Put down that handheld controller and get off the couch! You’ve talked the talk,
but can you skate the walk?
For the past decade, the Tony Hawk franchise has innovated and often defined the
‘board’ genre of video-games. Tony Hawk RIDE is no exception, but – in many ways
– it takes the genre in a completely new direction and opens up the opportunity
to expand the concept of board-controlled gaming to other genres.
In the past, the Tony Hawk games put controllers in the hands of gamers that
tied in to the tricks. Players were tasked to string together combos through
multiple button presses. Well, that is truly a thing of the past. The key to
RIDE is the new controller, which is a wireless board that sits on the ground.
You begin the experience by defining your stance on the board. This enables the
board to accurately translate your movements to the game. The board is shaped
like a real skateboard (well, a little thicker) with key inputs along one side
and motion sensors at four locations on the edges of the board. There is a flat
surface on the bottom and then a beveled edge that allows the board to tilt.
Balance on the board is obviously a key ingredient.
The board is the same for all three platforms
The ends of the board are curved slightly upward, like a real skateboard, and
this allows for the basic beginning movements. Want to perform an ollie? Use
your back foot to push down and pop the nose of the board up in the air. A slow
elevation of the nose of the board will perform a manual. Popping an ollie and
then using your front foot to push the nose of the board in one direction or the
other will perform a flip. While it may sound a bit strange, it is actually very
easy to get the hang of and to perform tricks. The board is pointed toward the
console for street trick rides or speed skate competitions, but when it comes to
the vert or half-pipe, the board runs horizontal to the console/monitor.
You push off in the regular or goofy stance by running your foot past one of the
side motion sensors. For the vert, you ‘ollie’ off the ramp and onto the course.
The motion sensors also come into play for grabs. Run a hand through the field
of view of the sensors and your on-screen skater will perform a grab. Timing is
important, of course, but the casual mode (the easiest of the three modes, which
runs to hardcore) eases players into the game but determining the line through
the game for players so they can concentrate on the tricks.
The game is identical for the 360 and PS3 consoles. The Wii uses the same level
design and essentially the same looks but there are some differences. Miis are
the characters (in the 360 and PS3 you can use a pre-built more-realistic skater
or create your own), and there are no special characters (like a teen-aged Tony
Hawk). While some of the elements of its bigger brethren are not the same, the
Wii does offer an extra level in Spain.
The story mode essentially has players journeying around the world to see what
Tony has been up to. Maybe that does not sound like the strongest story line,
but there are challenges along the way. The biggest aspect, in terms of game
modes, though will come in the form of the challenges. More so than any other
Tony Hawk title, this is a game with broad family appeal. You can take turns in
the challenges for a one-versus-one high score contest, or enter in a
round-robin scoring match with numerous players in the party mode.
The PS3 and 360 character models are more
realistic than those on the Wii (below),
but the action and environments are both excellent
Taking a page from the Guitar Hero book, developer Robomodo incorporated a Style
meter that when filled up allows for multipliers for the tricks, takes the game
into a slow-motion look and adds some nice colored trailers to the skater to
pump up the optical effects.
When it comes to multiplayer, players can obviously play on the same machine (no
side-by-side skating with multiple boards; this is turn-based gaming simply
because it can be a very physical exercise and you will want room to fall should
you lose your balance while playing), but the game will have a robust online
presence with every game type, except challenge (the four game types are speed,
trick, challenge and free skate – the latter is pulling off as many tricks as
you can in the area within a time limit).
Graphically the game looks solid. During the event, there were some minor
clipping problems and a bug that had one skater going in circles in a timed
event (contrary to the casual directed path) until an ollie broke the cycle. But
the game does a very good job with the environments and the skating animations.
The Wii version was a bit more awkward with the Miis, but the environments and
animations were still solid.
The musical score dabbles in a variety of styles with more than 50 artists
contributing to the soundtrack. There are also video segments that transition
from one event to the other (masking some of the load times, and there are some
load times), and some of these have a splash of humor in them and are worth
watching.
What makes this game so dynamic is obviously the controller. It gives the game a
brand new vibe and feel and elevates the enter genre. In 2009, Activision
introduced a couple of new controllers – one for DJ Hero and the board for RIDE.
Of the two, the board will have the biggest impact and may well become a staple
for other games to build off. But more importantly, the board takes the Tony
Hawk franchise to a new audience – the entire family. This is no longer about
fast fingers on a controller, but it is a decent workout (you may break a sweat
playing the game and you will feel it in your legs) but this is a game that will
appeal to the younger members of the family as well as the older ones.
Tony Hawk RIDE is a winner. This is a game that runs a bit more than typical
titles ($120 at retail) but the cost is for the controller, which will
undoubtedly have other applications down the road. The game, though, is very
entertaining, a joy to watch and even more fun to play.
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Gameplay: 9.2
The board brings the franchise to life in remarkable ways. There is a decent
variety of game modes and the ‘80s look is a nice touch.
Graphics: 9.0
A few minor glitches, but the game is very easy on the eyes and there are some
fun effects players can trigger in various locations. The Miis used in the Wii
version are not a great fit, but this is a game that is about the action
animation, and that translates to all platforms.
Sound: 8.5
Wide range of musical tracks gives the game a good audio backdrop.
Difficulty: Medium
The
casual mode is very forgiving but there is a small learning curve when it comes
to finding your balance and working the board for the big tricks. Landing is
very important.
Concept: 10
The board is what defines this game, makes it stand out from other titles and is
a tremendous leap forward for the genre.
Multiplayer: 9.3
The online elements were not available for play, but the party mode and scoring
competitions provided a lot of fun.
Overall: 9.2
A few small glitches, but Tony Hawk RIDE is innovative and great fun. This is a
title the whole family can get behind and it should provide hours of
entertainment, laughter and a nice little leg workout. If not for the board,
this title would be an average Tony Hawk game, but the board makes it a
benchmark title. Yes, it is spendy, but this is more than a disk in plastic
wrap, this is a next-gen controller that takes the franchise down roads it has
never travelled before.
