Game: Tony Hawk's Underground
Console: Microsoft Xbox
Developer: Neversoft
Release Date: 14th November 2003
As the first release outside of the Pro Skater line of games, Tony Hawk's Underground had creative license to be different and show players an innovative and new skating experience. While the game adds a lot of new mechanics, such as off-board exploration and driving, much of this feels somewhat clunky and the skating action is still king as far as gameplay is concerned. Objectives as the Pro Skater titles had have been removed in favour of goals, handed to players by NPCs, of which all but one must be completed to move to the next level, with 30 levels in total.
Although there are 30 levels in total, each location has 5 or so levels which take place in it, and thus there are around the same number of locations as in the rest of the series. Having said this, the locations themselves tend to be less varied than in any of the previous games, as most are based on real life cities, and there's only so much that can be done with these. The goals featured in the game can be grouped into several types; fetch goals, trick goals, score goals and a few others. On the whole they're enjoyable, but the game itself feels a little too long and samey unless you're looking for a huge session of Tony Hawk's.
The skating gameplay featured is very similar to the rest of the series, though some tricks have been added. It's very easy to string a combo together, with reverts and manuals being the staple of hitting big scores. There's a custom trick editor that allows players to insert their own special move into the game, which is actually pretty cool. Driving or on-foot parts of the game are far less enjoyable and any goals involving these should really be skipped if possible.
The game's story is frustratingly slow moving, with much of the first half focused on making it to the Tampa-Am competition in order to compete. After getting a sponsor, a ride to the competition, arrested, freed, advertising the competition and impressing the pros enough to make it into the competition, players are finally allowed to actually compete and likely beat the pros by a mile. Perhaps the huge amount of levels is a plus for some players, but it honestly becomes a grind after a while.
Graphically the game isn't anything amazing but it's certainly a step forward from the Pro Skater titles. Musically I'm a big fan of Pro Skater and Pro Skater 2, but from there on the series seems to diversify into general musical anarchy. There are some good tracks, there are some bad tracks, it's just a case of catching a good song on a good run; at least there's some variety.
Overall Tony Hawk's Underground does best when it's tugging at the punk-sounding, mean-skating nostalgia we have for the previous games. The driving and on-foot segments and the fairly boring and slowly paced story have no real value to gamers, and it's a shame that the game seems to be so goal based. There's really no reward for freely skating around at any time where previously it could have been beneficial. With these ups and downs, it's a pretty average title overall.
Rating: 73/100
Grade: C
Game: Tony Hawk's Underground 2
Console: Sony Playstation 2
Developer: Neversoft
Release Date: 4th October 2004
Tony Hawk's Underground 2 is remarkably different for a sequel in such a homogeneous series of games. That's not to say it's changed much at all, but there's less "levels" and more sets of goals for each level, to be completed by different skaters. There's a set of goals for the player's original character, a set for a pro skater, a set for a guest skater and a special set which are completed on a special vehicle instead of a skateboard. This leads to some whacky guest appearances and goals mixed with the regular move and score goals we're used to.
The premise of the game is a skating tour, with two team captains; Tony Hawk and Bam Margera. The player attempts to earn points for their team by completing the objectives in each level. Once enough have been completed, it's possible move on. There's not a lot of stages in the game, compared to other instalments in the series, but the number of goals is certainly higher. As far as variety goes, there are some fun things to do in each level, with destructible environments in most and things to find.
The skating action itself feels similar to the other games in the series, though perhaps slightly clunkier in some ways. The levels featured in the main mode of the game tend to lack the flow of those featured in early titles also, making it far harder to string together combos and score runs, though time is no longer a factor in completing most goals. The special vehicles used instead of skateboards vary, but have some fun appeal even if they're not what we're used to.
In addition to the main mode, THUG2 features a Classic Mode allowing players to make their way through some of the game's levels, and remade classic levels in the original format; 2 minute runs, 10 goals per level and more levels unlocked once a certain amount of goals are cleared. This is all very well, and I personally appreciate the inclusion of the classic levels, but the first three levels (which are from THUG2) don't really fit this model well, and it's hard to string together a decent run.
Graphically the game isn't all that impressive; perhaps it's just the Playstation 2 version, but there were moments that I definitely preferred the first Underground game. There's nothing special about any of the skaters, their animations or the locations featured in the game, visually. The soundtrack is another mix of genres with a focus on Punk, Hip Hop and Alternative Rock. This works a little better than in Underground, though the inclusion of some wild card musical choices is questionable.
Overall Tony Hawk's Underground 2 is more of the same skating silliness we're used to with a few new tricks and features. The story mode flows better than in Underground and definitely doesn't drag on for quite as long. Classic Mode is a nice inclusion and can provide a nice nostalgia trip once players are past the first few levels. I prefer the Pro Skater series for the most part, with its fast paced, goal-clearing focus, but there's some acceptable fun to be had here too.
Rating: 73/100
Grade: C
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