Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2

"A daily grind worth your time"

[STORY]

Heh, there isn't any, but that doesn't matter in the least bit since you're going to be flying over ramps and death-defying jumps far more than wondering about your skater's personality and relationship skills.

Having said that, the professional skaters from the first game are back, and with the new additions of Steve Caballero, Eric Koston, and Rodney Mullen, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2--Tony Hawk 2, for short--delivers the goods and takes the player to town.

This time through, though, instead of just accomplishing missions, you'll also be getting set increments of money for set goals. This can be anything from wall-riding things to breaking out the tricks to bust up some high scores. The points can go towards "buying" new tricks and upping your skater's stats. Fans of the previous game have looked upon this in dismay, but it's not really that bad to sit through. Customization is fantastic, and adding a little more challenge to the levels and overall game shouldn't faze all of those self-proclaimed skate gods.

Mostly, the character you play skates through various levels, doing missions and tournaments, until you unlock all the levels. The formula hasn't been swapped out too much from before, and the game is elevated to new heights because it plays off the originality of the first. How many sequels have you played that were wrecked because some new-fangled system was introduced for "a change"? A lot, I'll bet. Don't worry; the game works well even when it rides on the same rails.

[GAMEPLAY]

If you thought the previous game ate up your daylight hours, expect nothing less from this one. Now that the game had introduced bluntslides and manuals (moving around by balancing on the nose or tail of the skateboard), combos can literally start from anywhere. This especially plays into the hands of those who like to do street skills.

The tricks that are available dabble in the old while getting greedy with the new. You'll have a blast tricking out your character's repertoire with specialty skills like the Madonna Tailslide, Indy Backflip, and the Casper, while still having the ability to do your favorite flips and stalls.

In addition to normal levels, you can even play in user-created skate parks, thanks to the Park Editor, a new feature that allows you to customize and place ramps, pits, and rails in different environments. This adds to the fun of playing multiplayer levels, which is ultimately where the replay value kicks in.

[GRAPHICS]

The graphics can get a little choppy, but hopefully you'll be careening off roofs and jumps too much to notice. The frame rates are above average and, although there can be some polygon clashing when the camera changes, it's all so insignificant to the gameplay that you won't let it hamper down your experience.

[LOCATIONS]

Locations like the School II (like the first game's), Philadelphia, New York, and Marseilles, even, all add their own bits of regional flavor to the game, with chic urban environments that are full of hidden locations and radical jump spots. In the same instances as the skate park editor, there are already many pre-made skate parks for the player to go and try their hand at. This lets the player test out the fun of creating their own crazy setups even if they don't have room on their memory card to make their own.

There are also humorous jabs at the world's locations. Since I live in Montana and have all my life, I enjoyed the funny jabs that Neversoft took at the state. The first level of the game is Mullet Falls, a play on the city of Great Falls as the stereotypical hick location; on the pre-made park "Montana," there's only one a single tree in an outdoor environment, obviously pointing out the state's wide-openness.

It's those types of things that can really liven things up, since the game doesn't take itself very seriously. That's something I appreciate, anyway.

[MUSIC]

Truly one of the game's more outstanding features, the soundtrack is full of boom-box antics, riff-crunching rock, and punk rawness, ranging from Bad Religion and Anthrax to Naughty by Nature and Rage Against the Machine. Tracks like "Guerilla Radio" and "Cyclone" are unsullied attempts at breaking your speakers, and they accomplish their objectives with much gusto.

Even amongst the in-series games that follow, this soundtrack remains the pinnacle of musical compilations. Not that any of the other game's soundtracks are pathetic or anything...

[OTHER PROS AND CONS]

+ Levels are expansive, full of places to grind and wall ride on
+ The characters are ripe for the personalization of the player
+ Many extras, including a Matt Hoffman biking demo and the create-a-player option
+ Graffiti, Tag, and High Score livens up the multiplayer mode
+ Game controls are responsive to a fine degree

- Replay value only exists in skating around and squaring off with your friends
- Attempts to make the game difficult are easily overcome with a little practice
- The cash-for-skills system may not enthrall you

[THE VERDICT]

Story: N/A [There isn't one...Oh, well.]
Gameplay: 9/10 [It blows the first game out of the proverbial water]
Graphics 8/10 [Jerky polygon-clashing isn't that big of a deal]
Levels: 10/10 [Finally, Montana gets the skate credibility it deserves!]
Music: 10/10 [Why didn't this soundtrack win a Grammy?]

Total: 37/40 = 93% satisfaction rate

The Verdict™: Blatantly overloaded with fun, set to the sountrack of the Nineties

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/27/05