Tony Hawk's Pro Skater

"One of the best games for the playstation"

When I first heard of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, I was skeptical. I admire Tony Hawk and what he does, but I wasn't too sure how good a skateboarding game would be. I mean, games like Street Sk8ter and 3xtreme were awful. But, when I first played Tony Hawk, I was completely blown away.
The game looks excellent and all the skating animations are perfect. There are a bunch of real skaters in the game, including Tony Hawk. Unlike the other games, Tony Hawk isn't about racing. It is about executing moves and entertaining. There are a bunch of arenas where you can skate and collect points. Everything in the area can be used to gain more points. Rails and benches are all grindable. Every elevation can be used to perform tricks. There are a lot of places which double as vert ramps.
Unlike the other games, mindless button mashing doesn't cut it. You need to execute moves perfectly. You can see the animations perfectly as the skater executes his trick. Also, when trying for combos, you have to make sure you have enough room.
The single player mode is awesome. You go to different areas and try to collect video tapes while getting as many points as possible. Once you finish a level, you can go back to try and master your skills. The multiplayer modes are excellent, too. Horse is similar to the basketball version, where you need to execute a better trick than the guy before. The paint mode requires you to execute moves on certain spots in a location. The player who does the best trick gets the spot painted in his color.
Overall, Tony Hawk is a great game and one of the playstation's best.

Graphics: 9.
The graphics are great. Each skater looks very good and all the animations look very realistic.

Sound: 9.
Great effects and a killer soundtrack with songs from Primus and Dead Kennedys.

Gameplay: 10.
All the modes are a lot of fun. The control is easy to learn, but difficult to master.

Replay Value: 10.
You won't get tired of the single player mode, and even if you do, there are great multiplayer modes to keep you playing.

Overall: 9.
This is one of the playstation's best. Every video game fan should have a copy.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/09/00, Updated 03/09/00