Time to graze those knees... (Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3 (GC))

Member Name: MR.COATES

Product:	Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3 (GC)
Date:	07/01/02 (363 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Superb playability, Plenty of content

Disadvantages: 'Only' eight venues

The recent months leading up to Christmas have been exceedingly painful on the wallets of PS2 owners. Just one look at the shelves of your local Games shop will have you smiling from ear to ear.
SSX Tricky, Grand Theft Auto 3, Pro Evolution Soccer……so it’s quite likely that the last thing you and your bank balance need to hear is that there’s yet another PS2 title out there demanding to be purchased. My advice then, if you’re feeling the money strain, is to ignore this and watch some TV.

Right, for the brave ones who have chosen to stay it’s time to unleash the beast that is Tony Hawk’s 3.
That’s right, he’s back and bigger than ever and for the first time making an appearance on the PS2.

Tony Hawk has over the years become about as big as you can possibly get in the world of Skateboarding. He's won more championships than I’ve had hot dinners and he’s arguably the most high-profile man in the business. If there’s one thing that confirms that it’s got to be the fact that he’s got his own series of games and good ones at that.

For those of you who are new to the world of Tony Hawk, or even Skateboarding on the whole, you are forgiven for dismissing this as yet another ‘extreme dude hangtime boarding fest, man’. But just put those blinkers down for a second as we delve into what for me is one of the biggest games of 2001.

Overview:
The principle is simple. Go to a venue and complete the objectives. Easy! Well, in theory it’s that straightforward but the reality is a little more harsh.
You can kick off with the man Tony Hawk or if you’re feeling a bit more adventurous you can design your own boarder from scratch. This is right down my street as you can basically create yourself but it’s considerably more entertaining to create a great big bloke wearing horrendous clothing topped off with a snorkelling
mask. If you think I’m joking, just you wait.
Just don’t spend too much time in the shop area, you’ve got some serious work to do too.

It’s surprising to find that you can pick up this title without any major difficulty. Controlling your character is fairly straightforward and unless you’re craving to perform some of the more outrageous moves you’ll be able to jump right in. My advice is to get into the training mode, as it will teach you how to perform the most crucial moves and enable you to get the most from the game with some practical experience. Besides, Mr.Hawk is going to talk you through it all and who wouldn’t want to be coached by the best in the world?

Ouch:
THPS3 sounds just about as good as it looks featuring realistic effects including painful crash sounds and a rocking soundtrack that works magnificently. Even the intro is superb showing all of the available boarders doing their stuff to Motorhead’s Ace Of Spades.
The soundtrack is presented in Dolby Surround so if you’ve got a Pro-Logic TV or Amp you’ll be pretty impressed if not quite blown away as by SSX Tricky’s DTS offering.

Lookin’ good dude:
Sounds are one thing and it stays on the same lines in the visual department too. There’s nothing to make you sit up and say wow but on the whole the graphics are impressive. The skaters have a decent level of detail and movement whilst the venues vary from functional to gorgeous. The main thing is that there is no evidence of the game ever struggling and pop up is a word that THPS3 doesn’t have in its dictionary so all good news here then.

TH Heaven:
If there’s one thing that is most impressive about Tony Hawk’s 3 it’s got to be the sheer value for money. You can unlock a gallery of 12 real-life skateboarders including my personal favourite Bam Margera of MTV’s Jackass fame. Add to that eight v
enues some of which are impressively large plus one that you can create yourself (and it’s easily done too). To cap that off you’ve got a myriad of tricks to learn, various game modes including the career mode which unlocks the additional venues and there are even a few extras such as video clips and a Shaun Palmer Snowboarding demo thrown in for good measure.
This isn’t a game that you’ll be finished with in any hurry by any means. This has further been ensured with the addition of multiplayer aspects and a brave inclusion of online gaming. Yes, THPS3 is the first UK PS2 title that features online gaming. You’ll need a compatible Adapter or Modem however and not all USB networking equipment will work so be warned. There is a full list of compatible Adapters/Modems in the manual and further advice over at www.thps3.com – well worth a visit.

Time Up:
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 is an absolutely superb game if not totally faultless. It looks great, has a good selection of venues and lets you pull off the most outrageous tricks imaginable. THPS3 somehow manages to appeal to newcomers whilst also pleasing those who are more than a little familiar with the series.
If there’s just one more game that you can afford then I’d recommend that you make it this one – it looks, sounds and plays like a dream whilst giving great value for your hard earned cash.

9/10 - Five Stars

MR.COATES  2002

Summary: