Gaming Target - PlayStation 2: Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure

Written by Matt Swider on September 24, 2003

Full Review: Michael Jackson's favorite game and R. Kelly's favorite game demographic (Matt, this is Hell calling and confirming your reservation in the afterlife).

Walt Disney wanted us to remember that УIt all started with a mouse,Ф but when it comes to creating video games, the Mickey Mouse company simply mimics the most popular software on the market, much like the entire Simpsons lineup has been doing recently. Most of these games are cheap imitations starring the beloved mascots in marred recreations, however, a few exceptions and original ideas have broken that spell starting with Kingdom Hearts. While Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure is in no way one of the originals, it takes on Activision's enduring extreme sports engine and manages a seamless transition from Tony Hawk to Toontown that every kid and kid at heart can enjoy.

The audience at hand, consisting of young gamers unable to buy and uninterested in playing something like BMX XXX in which Acclaim took the opposite extreme, will surely enjoy the fun-filled family theme and durable gameplay of Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure the most. But, this doesn't limit its appeal within the older demographic entirely. Much of the interest in Kingdom Hearts came from the ability to further explore the world of Disney in an interactive digital dimension. Activision and developer Toys of Bob create a similar experience that also goes beyond being merely tolerable for pre-teens as benefits from keeping the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 engine intact. Though certain elements didn't make the final cut, such as wall rides due to the climbing number of character animations, every detail seems exact to the naked eye and, unlike BMX XXX, there's nothing naked about Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure, so it's safe for even the youngest of players.

The imaginative input of this game spans three film sources: Toy Story 2, Disney's Tarzan, and The Lion King. All three of these themes inspire a trio of distinct stages to skate around in as well as characters from their respected movies. Likewise, the goals are presented when approaching a non-playable cast member and initiating a conversation, a process seen in both Aggressive Inline and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4. In fact, most of the challenges are lifted right from these very same games that consist of standard token collecting where you must retrieve the letters S-K-A-T-E or find two dozen character specific items such as cowgirl boots when using Jessie, while others simply require a particular series of tricks, attainment a high score, or reaching specific platforms within a given time period. Again, they might have appeared in skateboarding games of the past, but with the Disney magic at hand, it's not what is done, but how its design has changed things ever so slightly.

The level design also contributes a lot to initial interest in Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure as the opening stage, Andy's Room made famous by Toy Story and its sequel, follows Shigeru Miyamoto's theory Уthat the first 30 minutes of a game is the most important. It's the producers job to make sure it's exciting.Ф This is by far the finest level in the game where the bedroom is filled with oversized furniture to grind on while the floor is cluttered with just as many large toys that act as ramps and rails. The same goes for the adjacent bathroom containing an empty tub and a flushing toilet, both of which serve as half-pipes among other things. Even if the other areas in this game don't impress you, the creativity that went into constructing this level alone should, much like 3DO's early Army Men titles were supposed to with toy soldiers roaming a giant household.

Although the Disney characters will catch the most air with players, there are also a total of ten potential pros that underwent a kid to cartoon graphics conversion so that they could play a part in this game, as explained by the introduction. For everyone else, the create-a-skater is the perfect place to recreate your image or to come up with some abnormal looking creation thanks to the numerous oddities within its options. From here, players can perform tricks and challenges in any one of the open levels or enter Ollieworld, a skatepark modeled for a real-life atmosphere. And, just like reality, there's always advertising in the most УconvenientФ spots for corporations like Nokia and McDonald's, which have you performing tasks that involve their products. Further than product placement, its product homework.

Radio Disney is another banner that appears throughout Ollieworld, but this seems relevant to the game than the other two sponsors. In fact, much of the music from Disney's Extreme Skate Adventure can be heard on that radio station. With groups like Smash Mouth, Trust Company, and Audiovent taking part in the games, there's no reason to reject the entire playlist right away. However, if you can't stand, say, Lil' Romeo for example, the track can be turned off within the menu. Maybe not as abundant as the music selection from Activision's premier extreme sports game, but the family-friendly offering here won't do any damage and you can't hear УWhere's You Head At,Ф better known as the song from the Pringles commercials, many other places.