Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2

"Neversoft excel yet again with their magnificent follow-up to the classic skateboarding game Tony Hawk's Skateboarding."

For years, skateboarding was seen as a fringe sport. Teenage rebels and delinquents occupied themselves with this incomprehensible fascination for sliding along on a plank with wheels. Attempts at computer games failed because they were either too basic or too serious. It seemed no one could capture the all-important essence of the sport without forsaking depth. That is, before Neversoft came along. Towards the end of the 1990's skating was enjoying something of a renaissance, but it was still only practiced by a minority of hardcore skaters. For the mainstream to enjoy it a trigger was needed, and the enterprising developers obliged by hooking up with successful boarder Tony Hawk, a veteran in the skating world. The game they produced was called Tony Hawk’s Skateboarding, and it was rightly acclaimed as a classic. It was unprecedented as a good skateboarding game, and its sheer volume of tricks, levels and skaters was incredible. Gamers of all ages bought skateboards and hit the streets in an attempt to emulate the likes of Bob Burnquist and Chad Muska. Neversoft were propelled to fame and the skaters involved had their careers boosted no end. Everyone was thinking of one thing while playing their somewhat battered copies of THS: what would the sequel be like?

I think I can safely say no one was disappointed with said sequel – Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2. It is easily as good as the first installment, and much larger, but with a completely different feel gameplay-wise.

GAMEPLAY – 9/10

As you may very well know, in a Tony Hawk’s game points are everything. You can’t get ‘em, you ain’t gonna win, mate. So you can imagine that a change in points could potentially change the whole focus of the game. Both the maths and the physics have been changed, to have the overall effect rewarding vert tricks a lot more than street. In fact, the game skims over street so much it can feel repetitive after a while. That said, although this stops hundreds of thousands points combos a la THPS4, it does mean that with the minimal of stat tweaking, your polygonal skatemeister will be shooting over massive buildings with the greatest of ease. Realism is not an issue here. However, you will have a lot of fun with this game, trust me.

I cannot finish a gameplay section without mentioning a multiplayer game. A two player game on THPS2 will be a worthwhile activity for you and a friend, I can guarantee that. There are five modes, ranging from old favourite ‘HORSE’ to ‘Free Skate’, and they are a way to rewind after a hard session trick busting.

PLOT – 8/10

Yeah, I know, the game doesn’t have a plot as such, but I wanted to fill this space. After careful analysis, I reduced the plot element of a game to the element that draws you in and absorbs you, keeps you turning the (metaphorical) pages. And THPS2 has plenty of that. With well constructed levels, steadily more challenging goals, and tantalising secrets, you will bust increasingly fantastic tricks on your journey to the coveted 100% and beyond.

LONGEVITY - 8/10

Cancel your plans for a while. This game is long by most standards. Whilst getting to 100% is almost pathetically easy once you have got the hang of it, the secrets beyond are entertaining, challenging, and generally good. New modes, levels, characters, you name it. Unfortunately, getting them is very repetitive after about the third 100% achieved, which prevents me from awarding a 9 to this section, as it is likely you may just resort to cheats (some of which are good fun, others which just spoil the game).

SOUND – 10/10

Well, what can I say? Sheer perfection. The music fits perfectly and adds an extra dimension to the game. I love it and award a rare 10/10. Look out for ‘Cyclone’ by Dub Pistols – my favourite track on the game, which you may have heard if you have got the demo of the Marseilles level. I was even more astounded as I liked the music so much even though I don’t tend to like that type of music. Enjoy!

GRAPHICS – 7/10

I am not going to needlessly insult the game by calling the graphics merely ‘functional’, but I have to admit more could have been done with them. I don’t know whether this would have meant another aspect of the game would have suffered, but the question is now irrelevant and the graphics are not bad. They do not detract from the enjoyment of the game, and indeed add to it in some cases. Some might this mark was too generous, others too harsh. I ain’t gonna argue.

Other features include Create – A – Skater, let down by the limited options and the obvious mistake of not allowing the creation of a female skater; and Park Editor. Let’s just say if your favourite pastime is staring at a wall you’ll enjoy the latter. It’s tedious.

Overall, I give this game a well-deserved 9/10. Looking at the totals for each individual section you might say that is too high, but it is not often a game can be reduced to the sum total of its parts, and my gut instinct is a 9. But for a few niggling flaws, it would have been perfect.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 05/28/03, Updated 05/29/03