Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2x

"THPS2 gets an update"

Gameplay

It's Tony Hawk.... what is there to say? Skate around and collect various items, get points, and find the secret tape on each level. The tried and true format has worked for every THPS title, and this one is no different. Play as one of 13 pros--now incuding skating legends Rodney Mullen, Steve Caballero, and Eric Koston, all of whom were left out of the first game for some reason unbeknownst to me. Or, if you're sick of the pros, or you have a favorite pro that isn't in the game, you can create a skater in the aptly titled "Create A Skater" mode.

The levels are something to be admired. THPS2x contains all of the levels from Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, and also contains 3 brand new levels, more challenging than where the original THPS2 left off. The THPS levels are more of a novelty and multiplayer feature than are useful Career mode ones, because they retain their THPS objectives. In THPS2, with the addition of the manual and boosted point values for tricks, even the hardest THPS levels are a piece of cake.

You'll get a lot of enjoyment out of THPS2x, especially if you're playing multiplayer. The new levels a few more hours's worth of play onto the game, but simply for the new levels is not a good reason for buying the game.

Sound

It's good. The skating sounds are great. Grinding, the skateboard wheels, the sound of your skater when he completely bites it.... All good. The only problem someone might have with the sound is the soundtrack. The other THPS titles have great music, featuring a lot of great bands. THPS2, while not bad, doesn't live up to the rest of them. There are plenty of good songs/bands, but I just wasn't pleased with the soundtrack as a whole. I'm not here to impose my musical tastes on you, so I'll just list as many bands from the game as I can remember: Fu Manchu, Powerman 5000, Anthrax, Rage Against the Machine, Millencolin, Papa Roach (wth?!), Bad Religion, Naughty by Nature, Swingin Utters, Dub Pistols, Chuck D, Lagwagon, Consumed, and Born Allah. There might be one or two more....

If you like the looks of that, great. You'll be pleased with the music. If not, get THPS4 for the same price.

Graphics

I don't find much improved for the X-Box. If you've played THPS2 on the Dreamcast, that's what you can expect. They could be better, but it's nothing to complain about.

Buy/Rent/Avoid

Depends:

THPS3 and 4 are Platinum hits, just like 2x. If you're looking for any THPS game, get THPS4. They're all the same price. If you want the classic levels from THPS (especially) and THPS2 for multiplayer purposes or nostalgia, get 2x. 2x is the weakest and smallest (as far as objectives, tricks, skaters, and options) out of the three, so don't buy it unless you want it for the levels.

Overall

A great port/update of an already great game. I find the soundtrack to be somewhat bland, but that's my opinion. You should find everything else in this game to be pleasing.

9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/30/04