Thrasher Presents: Skate and Destroy

"Fun game, I'm still playing it"

All the websites betrayed their reviews. IGN.com said Thrasher was better than Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. Dailyradar and GamePro both gave it favorable reviews. But when THPS2 came out, they all made it seem as if it was the sequel to the only skate game out there. They forgot about Thrasher. Where's the love?

Presentation: 7.5/10
The main screen and options are decent, nothing flashy. The load times weren't too long, but you had to go through a lot of them to get playing. I did like the picture of you and your sponsers, and I liked the map of the city you were ripping up. Also, the videos after each city were pretty cool and the bails are harsher than the worst ones in THPS or its sequel. Though cool, this isn't what makes this game great.

Graphics: 7/10 It's no Metal Gear Solid in the graphics department but it holds its own. The skaters are drawn in a distinct Z-Axis style that is also present in Dave Mirra. The animations are decent but the textures are kind of drab. Perfectly average, this is NOT what makes this game awesome.

Sound: 8/10 I have to say, when I first got this game, I wasn't into rap at all. And I'm still not. But these are, for the most part, good songs. You have your old non-offensive rap and your new stuff about killing and stealing and fighting and it meshes well. I don't hold the absurd opinion that punk is THE ONLY music for skating. My biggest problem is that each level has its own song, instead of a cycling soundtrack. Doesn't really hurt me though, I turn down the sound and put on eels.

Control: 9/10 Oh yeah. I love this controls. Different buttons for ollie, flip tricks, and spin tricks make it much more realistic than that other game I've mentioned about 10 times. The learning curve is a bit sharp, but if you're good at video games you won't have too big a problem. The reason it doesn't get a 10 here is that I think there should've been another button to press so that you don't turn when you press a trick button and left or right. The lower shoulder buttons weren't in use, they could've done this. Of course, lots of people think that you already had to press too many buttons, but screw them. Not for the novice, but you can learn.

Gameplay and replay value: Both are 11/10 This game lights it up. With 5 cities and 12 levels, there are plenty of places to skate. Each level has some great spots or gaps to tear up. With 6 skaters each with a distinct style, there are plenty of people to rip with. If you want to fly over 15 sets, go with someone fast and strong. Wanna hit that tight nollie backside heelflip to a quick blunt with a hardflip out? Prolly wanna go with one of the techsters. There are also a few ''middle'' people that totally shred. The game has a high learning curve, so if you have the patience, this game has the goods. Each city takes a lot of skill to beat, but if you put in the hours (and believe me, I wanted to put in the hours) you can hit 50K easy. What makes this wicked fun, though, is not trying to top your scores, but your gaps. I have spent countless hours trying to find and hit bigger and bigger gaps and I don't even care how many points I get for the gap. A fakie frontside flip up and over the Thames in London to lipslide on a ledge across the water gives you an unbelievably high sense of accomplishment. And that's what it comes down to. In this game, beating the game and hitting the gaps is an accomplishment. I don't know if that is necessarily true in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2.

Overall:10/10 When it comes down to it, videogames are for fun. That's why I won't mark this game down for a few technical problems: Thrasher is SO much fun. Though perhaps not for the masses, I have a PS2 and both Tony Hawks and I play this more than anything else. SOOOOO much fun.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 04/08/01, Updated 04/08/01