Tony Hawk's Underground

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by Shelly on December 15, 2009 at 11:23 AM

Tony Hawk's Underground

Game Info

Publisher: Activision

Developer: Neversoft Entertainment

Platform:  PS2

Genre(s): Extreme Sports

Players: 8

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Release Date: October 27, 2003

Intro:

As with most other Tony Hawk games, Tony Hawk's Underground begins with a video of the experts.  They skate, they biff, and they do things so extreme that players are sure to be enticed to play in the safety of their livingrooms and fore-go the war wounds. 

Getting Going:

Some nice new features are evident on the title screen here.  In Create-A-Skater mode, players can upload a photo and use facial mapping to make the skater actually look like themselves.  The now-expected plethora of clothing options and body features is present in this game so that no two players really need ever look alike again.  Getting into gameplay is simple.  As soon as the player creates their skater, a friend at the window prompts them to come out and play.  And here is where the player discovers that this is not the standard Tony Hawk game.  It has a story.  Players can get off their boards and run, jump, climb, drive a car, etc.  In fact, they have to.  This mission-based game begins with the player getting off the board and collecting part on the roof-top and moves into running and jumping on the board to grind the nearest rail.  There is plenty to do and the missions are laid out like a sandbox game similar to Grand Theft Auto including a mission to drive a car through the streets of the town in an arrow-driven direction.  The car handles much like a GTA car, too.  

Fun:

As a sports game with a story, Tony Hawk's Underground effectively plays to a wider audience.  There is a lot to see and do.  The missions fit the story, allowing the player to grow in skills and expertise while picking and choosing their present gameplay experience.  If one mission is too frustrating, players can easily move on to something else.

Visuals:

While Tony Hawk's Underground still doesn't meet the audio-visual standards of more modern games, it certainly offers some nice texturing and plenty to look at and do.  Players can still grind on, jump on and grab just about anything they see.  Most of the game is in third-person view, so, although it looks like the player's face, the player is actually seen most often from behind, while the driving missions are seen more from above than as if you were driving, again reminiscent of GTA.  Rails and mission objectives are highlighted brightly so that players will have a hard time missing them, which is a nice touch.

Sound: 

A rocking soundtrack of popular music combines with authentic skating sounds and impressive voice-acting throughout the game.  Some of the barks are average, while much of the story is told with an authentic feel of friendship and neighborhood rivalries through the voice-acting.  The menu sound effect, a ratcheting white noise, could have used a tweak, but, for the most part, the combination of soundtrack, voice-acting, and authentic sound effects allows good pacing with an immersive quality.

Intelligence:

Most NPC's don't seem to pay much attention to the player unless the player is running them down or they have a mission.  Even missions are up to the player to initiate.  NPC's with missions are marked with symbols above their heads and some of them flag the player with a wave of the arm, but many will simply let you pass.  If an NPC gives you a mission and you fail, little or nothing is said about it.  Some accountability or help would have been a nice feature.  However, in large games such as this, that may be more of a wish-list item than a financial necessity.

Immersion:

It's hard not to feel immersed when your face is in the game.  Players have a lot of decisions in this game from mission choices to the Skate Park Editor and Create-A-Trick.  The only thing that could make this sports game feel more immersive for the player, at least considering existing technology, would be for the player to actually see themselves more or to view the game in first-person view. 

Cameras:

Sports games are generally fast-paced games and this one is no different.  The camera keeps up seamlessly.  It's not so much that the player has camera control, because they don't.  The camera goes where it needs to go and is largely invisible in play which is important in any fast-paced game.

Controls:

The controls can sometimes be a bit sloppy.  The player character doesn't always go where the player wants him to go and obstacles on-screen make it difficult to return the PC to the required area during a timed event.  That can be frustrating. Despite this, the game offers all of the great moves one would expect from a Tony Hawk game and the ability to Create-A-Trick.  No complaints there.

Ideas:

The idea of using sports play in a story environment is unique and innovative.  Neversoft does an excellent job of pulling this off.  The sandbox game feel and the ingenious addition of play mechanics such as driving, running and climbing make this one of the best skate titles to grace the Tony Hawk franchise.  Facial mapping gives the game a unique immersive feel not found in many sports games.

Memory:

I've said many times that I don't like sports games.  Every now and then, however, one like SSX or Tony Hawk's Underground gets under my skin.  I don't yet own the game; I've merely played it as a rental.  It is one, however, that will be added to my collection in the near future. I haven't forgotten that some of the play was very frustrating, which was what lead me to stop playing to write the review.  Luckily, the addition of story, decisions, and innovative play add balance to the sometimes frustrating play.