Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2x

"Without a doubt the best version of THPS2."

WOW! Another Tony Hawk game! :P Well, at least they did it right this time, THPS2 on a massive, super system which is the XBOX ;)

I have always viewed THPS2 as being the best THPS game in what is now a 4 part series of games. THPS2x came out a year after the original THPS2 hit the PSX, but that is no excuse not to put it on the XBOX. I say all this, because this is pretty much the Director's Cut of THPS 1 & 2. For any THPS2 fanatic, this game will have you huffing for monthes. Throw THPS3 in the garbage once you get this one. Ok, now on to the rest of my review.

Graphics - 9 of 10: A rehash of an existing game demands much better graphics, visuals, and some new eye popping effects if possible. THPS2x delivers all this and some. The textures have had an astonishing boost upwards compared to the DreamCast version of THPS2. They look crisp and clean just like the DC version did when it came out. Visuals have been pushed a little further with NO FOG SCALE AT ALL. Also on some levels you get a real view of the sun which is a pretty decent addition to the game. Now we have motion blur animations, this contrives excellent when you get the air effect on the skaters clothes. All in all, everthing looks superior to the PC and Dreamcast games which both look quite magnificent also.

Sound Effects - 10 of 10: Nothing more than pure brillance. Every sound effect is a precise match of what is happening in the environment that surrounds you. This is one of the reasons I rate this category so high. You got squeaks on the skateboard when you turn; flip sound when you do flip tricks; grunts and slams when you fall or whatever. They didn't really add much, if anything to the sound effects. I guess they just got it all right in the PSX version.

Music - 7 of 10: This is one of the hardest thing to give a score to in some games, that is the case in this one. I my self don't really appreciate the original sound track that was chosen for such an excellent game as this. Although, for anyone who cares. It has a quite good mixture of of music such as Hip Hop and Rock. no pop (thank god) Some great sounds from Rage Against The Machine and Popa Roach, also.

Custom Music - 10 of 10: Yup, they finally got this right, you can now make your own music as you know. Rip your own music right from an Audio CD or MP3's with compatible CDR-W's. This is probably on of the key feature that they added to the game as well.

Levels And Level Design - 10 of 10: Treyarch, the developers of THPS2x, went all out at trying to redesign the levels. They did a pretty decent job, the levels look great, nothing is blurry or foggy anymore. The 5 new levels that they have added exclusively for THPS2x are also pretty kewl, some of them look like they were thrown together in under an hour though :( But, that is only the case for the Construction Yard and the Sub Way level. Also, if you didn't know, they added some newer, updated features to the existing THPS2 levels. Skater Heaven looks excellent, they added several new looks to it. Now we got THPS1 levels as well. They look far better than anything else I have seen. And, of course, they finally added realistic grass to the levels, LOL. This now gives us a total of 24 levels ;) including Park Editor.

Character Design - 9 of 10: Ok, there is much to say here, everybody in the game looks exactly like THPS2's characters. Really, the only thing updated here is the new Motion Blur animations and shirt effects. The skater textures have been given a new spiffy look as well.

Features - 10 of 10: Other than 24 levels, SUPER SHARP LOOKING GRAPHICS, THPS1 levels, THPS2 levels, THPS2x levels, Custom Sound Tracks, updated park editor and new game effects there isn't much. Just kidding. THPS2x delivers tons of new and old stuff.

Multiplayer - 9 of 10: Alot of though went in to not butchering the levels as you prolly recently saw in the older versions. They are all intact thank god. Multiplayer is also great, you can play with 4 people per console and up to 8 players in system link. Also, if you have all the right setups and network knowledge, then you can also play online through GSA with a broadband connection. Good luck finding someone on there :(

Replayability - 10 of 10: With all of the new and redesigned levels, there is alot of RePlay value included in this title. You should be occupied for a few weeks. The Multiplayer feature is also there. :)

Overall - 10 of 10: This game is really worth buying due to the fact it is like reatailed for like 10 to 20 dollars USD. I guarranty will like this game.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 09/16/02, Updated 09/16/02