Defunct Games vs. Tony Hawk

When it was released, critics the world over praised Activision for their ability to fit the Tony Hawk brand onto the Game Boy Advance. And these critics were right, compared to the horrible Game Boy Color games, this Game Boy Advance launch title was a home run. Unfortunately the strange 3/4 isometric angle takes some getting used to and has been completely outmoded. There are five different Game Boy Advance games, most of which take their cues from the original 2001 release of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3. As a 16-bit variation on the Tony Hawk theme, these GBA games are surprisingly solid. But now that we've had a taste of what the DS and PSP have to offer, it's hard to go back and play through these various remakes. For what it's worth, Activision did make a halfway decent port of Tony Hawk Downhill Jam, but seeing as that isn't one of the stronger games in the franchise it's hard to get too excited about this SSX rip-off. If you don't own a PSP and never intend to get a Nintendo DS, then go right on ahead and pick up one or two of these titles, but everybody else should just keep reading and see what I have to say about the rest of the portable Tony Hawk titles.

As good as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 was, this fourth installment (the final "traditional" Tony Hawk game) is even better. Sadly it's not as forward thinking and they don't add nearly as many innovations in the gameplay this time around, but that doesn't stop it from being the most refined Tony Hawk game on the PlayStation 2. In a lot of ways this game has a lot in common with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, in the sense that both games polished up the franchise, added bigger levels and improved the visuals. This isn't the huge leap that the third installment is, instead it's a baby step into the future, but at the same time it makes for a fantastic game that is easy to get into and hard to put down. Best of all, this time around they could flesh out the already cool online multiplayer modes. They allowed for more players to enter, added a bunch of new modes and featured better levels to play in. Yes this is more of the same, but when the same is as good as Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 then it's hard to be disappointed. It may not be as forward thinking, however this is still a great game that is worth a spot in your game library.

There's just something not right about Tony Hawk's Underground. After hearing the complaints about the franchise's lack of real innovation, Neversoft decided to mix things up adding a story, allowing you to get off your skateboard (a first for the series) and adding vehicles that you can drive. Wait a minute, vehicles? Isn't this supposed to be a skateboarding game? I can understand getting off your board, sometimes you need to walk up stairs or climb a latter, but if I wanted to drive a car then I would pick up Burnout. Sadly the vehicles aren't the only thing that doesn't work in this fifth console installment. The story itself feels forced and isn't as funny as the developers thing it is. Worse yet, the various tasks feel a little too similar to the rest of the series. Also, the fact that you're constantly doing all of these non-skateboarding things gives off the feeling that the core gameplay is nothing more than an afterthought. There are things to like about this game, but it's hard not to be disappointed when put up next to the stellar Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4.

Taking what worked in the original Tony Hawk's Underground and fixing what didn't, Underground 2 proved to be a spectacular follow-up to 2003's slightly disappointing entry. This time around the levels are more interesting, the tasks are better and I didn't mind seeing Bam Margera nearly as much. That said, the game isn't perfect and critics can certainly say that this game doesn't innovate much on the tried and true Tony Hawk formula. You're still skating around performing over-the-top tricks, annoying cops and getting into all sorts of problems. However, they wisely ignored some of the more stupid aspects of the original THUG, such as driving cars. Along with a great soundtrack and funny cinemas, Tony Hawk's Underground 2 is the first (and only) time Neversoft has been able to make a story work in this franchise. The original four games were not about a narrative, which may explain why forcing in a story feels so foreign after five years. Thankfully the cast of characters keep things moving and the tasks are both varied and exciting. You even get to experience a few new tricks and events this time around, which is one of the reasons this Tony Hawk game is so easy to recommend.

Some may write Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix as nothing more than a port of the successful 2004 PlayStation 2 game, but it's a lot more than that. For one thing, THUG 2 Remix is the single best example of a handheld Tony Hawk game. It offered graphics that were on par with the PlayStation 2 game, controls that were spot on, brand new levels, phenomenal multiplayer gameplay and much, much more. Every portable Tony Hawk game before this had been stripped down in one way or another, yet that wasn't the case with this PSP game. In fact, the exact opposite thing happened. Activision actually took the extra development time to add new levels, tricks and music to the otherwise excellent game. They even went in and fixed many of the bugs and problems people had with the console versions, making this the definitive version of THUG 2. To this day this PSP remix remains the best Tony Hawk game on a handheld, even better than the "brand new" Nintendo DS entries. Unfortunately lightning was only able to strike once, because the other Tony Hawk game (a port of Project 8) was absolute garbage. These days Activision isn't even trying when it comes to a PSP Tony Hawk game, which is a real shame considering the quality of Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix.

Tony Hawk's American Wasteland was the first major misstep for Activision's line-up of skateboarding console games. Sure there were a few stinkers on the Game Boy Color and that Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2x isn't exactly a shining example of innovation, but up until this point Neversoft had never failed as spectacularly as they did with this game. The idea is sound; add a Lords of Dogtown-style story mode that involved you helping out friends, meet some of history's most popular skateboarders and learn new moves as you play through the game. The problem is, the ridged story mode meant that you couldn't just go in and have a good time. Instead you had to go through dozens of missions, all of which felt like an extended tutorial. By the end of the game you had learned all of the moves, but you didn't have a lot of fun getting there. Worse yet, the game actually lies to you. The advertising (and back of the box) suggests that the game is one big streaming world, sort of like Grand Theft Auto but with skateboards (and bikes). But that's not the case at all. Oh sure, the game doesn't stop and say it's loading, but the world isn't as seamless as they would have you believe. In order to get to the next level you have to go through a long and boring hallway or tunnel or mall, which was there to mask the fact that the game was loading. Couple that with the fact that the story was lame and you never really had a chance to have fun, and Tony Hawk's American Wasteland proves to be the first console installment that you should actively avoid.