Tony Hawk's Underground 2

"A good game with a bad story."

***Introduction***

Tony Hawk's Underground 2 is Neversoft's 2nd entry in the T. H. U. G. series and is the 6th in the Tony Hawk Franchise. You play as yourself, a fledgling pro skater and you join Tony Hawk and Bam Margera on a “World Destruction Tour”.

***Game play***

This is where the Tony Hawk Franchise has always shined and T. H. U. G. 2 is no exception. The controls are the same as the previous games and this entry adds many new options for control. These include: sticker slap, tagging objects, and being able to spin on pole like objects such as fire hydrants. These plus many others just continue to show the care Neversoft takes in continually improving the skating mechanics in the Tony Hawk franchise. The way the game plays, you find 3 other characters per level and each one adds to the goals you must complete in the level. At the beginning of the level you choose the pro from your team that you want to skate with and the other two are secret characters in the level. Each goal is worth points. When you have enough points, you trigger a cut scene that advances you to the next level. You are also able to play as each one of the characters that you unlock for as long as you are in the level. You can create your own skater with more options than ever before, and you can also create your own graphic which may be used on clothes, decks, and as your graffiti tag. Throw in a state of the art level creator and the ability to even create your own goals, and you've got one really good game.

Score: 10/10

***Story***

Here is where T. H. U. G. 2 has some major problems. The story of T. H. U. G. wasn't a masterpiece but it was at least a little bit believable and enjoyable. T. H. U. G. 2's story is neither. It is obviously just created to advance levels and makes virtually no sense. When you buy the game (and you should) you'll see what I mean.

Score: 5/10

***Graphics and Sound***

The graphics in this game are very good. The cartoon like style takes a while to get used to but once you do, you will realize that it is a very good medium to convey the mood of the game. The animations are very slow and there is very little pop up or slowdown. The sound is very good. All of the skating sounds are very well done as always. However, the do seem to sound about the same as T. H. U. G. The voice acting is good, but I couldn't tell if Bam or Tony really did their own lines. It says they did, but in the game, it doesn't really sound like them. Overall, a great presentation.

Score: 9/10

***Replay Value***

High

Even though the story is very shallow, I played through this one about 7 times. Plus the added create-a-modes and you've got a solid 150 hours at least of playtime, plus more. I have always played Tony Hawk games over and over. There is just something addictive about them.

Score: 9.5/10

***Final Recommendation***
You need to get your hands on this game. Rent, buy, borrow, whatever it takes. This is an awesome game. The story sucks, but hey, Tony Hawk got along just fine without one for 4 games. I don't think this game deserves quite a 10 so I'll give it a 9.5 but since I can't score with decimals, I'll round down to a 9. This game is grade A fun... while it lasts. It is kind of short.... but who really cares.

Score: 9/10

***Score Recap***

Game play: 10/10
Story: 5/10
Graphics and Sound: 9/10
Replay Value: High, 9.5/10
Final Recommendation: Buy, Borrow, Rent, Steal, 9/10

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