Let’s see....There have been four Tony Hawk’s Pro Skaters and then the name switch, to Tony Hawk’s Underground. So, this is the second Tony Hawk’s Underground but it is basically the sixth title in the series and what I would say is the most complete package Activision are yet to offer us. And here's why: the game plays pretty similar the first Tony Hawk's Underground title, but also this time around they added a new Classic Mode where you can play like you did in the first three Tony Hawk games.

                Story mode is a huge success. At the beginning of the story   you’re just some skater guy, and out of nowhere some van pulls up and Tony Hawk and Bam Margera fall-out, and pull you in, and before you know it you’re on a "World Destruction Tour." From there on its Team Hawk Vs. Team Bam, and along the way you meet strange people like a shrimp vender and other pointless people but they make the game so fun. It’s the hardest Tony Hawks Game Mode we’ve seen so far. Being a bit of a Tony-pro, all the other basic modes took me less than an hour on Sick Difficulty. Trying to hit every gap and see what you unlock is highly addictive.

The levels are somewhat big and nice looking. The worst part though is all the graphical glitches you'll run in to. Sometimes you'll go straight through a wall and come out the other side, or sometimes you'll get trapped in midair. Neversoft seem to have rushed a little too much with this release, and should have paid more attention to the detail. Overall the graphics on the characters were good, and the lip-syncing has been done pretty effectively.

Once again, the sound is good. They have expanded the playlist a little bit, and have offered a little more variety of music... like Johnny Cash and Frank Sinatra. That's right, you heard me, their songs are in this game. You can choose exactly what songs you want to play, as in the first T.H.U.G. The create-a-skater is as pleasing as ever and you can finally choose what voice you want them to have!! That part of the voice acting is good, but the pro's voices are not so good. Some of the pros were alright, but Tony Hawk just sounded bored sometimes, which will make the player bored.

But still, the best part of the gameplay once again is the multi-player. They've added one new game, which is by far the most fun game in multi-player mode. The game is Scavenger Hunt, and if you have a friend, you'll be playing for hours. The Create-a-Modes are still there, but unlike the previous T.H.U.G., they've removed Create-A-Deck, which is another mistake. Character wise, this game is lacking. I was under the impression the whole point of the Tony Hawk games was to unlock all the pro skaters… well in this they have about six pros, and every other character seems to be thrown in there for a joke. Throughout the game you will unlock these characters and say to yourself; "What the... What are they doing in a Tony Hawk game?"

WorldLeader                                                                                                    Reviews Score Table Interpretation.

23/12/04

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