Redeemed.
Ok, Wasteland was not the best of the Tony Hawk titles, but Tony Hawk’s Project
8 picks up the dropped ball, or ollie, and restores the franchise with more
high-flying fun that not only sits wonderfully on the next-gen console platform,
but actually soars to new heights.
The graphics
are much crisper, the action more intense and the gameplay is superb. The game
does have a few flaws, but this is a player-friendly experience that caters to
players of different abilities.
The game has
several ways to play – career, 2 player, free skate, create, and pro tricks.
Career follows a story thread, 2 player puts you head-to-head with another
skater, create is the create-a-skater menu, and pro tricks allows gamers to view
the video playback of tricks unlocked (complete with a rewind feature).
Tony Hawk
sums up the whole aspect of the career mode rather nicely: He came to town to
find the eight sickest skaters who can outdo all others to make his team in his
latest venture – Project 8. To get that attention you have to perform tricks and
skill up. But don’t worry, there is a lot to do in this game, even if you are
not the best of skaters or all that intent in becoming a member of Project 8.
There are NPCs scattered throughout all the levels that have quests for you to
do, and all of them involve skating (d’uh!). You may find ‘Dad’ in the starter
level asking you to shag golf balls for him. This involves doing a spine
transfer over golf flags at the top of the ramps, and in the second time
through, you are asked to add to the spine transfer with grabs and then perform
flips. As you complete quests you climb the rankings and Tony may eventually
consider you for Project 8. But it is a long haul, considering that you start
ranked 200.
There are
other mini games as well that tickle the funny bone with the inventiveness. The
game sports 10 zones in all spread throughout this seamless (no loading times)
city. There are also 10 pro challenges and other tags that will spark a
challenge.
The big
addition this time around is the Nail the Trick – in which you can slow time
(pull down on both analog sticks when you get big air) and it puts you into a
Bullet Time-esque mode in which time slows and you can really work on the
nuances of the trick. In slow motion, the camera focuses on your feet and you
can use the analog sticks for each of your feet to manipulate the board any way
you wish.
Miscues are
often hilarious and recorded not in negative numbers as in the past, but rather
in dollar amounts that are hospital bills.
You also get
a room you can return to and edit your skater.
The
graphical elements are well done, from the slow-mo experience to the
environments and animations. The city does have a certain familiarity but not so
much as though you are feeling like you’ve been here seven times before. Rather,
it feels like it is your hometown and you know the streets. There are some minor
clipping problems but the game is generally lush and well rendered. Some of the
environment elements are interactive, but not overly so.
The skater
creation is fine but don’t expect a wealth of options in this mode.
The musical
score for this game is varied and cross from hip-hop to rock to tech. There are
three difficulty levels and you can perform the tricks starting at amateur,
moving up to pro and finally the very challenging sick level.
Other new
elements include photo shoot opportunities, picture-in-picture views of the game
and filmed action. Ramps can be moved to create more challenging lines, as well.
In career mode you can earn “stokens” by impressing the locals, which leads to
the ability to buy new items (decks and so on).
Project 8 is
a lot of fun, whether you can pull off sick tricks or struggle through the
amateur material. Multiplayer offers up split-screen offline modes and online
games (six in all) for up to eight players. Most of the multiplayer games will
be familiar to players, but a new one – Walls – has been added in which you try
to trap or seal off your rivals with a wall that you leave in your wake.
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Gameplay:
8.8
Tony Hawk titles
are back on track. The controls are solid and if you have played a title in this
franchise before, you should get the fundamentals down fast. If you haven’t,
there is a tutorial to walk you through the game’s control scheme.
Graphics:
9.0
The graphics are
top drawer; and when it comes to the animations, Project 8 sets new standards
for the title. The graphics for the Nail the Trick feature are rather amazing.
Sound:
8.2
Not bad stuff
here and generally what one expects. There is some narrative repetition, but
this is a solid adjunct to the graphics.
Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Pull off tricks
is still a dicey proposition, but the slow-motion animations can give you time
to land that combo for the big points.
Concept:
8.3
There are new
features, but few, and the graphics are what one would expect from a next-gen
title. The character creation seems a little light.
Multiplayer: 8.4
Solid fun with
other gamers trying to outdo each other.
Overall:
8.7
This is Tony Hawk
and that means pulling off sick tricks and working your way up the rankings to
show you are a top boarder. There is a lot of challenge here and some new
features that should please fans of the series.
