Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3

"A Great Game with one Minor Flaw"

The Tony Hawk videogame franchise has become huge, due, in large part to the fact that Tony Hawk Pro Skating offered innovative gameplay, great graphics, and excellent replayability. I had played Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 when it first came out for the GBA, but I found the game just didn't hold my interest. With the release of THPS3, I had some pre-conceived notions about not liking the game, but I figured what the heck, I wanted to play something different.

And then I saw who developed the game. Vicarious Visions. Keep that name in your mind, because they are a development house to keep your eyes on. They developed the absolutely fabulous Crash Bandicoot - The Huge Adventure, which I thought was one of the all time best games on the GBA. Knowing that VV was behind this game, I was ready to dive in head first.

First Impressions
I was very excited to start playing this game. The menu screen came up, I picked my skater, and then I was off to career mode......And I hated it. Since I had not played THPS2 on the GBA in so long, I found this game to be incredibly frustrating and could not stand the perspective. After about an hour, I gave up in frustration and vowed to write a review slamming this game. But for whatever reason, I picked the game up the next day, and something happened. Although the perspective still bothered me, I found the game easier to control, and then I became drawn into the game. Finally, I had seen the beauty of this game.

Graphics
In one word - stunning. Not only are the graphics very well done, but the animations of the skaters and the surrounding environments looks great as well. When a game looks this good, there is really not a lot to say about it other than I never thought I'd see this type of game on the GBA. The gameplay is view from a 3/4 overhead perspective, that is somewhat disorienting, but the developers have done everything possible to minimize this fact. When you skate behind walls, etc, the walls turn transparent so you can still see your skater. The whole game reeks of polish! From the first menus, to the career menu, gap checklist (yes, you read that right!), and the create a skater mode. It all looks great!

Sound
Sound is a somewhat mixed bag. There are plenty of different songs that play, and given the GBA's limited speaker ability, they sound pretty good. Vicarious Visions has included an easy to access option that lets you adjust the music and sound fx volumes separately, so it is very easy to find a level to suit your taste. Other than the music, there is not too many sound effects in the game, other than your basic skateboarding sounds. This is not a bad thing in the least.

Replayability
Replay value has always been high among THPS games, and this version does not disappoint. I have been playing this game for a week and I have only scratched the surface. Not only can you customize your skater by finding stat points, you can also customize the way your skater looks. Not enough for you? Well, each time you complete the game in career mode, something new unlocks - from new skaters, new cheats, new skate parks, etc. Awesome! Not enough? Well, there is also a gap list in this game. I have no clue what you get when you complete it, but I'm guessing you get something.....Still not enough? Well, if you have a link cable you can play MULTI-PLAYER! Since I don't have a link cable, I really cannot comment on it, but it is still a nice feature to have that I would love to try at some point. If that is still not enough for you, I'm not sure what else you could want. This game will keep you playing and coming back for more for quite some time.

The One Minor Flaw
In my opinion, there is only one problem with THPS3, and that has to do with the perspective of the game. No matter how much I play this game, the perspective still throws me a little bit. This is no way makes this any less of a game, but before I rate a game as ''perfect'', it really does have to be perfect. For the THPS franchise, this is about as close to handheld perfection as it is going to get until we see a full 3D version of the game.

Rent or Buy?
If you have never played THPS on the GBA, I suggest trying this game before you buy it, but be warned, this game is difficult, and your first impressions of it may be a bit misleading. If you are looking for a difficult and in-depth game to sink your teeth into, I would highly suggest buying the game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/15/02, Updated 03/15/02