Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix

"While I'm not completely comfortable with a Wheel of Loogies choosing my fate... this is still a great game"

Let's get one thing clear; I don't like Bam Margera, and I haven't liked him for a while now. While I admit that I enjoyed his performances on Jackass and the first season of his TV show, Viva La Bam, I now realize after the fact that buying his second DVD set was a mistake. I also think he is obnoxious and unnecessarily crude, and to be honest, I have nothing but disrespect for him in general.

However…

I still think that Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix (hereafter referred to as THUG2R) is the best game I have played for the PSP console, despite the obvious overdose of Bam. Fans of the skateboarder will probably enjoy THUG2R even more than I did, and I enjoyed it very much. An extensive soundtrack, great controls, and large, well-designed levels make for the best skateboarding game since… the original Tony Hawk's Underground. But hey; this is coming from someone who has killed many an hour in front of his N64 with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 lodged in it and considers himself a Tony Hawk video game aficionado.

CONTROLS 9

THUG2R controls very well, especially for a pad-based system, versus the nub. For someone who had only used a PS2 controller once or twice (and had never used a PSP at all before), the controls were extremely easy to learn. My one complaint would be that it is sometimes hard to grab ledges in mid-air, as you tend to acid drop by accident, but with proper timing this problem can be avoided.

GRAPHICS 8

Although there are a few pixelly edges, the graphics are extremely impressive. The skater models are very well done (except for Wee-Man, who looks distorted) and there is no fog in the levels, meaning you can see from one end to the other at any given time. Very well done.

SOUND 9

No complaints here. The game has a healthy-sized soundtrack of rap, rock, and punk, so you likely won't hear the same song twice during any given session. The “flip” sound effects are annoying, and luckily can be turned off. I hate how you can't turn off the sound effects altogether and just keep the music, but this isn't really a big deal. One more thing; uncut music would have been nice, but I think it would have meant an instant M rating (what with the F and N words being dropped everywhere in a few of the songs).

GAMEPLAY 10

While I can't say I find the story to be all that interesting, I really enjoyed doing goals that weren't ‘kickflip the gap' or ‘grind the five rails'. Plus, it was refreshing to complete the story mode and have classic mode with traditional goals to do as well. As stated before, the levels are enormous compared to the older games in the series (just look at Skatopia!) and this makes for difficult objectives that take a lot of time. I'd put the total gameplay time (for both modes) at about 40-50 hours, which is quite a bit. Plus, you can always go back and complete the gaps.

OVERALL 9

If you don't have this one for PSP yet you should get it. Only people who despise sports games will dislike this. Even if you own THUG2 for another console, Tony Hawk on the go is a wonderful thing. You won't be disappointed.

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