Grind Session

"A Great Game in my opinion"

One day I was at home watching television when my cousin came over with a game called Grind Session. At first, I felt this would be a Tony Hawk rip-off and a poor one at it. Soon after though, my opinion was changed. Enough of the babble, now it is time for the review.

Game play: 9
This is the meat of any game in my opinion, because you cannot have a successful game, if it does not have great game play. I read many reviews saying how this was what brought this game down for there were not very many things you could do. When in fact there are various things you can do in this game, like: unlocking photo shoots of the skaters, boards, and hidden areas. Another thing that makes this the strong-point of the game is that as you progress in career mode and complete the levels you are able to learn more moves for your selected skater to do, which makes me love this game even more. The only complaint I have about this section is that the grinding in this game can sometimes be tough to accomplish, and with the name Grind Session you would think it would be easier to achieve. Other than that, this portion of the game is solid.

Graphics: 9
I absolutely love the graphics, they look crisp and clean. In my opinion, the graphics look much better than Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. I love how fluidly tricks combine with other tricks easily; it makes it look very realistic. Though some of the level designs may not be as detailed as other titles levels are, they are still well done and look as though there has been much time and effort put into them. That is why I give this category a nine out of ten.

Sound/Audio: 10
The sound and audio in a game pumps me and I’m sure many others up, this game excels in this category compared to other titles in my opinion. This game has many tracks that I like, and some that I dislike, but all is good for you can restart at any time and that way the track changes. The sound in this game is very well done, all the tricks sound great and so do the other sound effects in this game. That is why I give this element of the game a perfect score.

Credit of the following track list goes to Doodleheimer

Black Flag – Rise Above
Cornelius – Galaxie Express
Dr. Octagon – Blue Flowers
GZA Genius – Publicity
Jurassic 5 – Jayou
KRS-One – Out For Fame
Man or Astro-man – Television Fission
NOFX – Linoleum
Sonic Youth – In The Mind of the Bourgeois Reader
X-Ecutioners – Raida’s Theme
Zen Guerrilla – Empty Heart

Control: 9
The control in this game could have been improved by making it somewhat easier, but after a short period of time you will be pulling 900 degree Melons with ease. The controls in this game are very similar to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater so if you have played that title, then you will be able to instantly jump into this game. The placement of the buttons and their corresponding actions make it easy to understand, I would have given this fraction of the game a perfect score if it was much easier to perform grinds, but other than that I have no other gripes for the controls.

Overall: 9
If you ever happen to come across this game, pick it up. I believe it is worth it, especially if you can find it for less than twenty dollars. Even after reading all the horrible reviews that slaughtered this game, I enjoyed it. I am sure that if you enjoyed Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, you will take pleasure in playing this game.

PS: If you did not notice, I compared this game to Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater :)

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/24/02, Updated 11/24/02