X-cellent (I know, it's a lousy title!) (Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3 (GBA))

Member Name: MR.COATES

Product:	Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3 (GBA)
Date:	02/04/02 (167 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent gameplay, Will last for months

Disadvantages: Nothing worthy of mention

When you’ve got a big hit on your hands, it would be very rude not to make the most of it wouldn’t it?
Well, Activision certainly thought so as the Xbox has now been graced with the arrival of one of the best PS2 games released to date – Tony Hawk’s 3.

Now for those of you thinking ‘Dudes, Rad, Yo, Bogus…’. Just don’t worry about all that. Yes, of course it is up there with the extreme sports kind of games but THPS3 is accessible to just about everyone regardless of what your ‘typical’ kind of game is.

For starters, choose one of 13 professional skateboarders including Bam Margera of MTV’s Jackass, Kareem Campbell and of course Tony Hawk himself. Rip it up (check me out using the lingo!) on one of the 8 courses, although there MAY be more wink wink nudge nudge, plus you can even create your own with the user-friendly Park Editor.

Features:
Single and Multiplayer modes await you so grab your board and follow me….

Career Mode – The heart and soul of Tony Hawk’s 3. Here you will tackle eight superb levels in which you’ll have to complete various tasks. As you progress and unlock levels they also become available for other THPS3 game modes.

Single Session – Choose one of the available levels from those unlocked in the Career Mode and get the best score in the standard two-minute session.

Free Skate – The Sunday driver option which lets you skate around the level as long as you like. Good for practising those high scores.

Tutorial – An essential visit for those of you new to the Tony Hawk games but also worth a visit for regulars. Let Mr.Hawk talk you through the basics and a few more adventurous moves.

If you’re still craving for more there are a host of Multiplayer modes to tempt you.
Modes including Graffiti (pull tricks on objects to give them your colour), Trick Atta
ck (get the highest score), Slap (collide with your opponent – the one who’s going faster wins) and King Of The Hill (find the crown on the course and keep it – the one who keeps it longest wins).

Graphics:
Although the Xbox version doesn’t look staggeringly different to the PS2 version, it’s not really a big problem. The PS2 release was visually very impressive and the Xbox does add a few finishing touches to that impressive result. One moment where the graphical beauty of THPS3 becomes obvious is during the Airport level – just check out those amazingly gorgeous marble floors!
So not a huge leap over the PS2’s graphics but a few noticeable changes to the observant ones among you.

Sounds:
Again, the improvements over the PS2 version are generally quite subtle but two major differences are a full Dolby Digital soundtrack and the ability to use your own soundtracks stored on the hard drive.
The Dolby Digital soundtrack is simply marvellous – you’ll be quite surprised just how much of a difference it makes, again it’s the Airport level that reveals some of its better uses. You will of course need a suitable amplifier/decoder to gain the full benefits.

The custom soundtrack has wisely been implemented here although I’m actually quite fond of the original soundtrack, especially Motorhead’s Ace Of Spades (let’s Rock!). Should you choose to pull off some gnarly moves to Steps, Hear’say or even Will Young – there’s nothing to stop you. But please don’t do it OK? At least play something vaguely respectable….

Gameplay:
Ah, the icing on the Hawk’s cake. If there’s one thing that sells THPS3 more than anything else it’s got to be solid, tried and tested, gameplay. Whether you’re a hardcore Skateboarding fan or don’t even know who Tony Hawk is, the playability of this game can not be
underestimated by anyone who plays it.
There’s nothing to stop you from doing really basic and boring moves in the earlier levels and you’ll still be able to complete many of the tasks. As you progress though you’ll start to get a bit more confident and before you know it you’ll be pulling off tricks and combo’s that will see your high-scores rocket.

The X Factor:
For those of you fortunate to own an Xbox AND a PS2 you’ll no doubt be dubious as to purchasing the Xbox version of a game you already own.
Hand on heart I’d have to say it’s not really worth owning both although there are some fairly decent inclusions for the Xbox version.

For starters, there is an extra level to negotiate which wasn’t in the PS2 version, you can now make use of the customisable soundtrack feature (so if you HATE the music you can use your own). Aside from the sound and graphical improvements there are also some new moves to pull off which along with the extra level will be the main two points for fans of the Tony Hawk’s games.

The Verdict:
It’s an excellent game on the PS2 and it’s even better on Xbox thanks to those small but very noticeable changes. Playability, style, appearance and sounds make THPS3 one of the top games on Xbox so far. It may not be a huge leap forward from the PS2 version but considering that the two were released only a few months apart that’s nothing to worry about at all.
Tony Hawk’s Xbox debut is a success and an essential purchase – a great all-rounder and a lot more entertaining than ‘Amped’.

MR.COATES

Summary: