E3 2007
Preview
The Tony Hawk
franchise is alive and well and heading for yet another installment in the
successful franchise.
Tony Hawk’s
Proving Ground
was one of the titles Activision showed off during a pre-E3 event held in Los
Angeles. The game was started six months before Project 8 was completed and is
much more open-ended than previous iterations in the series.
Customization
and personalization are two of the tenets guiding the Neversoft development
team, and Proving Ground carries that theme forward. Players will be allowed to
create their own stories as a young and up-coming skater in Philadelphia. But
Philadelphia is not the only location in this title. Other venues will be
created from Baltimore and Washington, D.C.. The game is similar to Tony Hawk
Underground in terms of its role-playing elements. The goals in the game have
been beefed up quite a bit as well.
There are eight
new mechanics to get along with Nail the Trick. Nail the Grab and Nail the
Manual are part of the new moves, and you will be able to lock into the moves
with the slow-motion, close frame that marked the last game.
The game also
comes with a rigger system, which is akin to the park editor but not goal based.
With a video
editing tool, and a non-linear one at that, Proving Ground is also poised to
gain strong use of that element in that players can submit videos to sponsors
and also post them online. There is also an Xbox Live element that will allow up
to eight skaters to play against one another in one of several mini game
formats.
With 10
different themes for skate lounges (players can build their own lounge and show
off awards and unlockables received) and 12 arcade machines scattered throughout
the world to allow players to access old games, Proving Ground is a robust title
that should please fans of the franchise as well as newcomers to the phenomenon
that is the Tony Hawk franchise.
