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Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2

Score: 90%
ESRB: Teen
Publisher: Activision
Developer: Treyarch
Media: CD/1
Players: 1 - 2
Genre: Sports (Extreme)

Graphics & Sound:

When Tony Hawk first came out on PlayStation, the graphics were pretty good, with player models shaped out well and scenario sketches not too blocky. Well, with a year under its belt and on another system, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 is even more incredible looking. The Hawk and each of his buddies look like their ready to hit each ramp and half pipe with style. And the Skate Parks are well defined with plenty of backgrounds... it's almost like you're out there yourself.

Headlining THPS2 are the bands Papa Roach, Naughty by Nature, Rage Against the Machine, and many, many more. And the sound effects make you believe you're actually on your board, whether it be just skating around, rail-sliding, or crashing to the pavement as you fall head first.


Gameplay:

It's a good thing that Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 isn't like a Voodoo doll, because if that was the case, poor Tony would probably be paralyzed for life due to my skating ability. You have the option to be the Hawk himself, or 12 other pro skaters. And if those don't suffice, you are capable of Creating-Your-Own Skater, complete with duds, hairstyle, and body type. With all of these skaters, your options of gameplay include Free Skate (board on any level you want), Career Mode, and 2-Player Mode. With 2-Player Mode, you can play games like Trick Attack (get the most points under a time limit), Graffiti (pull the best move off a certain object and you get the points), Tag (like the schoolyard in elementary, don't be "It"), and Horse (spell HORSE for your opponent by pulling off a better trick). The other Single Player Mode is the Career Mode, where you skate through each level trying to complete specific goals like beat the High Score or Knock over some cans, etc.

Once you've mastered every single half pipe, ramp and bank on all of the levels, THPS2 provides you with a Build-Your-Own Skate Park feature in real-time. This allows you to try out the hundreds of new tricks that have been added to the game.


Difficulty:

The difficulty in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 is all within the tricks you try. Each level gets harder and harder to perform your tricks, but there is no set Degree of Difficulty. And pulling off a 900 Olley with a little bit of flare shouldn't take too long to pull off.

Game Mechanics:

Like almost all Dreamcast games, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 runs as smooth as riding your skateboard. And if you think that just because there are hundreds of different tricks to try out, that the controller configuration will be all messed up, think again. It's simply a direction and a button, and your pals will be slack-jawed with amazement. And if you don't like something in your repertoire, you can always change it in the Trick Editor. And saving on your VMU isn't complicated either, and it only takes up around 20 blocks.

Tony Hawk 2 has followed up a great year with another great game, enjoy!


-Red Dawg, GameVortex Communications
AKA Alex Redmann

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Game Vortex :: PSIllustrated