Learning the tricks
This game has a learning curve a little higher then the first Tony Hawk, but it shouldn’t take long before your fingers are mashing your gamepad with frantic delight. The way combos work is pure genius; easy to start, but sometimes insanely hard to finish. Maintaining a long grind can take almost inhuman balance but when the points rack up, it makes it all worth it.
One thing though is anybody that doesn’t have a gamepad is going to be missing out as I can’t imagine playing this game with a keyboard, or even a joystick. I used the Logitech Sidewinder while playing but I’m sure any gamepad will do, as everything is easy to customize in ‘options.’
Sound
This game has some great tunes! While the original Tony Hawk was almost 90% punk, Tony Hawk 2 broadens itself musically by including songs from Powerman 5000, Papa Roach, and Rage Against the Machine. The music, while always in the background, drives the game. The sound effects are solid as well, as passing cabbies yell out their windows at you and beeping golf cart drivers try to run you down, while nothing will make you cringe more then when you hear that crunching sound that happens when you fail to stick a landing.
Gap jump! | That looks like it hurts… | Yes, it does |
Multiplayer
Ouch, about all there is here is some LAN goodness. Sorry modem people, nothing here for you. Also there isn’t any ‘battle.net’ where we can prove who really has got the best skills. Unfortunately even over good connections, games can seem ‘laggy’ and sometimes frames get dropped.
Fun Extra’s
Since us PC folk didn’t get to enjoy the original Tony Hawk, some of the best levels from the old game have been added in the ‘Free skate’ mode. It’s fun to try some of the new tricks on the old territory and people who never got to play the original can get an inkling of what they missed. Also added is a skate park editor, and though not quite as strong as some other games’ editors, it comes with over 60 premade parks! That’s a lot of territory for any avid gamer to cover, and yes, this lets you put fun deathtraps in and among those ramps, bars, and half-pipes. Also fun is the create-a-skater tool. Letting you choose every bit of clothing, along with what attributes the skater will be best at, is a definite plus.
Create-a-Skater | Create-a-level |
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