Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2

"A killer sequel to a Killer"

This is one truly amazing game. I was impressed enough by the first one but this blew my mind!

Game Features (9/10)
A LOT of features for the game. There is a new career mode which is different from the original. You don't collect tapes but you do perform tasks that you receive cash for if you complete them. you can spend the cash on either a new deck, a new trick or stats. This is a great new addition which i think is much better than collecting tapes. There is still the freeskate mode and single session where of course nothing has changed. The two player mode is still great. You can battle head to head in either a trick attack where you skate for several minutes and whoever has more points wins. This is very fun. HORSE is still included and is still the ultimate for 2 player. Graffiti is again included which I find isn't quite that fun and TAG is something that can be extremely fun and challenging. definately worth a try. You can also just freeskate. There is a movie section too which is the best addition of all. You can view the intro again and see short video's of everyone in the game. They all last about 1-2 minutes and are all great. There are 2 bail video's too that are really funny and worth a look. There is also a new create a skater option. Here you can created your own skater and edit all of his details. From where he lives to what he looks like and what board he rides. You have complete control and their are many different ways you can create him. A GREAT new addition that everyone should like and use. There is also a skatepark editor that comes with THPS2 where you can design your very own skate park with rails, gardens, ramps, pools and anything else. You can set up gaps for extra points and put in lots of goodies. A great addition and a lot of fun to play on your dream level because you can make it however YOU want. All in all the game has a lot of different features that you can have a good time on and makes for a lot of replayability. 9/10.

Graphics (8/10)
Once again the graphics are great. A little bit better in the sequal of course but not too much different. The only complaints I have is when you create a skater you really notice how jagged everything looks. That is the worst part of the graphics is the actual skater. The board is done well and the levels done EXTREMELY well. There is so much detail on all of the walls, curbs, rails, ramps, stairs and so on. They couldn't have done a better job on that in my eyes. But the actual skater could use a little work. Overall an 8/10.

Controls (9/10)
I have to admit the controls at first can be a little bit tricky to get used to but you should quickly adapt to them. And if you really don't like the way things are set-up you can fix them up yourself! Something else added to THPS2. You can pick which trick you want and how you want it. It's great so you shouldn't have too much trouble with the controls. I certainly didn't! 9 out of a possible 10.

Sound (7/10)
Well the sound is good. At least the board riding, grinding, falling sounds at least. But the music that is played during the game is not that good in my opinion. There are 15 different tracks you can play which is pretty cool but personally i only liked about 3 so i pretty much mute the TV and crank up my stereo but it's not bad and really depends on the music you like. I give audio/sound a 7/10.

Gameplay/Fun Factor (9/10)
By far the best part of the game. Although usually in most any game but to the point. There is speed when you want speed. Air when you want air, long rails when you want grinds and gaps when you want combo's. There is pretty much everything you need to have a great time. You can play the career mode and struggle to complete very difficult objectives and earn money to improve your skater so you can complete the next level. It's an ongoing stretch that will be fun, difficult and interested. It can get frustrating at times and that's the only reason this category get 9 instead of 10. Most of the stuff is realistic except for a few specials and it's pretty interesting. Even more if your a skateboarder. If you are looking for a new game get this because it's a great fun, interested game that you'll keep wanting to play! 9/10 for gameplay/fun.

Difficulty (7/10)
When you start off playing the game you will think that it's going to be a snap but once you get going you realize that there are many hard objectives that take a lot of patience skill and timing to complete and gets fairly hard after a while. But with patience skill and knowledge you should finish the game in 2 weeks with 1 or 2 skaters but you'll probably continue playing because it's so fun. 7 out of 10 for being hard and easy at times.

Summaries

Features (9/10)
A lot of features and options to keep you busy and interested.

Graphics (8/10)
Extremely well done levels but the skaters could use some work.

Controls (9/10)
Fairly easy controls that are customizable incase you don't like.

Sound (7/10)
Good sounds but the music is fairly bad in my opinion. It depends what music you like.

Gameplay/Fun Factor (9/10)
Very fun to play and very interesting gameplay with fun objectives.

Difficulty (7/10)
Fairly difficult at times but it's really not that hard if you know what your doing.

Overall (9/10)
A killer sequel to a Killer Original. Buy this game!!!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/21/01, Updated 08/21/01