Every year for the past six years, a new Tony Hawk skateboarding game has been released. The series has evolved quite a bit and it has redefined the extreme sports genre. This year Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 has been released, and it is a follow up to last fall’s original
Tony Hawk’s Underground. Does the newest installment expand the limits of the series or has the series lost its edge? Read on to find out whether this game is worth your precious money.
Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 features an all-new Story Mode with a brand new
storyline. Last year, you created a character and had to get him off the streets of New Jersey. It was all about landing contacts, impressing the pros and making it big. This year, you assume the role of a character that has already made it to the pros. Tony Hawk and Bam Margera are sick of all of the throngs of fans, sponsors and media following their every event, so they decide to organize their own underground event – the World Destruction Tour. A group of famous pros, along with you, are invited to participate in this event. Hawk and Bargera split up into two teams and the rivalry begins after you create your character and select a pro partner.
The
controls haven’t changed much since the last installment. Those that have played previous Tony Hawk games will feel comfortable with the controls right away, while newbies will need a little time to get adapted to everything. The Y button is still used for grinding, A is for crouching, while X and Y are for flips and grabs. You can also perform spine transfers, wallrides and all kinds of manuals. While you skate, you can also “skitch a ride”, which means that you can hold onto the back of a car and it will just drag you along. What made Tony Hawk’s Underground so revolutionary was the ability to get off your skateboard, and this is back. Once again, you can run around, climb stairs and intertwine combos with the “caveman” (when you get off a board) for an amazingly high score. The ‘special’ meter is also back, and filling it up means that you can perform various special tricks such as the McTwist.
As usual, a few new additions have been made to the
gameplay. First of all, a new move called the “natas” spin has been implemented, which allows you to spin in place on objects such as fire hydrants. Another new move is the sticker slap, which is very similar to a wall plant, and gives you a speed boost while grinding off a wall. You can also perform front and backflips now. Another addition is the ability to throw various objects such as apples, spray cans and shrimp.
Besides the new moves, some other features have been added. When you are off the board, you can spray your custom-designed graffiti virtually wherever you please. A new Focus Mode has been added, which slows down the action and zoom in on your character for a limited amount of time if you activate this mode when you have a full special meter. The final addition is the “freak out” function. This means that if your skater falls when his special meter is full, you have a chance you replenish most of it by rapidly tapping the Y button. If you do it quickly enough, your character will throw break his board out of frustration, and when a new one appears you will already have some points that you can turn into a quick combo. As you can probably tell, none of these add-ons are too useful, interesting or revolutionary.
Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 features two key modes of play. The main portion of the game is obviously the new Story Mode. In each of the eight levels, you will be assigned a certain amount of goals that are worth points. If you complete a substantial amount of goals and earn the necessary amount of points, the story will progress and you will move on to new levels. This is different from the original Tony Hawk’s Underground, as in the original you had to skate around and locate people that would assign you objectives. I prefer the old system of obtaining objectives. This time around, levels include places such as Barcelona, Berlin, Boston, New Orleans and Australia. Besides playing as your designated character and partner, you will be able to obtain two new skaters per level in order to obtain more new goals and some of the characters such as Benjamin Franklin will be unlocked forever.
The other major mode that has been included is the new “Classic Mode”. Fans of the older Tony Hawk games will relish this mode, and it will allow them to play some old and new levels just like they were made in the past. This means that you can’t roam around endlessly, you actually only get two minutes to complete pre-assigned classic objectives such as collecting the letters C-O-M-B-O or attaining a certain score. There are a total of 14 levels (these are not only levels from the Story Mode, there are some levels from games like Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 thrown in as well) and 140 objectives. I enjoyed the Story Mode more, although I’m sure that the Classic Mode will please a large amount of fans.
Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 is a bit lacking in the
replay value department. It took me a mere five hours to complete the Story Mode, while the Classic Mode should take no more than ten. This lack of longevity plagued the original Tony Hawk’s Underground and I am skeptical of the fact that this issue wasn’t addressed directly. I strongly feel that the Story Mode should have been atleast three hours longer. The High Score/Free Skate mode is good for practice, although it gets tiring after a while. What prolonged the longevity of the original T.H.U.G. for me were the create-a-park, skater, board and trick modes. These all make a return, but they have not undergone a noticeable facelift and the features have become a bit stale. The addition of create-a-graphic is welcome, yet hardly earth-shattered because Jet Set Radio Future had a similar future. Basically, you can design your own graffiti symbol by using text, symbols and anything you want.
The
multi-player aspect of this game is extremely disappointing. This is mainly due to the fact that once again, there is
no Xbox Live compatibility. This is real blow to the replay value of the game. The split-screen multi-player modes such as Trick Attack, Combo Mambo, King of the Hill, Firefight and Score Challenge make a return, although they haven’t been changed much. The formula is still the same: the player with the most points, largest combo, etc wins. Horse is still a favorite of mine, and it is played like the basketball version with the key difference being that you must perform tricks instead of making baskets. Scavenger the game has been added, and this is a decent multi-player game that involves finding the most coins before time runs out.
Graphically, Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 is a real surprise. Quality-wise, the graphics haven’t really improved upon those found in the original T.H.U.G. What’s interesting is that the characters actually seem a bit more cartoonish in this game and the colors in the levels are a bit more bright and cheery. This is a very interesting development, and I can’t say that it deteriorates the graphics, it’s just an interesting development. The character animations are as fluid as ever, and make all of the moves as effortless and life-like as possible. The extra footage that was shot specifically for this game from the sponsors and skaters is also top-notch, while the cut-scenes were also enjoyable. The levels themselves are very large and accurately depicted most of the time.
The
audio department has done a phenomenal job once more. Although a custom soundtrack option is available, you will definitely choose to ignore it due to the amazing soundtrack that this game offers. What other game successfully blends rock, punk, rap and even a bit of Frank Sinatra? The HUGE soundtrack features punk bands like Rancid and The Ramones, rock bands including Less than Jake, Metallica, Jimmy Eat World, Red Hot Chili Peppers and rap MCs such as Atmosphere, Aesop Rock and the Sugarhill Gang. There are also dozens of unknown artists on the soundtrack, and I’m sure you will discover some band that you will enjoy for years to come. Besides the soundtrack, the other audio aspects are terrific as well. The character voice-overs have improved since the last game and are a very commendable effort. The sound effects throughout the game made by the skateboard sound very authentic too. There is some profanity in the game, especially by Bam, although that it partly the reason as to why the game has a Teen rating.
Overall, Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 appears to be a mere expansion upon the original Tony Hawk’s Underground. Although there’s a Classic Mode, a new story and a few add-ons to the gameplay, it feels like more of the same thing. Big fans of the series will probably enjoy it a lot, yet others that own the original T.H.U.G. and didn’t think it was a must-buy should probably steer clear for a while. Renting this game is a wise decision, although fans of the series will probably rush out to buy it no matter what.
