|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 Tony Hawk shows just how high he can fly -- this time on the PC. By Scott Osborne | Sept. 14, 2003  89Excellent
The Lowdown: Despite a few flaws, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 flies high.
Discuss this Review How the review scores work
Platform: Windows
 Game Type: Extreme Sports Developer: Beenox Publisher: Aspyr ESRB: Teen Full Game Information Play it in GameSpy Arcade Advertisement
Play better with the Logitech® MX™500 Optical Mouse engineered for precision and control.
Some developers, though, have a veritable Midas touch where sequels are concerned. In the PC arena, you have companies like Blizzard and Ensemble, which can seemingly do no wrong with each new installment of their classic franchises. In the console realm, you have developers like Neversoft. With Tony Hawk's Pro Skater (1999), it created an instant classic that was innovative, influential, and oh-so-addictive. Neversoft has released a Tony Hawk sequel every year since then, and each entry has managed to improve on its predecessor while keeping the core gameplay intact. With Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4, Neversoft created what's arguably the best game in the series. Released last fall on consoles, the game has now been faithfully ported to the PC. For PC gamers who love finely crafted action games, it's time for rejoicing. Like each Tony Hawk game before it, Tony Hawk 4 nimbly treads the fine line between innovation and faithfulness to the original concept. The basics are all back: You step into the shoes of a number of real-world pro skateboarders and then skate through clever, colorful levels. You bust out tricks based on real skateboarding, but the physics are exaggerated to where you can easily pull off insane stunts that no pro could ever manage in the real world. It's the perfect blend of reality and fantasy. The career mode has always been the heart of the series, and Tony Hawk 4 makes some of the boldest and most effective tweaks to it yet. Gone are the fixed, two-minute runs for completing level goals. Now you begin each level in the equivalent of free skate mode, where you can get a feel for each level. As you skate, you'll notice various characters with arrows over their heads; skate up to them, press the appropriate button, and they'll offer you a particular challenge. If you accept, only then will a timer begin ticking. Completing goals and collecting cash icons scattered about each level let you unlock new levels, boost stats, obtain funny mystery skaters, and more. In Tony Hawk 4, the goals are a welcome blend of the old and the new, the mundane and the outrageous. As in every Tony Hawk game, you'll find yourself hunting around to collect the letters S-K-A-T-E that are scattered across each level, but now you'll also have to collect C-O-M-B-O while performing a single, uninterrupted combo as you pick them up. (A new "spine transfer" trick lets you build up bigger combos than ever as you switch between adjacent ramps.) A goal might have you do something straightforward like performing a series of tricks that another skater calls out to you. But then you might find yourself desperately hanging onto a London police motorcycle as it races around the city while the driver and sidecar passenger try to swat you off. Overall, the goals are diverse, witty, and the most challenging yet.  Soaring with the birds in the zoo. Next: Gamepad recommended » Page: 1 2 |
Most Popular
Video Games
Powered By PriceGrabber
|
||||||||
