Final Glimpse: Hawk swoops the GameCube up in its grasp, and the result looks great.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater has long established itself as the best extreme sports title around. Indeed it is numbered amongst the best games for each system it has graced. THPS2 showed the advances that could be made on an already excellent game engine and it’s latest incarnation looks to push these boundaries even higher, combining stunning graphics with outstanding gameplay. Of course we shouldn’t expect anything less from Activision, the people who brought us the previous games. They always make each game for each console individual and the GameCube version of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 will be no exception.
Graphics wise, Activision will be making good use of the GameCube’s powers. Full screen anti-aliasing is utilised (not possible on the PS2), and special effects have been re-written for the GCN. Also according the Activision, the game runs faster and smoother on the GameCube that the PS2 with a higher level of detail and further draw distance. Because of the extra power of the GCN, you’ll be skating through huge expanses with beautifully detailed polygon models, all running at a sublime 60 frames per second.
There will also be many more objects and obstructions throughout the 9 huge levels for you to jump or grind on. FMV movies of skaters will also be included, to give the game a polished feel that was perhaps lacking on the N64 due to minimal disk space. You will of course get the full roster of skaters including Hawk himself and even Bam Margera of ‘Jackass’ fame. The sound on Tony Hawk’s games has always been a high point, not just because of the spot on effects, but the appropriate and recognisable soundtrack. This outing will be no exception with a list of 20 or more artists from diverse musical backgrounds such as Red Hot Chili Peppers, Xzibit, and Alien Ant Farm.
Coupling graphics with gameplay has always been a Tony Hawk trademark and Activision have made steps to do the same with this version. Firstly, the size and scale of the worlds the skaters find themselves in, and the array of objects littered around, lead to much more inventive play and gives many more skating possibilities. From Canada to Tokyo, each area has its own look, its own challenges and areas to explore, with more space to experiment. This time around there will be sub areas in each world which can only be opened by doing a specific task in another.
In addition to the large list of tricks, you can now do ‘reverts’ whereby you can land a vert trick and, by pressing L or R on the controller, can link to another trick by doing a revert. The combinations could be endless. L and R also are utilised for spin and nollie tricks, with a familiar set-up of grab and flip tricks, jump and grinds spread out through A, B, X and Y.
