably never heard of make one of the best soundtracks on a video game. Too bad Tony Hawk 1 still had the best soundtrack.

Gameplay: 7
The game has pretty much the same premise as Tony Hawk, except they don't have as great a variety of boards or skaters for that matter (only 6! Are they nuts?). You run around wrecking stuff to get Vandal Points and earn Respect. Also, if you complete hard lines of tricks called Tech Lines, it will stop the clock and give you more Respect. Also, Grind Session does have one thing that should be in Tony Hawk...Skater's Eye. This lets you look around at the level looking for Tech Lines, but it stops the clock so you don't waste time. Overall, the premise is good. Now on to the horrible part.

Control: 1
Control in this game is completely unforgiving. While the controls themselves are identical to Tony Hawk, they don't ever seem to respond as well. Plus, if they're going to copy, go the whole nine yards. You have to press Circle to stop, which is extremely odd since you would think pressing down would make you stop. You have to hold X to go. And here's the worst part: Grinding (which is essential; after all, the game is GRIND Session) and doing tricks after is extremely stupid. You have to hold down the Triangle and the direction, instead of just pressing Triangle once. This may seem small, but let's put it this way: Say there are three rails in a row. To do a noseslide on the first, you have to press Up+Triangle to hold it, then, while still holding the grind, jump, press Directional+Circle or Square to do a trick, hold the grind again, jump again while grinding, Directional+Circle or Square, then hold the grind till the end.
See, confusing ain't it?

Overall, Grind Session is just not worth it, and it's the game I hate most. It's a shame they had to waste the great music on such a crappy game.

Reviewer's Score: 1/10, Originally Posted: 02/10/01, Updated 02/10/01