For most gamers
and loyal fans of the Tony Hawk series of games, the franchise has slowly been
taking a downward spiral back when the second Underground game as well as recent
releases such as Wasteland and Project 8. While they were not bad games, they
failed to really capture the addictive energy of the games that made the
franchise such a joy to play. For those how feel uneasy about Hawk’s latest
installment, allow me to put your mind at ease by saying that Tony Hawk’s
Proving Ground for the PlayStation 3 is, by far, the deepest and most addictive
addition to the long-running franchise.
What this means
is that this year gamers will be facing quite a dilemma. On the first hand,
skate – a game that was released months in advance – not only proved to be a
real blast to play but it also proved to outshine the Tony Hawk franchise in a
number of ways. On the second hand, however, Proving Ground manages to pull of
some better and far more interesting new tricks that have this new edition stand
out a bit more than the realistic skating of its competitor. If all-out killer
moves, a huge open playground and an assortment of surprising additions sound
good then Proving Ground is your game.
While Wasteland
concentrated on doing your thing in the most punk rock way possible and Project
8 focused on doing what you do best to be like a pro, Proving Ground’s Story
Mode centers on how far you’re willing to go to make a name for yourself while
bring your own individual style to the table. This time you won’t just pick
whether you want your style to be mongo or street but every aspect of your own
style is decided by you. You even have the freedom to design your character’s
style in the fashion sense as well so your skater reflects the style you pick
for him. From there you are tossed into the streets of Philadelphia, Baltimore
and Washington D.C. Your mission, of course, is to make a name for yourself by
proving to the pros as well as event coordinators that you have what it takes to
be a pro yourself.
The story isn’t
deep enough that you become wrapped up in its realistic and occasionally funny
vibe but it does allow you to make your skater’s career anything you want it to
be and this is done by upgrading your skater’s skills much as you do in an RPG.
Complete a number of goals given to you by various characters you’ll encounter
and you’ll earn points you can use to tweak various skill sets and stats to give
your skater his own sense of style that’s either hardcore or career-oriented.
Proving Ground’s focus on individualism can also be reflected in your own Skate
Lounge – a place you can build and accessorize by adding televisions (to watch
your own skate videos) and personalize with a number of set pieces from the
Rig-a-Kit menu. Not only can you purchase and use up to 200 pieces to build a
skater paradise within your Lounge but also use the pieces in the game’s massive
environments. If you want to add a ramp to jump over a vehicle, all you have to
do is bring it up in the Rig-a-Kit menu and pick a set piece like a ramp to be
placed near the car you want to jump.
Proving Ground’s
various environments also seem to have more believable places to skate whether
it’s the steps just outside a library or a very small section of the street that
is under construction. There are a number of challenges in each of the cities
you’ll be skating around and various pros such as Jeff King, Rodney Mullen,
Vanessa Torres and even Tony Hawk himself. There are various characters that
will aid you on your way to making an impression on the pros (which will lead to
invites to events). For example, you will meet Rube early in the game who takes
it upon himself to film your first set of challenges such as nailing 10 grabs or
performing a set number of grind tricks. Speaking of tricks, the new Agro Kick
is a helpful new trick that allows you to gain extra speed by pressing the R1
button in synch with your foot movement. Also, making its return is the Nail the
Trick and Nail the Grab mode that slows things down to allow you to pull off a
custom trick after performing an ollie.
Aside from
manipulating your environment to complete challenges, the game introduces a
Video Editor feature that lets you edit replays while adding visual effects to
the footage such as colored filters, film grain and making necessary cuts using
a trimming feature. This editing tool is actually quite professional in nature
and by the time you master all the available tools you’ll have some interesting
videos. Another great feature is the online multiplayer mode that can easily be
switched from the offline single-player to the online multiplayer for up to
eight players. You can even use a headset for chat.
The game’s
graphics are actually quite gorgeous at times and watching your created skater
hit the pavement will not fail to produce a wince since character movements look
more natural this time around. Each character model looks nicely detailed on the
PS3 and the environments are beautifully detailed. Sadly, there’s still some
horrible clipping problems, some of them that are actually too pronounced to
ignore. At one point, my skater’s entire head disappeared in a wall when I
performed a climbed a pipe to reach a roof. Even if you’re standing next to a
wall your limbs will disappear into a wall or any other surface. It certainly
has no place in a PS3 game but with visuals this good you can look past the
clipping.
As far as the
music is concerned, the soundtrack isn’t bad at all and its eclectic mix of
genres (everything from punk to alternative rock) just works well within the
game. There are also some great environmental sounds that are just as detailed
as the graphics. The voice acting is also pretty decent and there are moments
when the dialogue is actually witty.
Tony Hawk’s
Proving Ground for the PS3 reshapes itself to become one of the most enjoyably
addictive thrashing games to come out in a long time. As a gamer who has long
loved the Tony Hawk series and was let down by past editions, Proving Ground is
simply a completely new step forward for the series and, overall, a game worthy
of giving it’s competitor a run for its money. Yes, skate is an amazing game and
the realism makes it quite a gem but those who love more outrageously stylish
and fun skating antics will find this one to be a game well worth the money.
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Gameplay: 9.2
The controls
are perfectly balanced in Proving Ground, thus allowing you to have enough
freedom to pull off the tricks in your own unique way. Your career track will
take you through some challenging events in an open-world environment you can
alter. You’ll even have your very own place to hang out with your friends online
as well as offline.
Graphics: 8.9
The visuals
also see some improvements on the PS3 as well as returning glitches like heavy
clipping issues and the occasional frustrating camera angle. Still, the
character models look amazing and the massive environments will not fail to
impress. There’s even real footage of each pro when they’re introduced to you.
Sound: 9.0
The collection
of tunes range from alternative rock to classic hip-hop and it isn’t bad at all,
really. There’s some decent voice acting and some hilarious lines from some of
the pros and other assortment of characters you meet along the way. The
background sound effects are also nicely detailed.
Difficulty:
Medium/Hard
The various
challenges will most certainly do just that and you’ll be working hard to
perfect everything from your manuals to your own stylized bowl carving skills.
Since you are in charge of building up your own set of skills, the game can be
moderately challenging to very tricky.
Concept: 9.5
An impressive
assortment of delightfully deep and entertaining features heads up the most
complete entry in the Tony Hawk series. The video editing tools alone are
straight out of Final Cut Pro and you can even modify the playing environment by
adding a little over 200 pieces. You’re in complete control over your skater’s
changes and online the game plays like a dream. Plus, there are arcade machine
that allow you to play Classic mode.
Multiplayer:
9.2
The ability to
seamlessly jump from a single-player offline game and an online multiplayer one
is actually quite brilliant. You can hang out with friends and other gamers to
skate and chat or compete in seven different multiplayer games. Online, the game
runs at a very steady framerate even with eight players on screen at once.
Overall: 9.2
Proving Ground
not only proves that there is still life in the Tony Hawk franchise but that
there is room for improvement as well. It’s huge open world environments, loads
of tricks, and stellar new additions (including a deep video editor tool) make
this a fun skating game with a lot to offer new and returning gamers.
