Number 60: Tony Hawk Pro Skater, Neversoft 2001
Intro:
The skate-tape montage of the real-life skaters who star in the game doing tricks at photo-shoots for the length of a song that was made typical of the series by THPS 2 and THPS 1. Menus are simple lists, though when there are multiple menu lists (such as in the creat-a-skater menus), navigation is allowed by both hitting left and right and hitting the shoulder buttons, which becomes bothersome as the changable options have left-right arrows around them when you're supposed to hit the X button to access that option.
Getting Going:
Full on tutorial! Very well made tutorial. The player can choose a specific lesson, which includes advanced and new techniques so new players aren't as lost and hopeless as other THPS games allow them to be. The tutorial stage is a flat, rectangluar enclosure with only enough skating elements for the lesson at hand. From this start pertinent commands show up in the corner of the screen, so new player's don't have to immediately memorize the button combinations. Early stages also feature simpler architecture and goals that are easier to achieve.
Fun:
This is the first THPS game I, personally, really enjoyed playing, mostly thanks to the tutorial enabling me to do better from the start. Each location is cartoonishly rediculous and enjoyable thanks to nearly every surface being an opporunity for more points. The controls are easy to pick up (after the tutorial), which is great when coupled with the forgiving physics. The game continuously rewards players for dedication and practice with possibilities for extended tricks and combinations that are limited more by the player's imagination than the level's architecture.
Visuals:
The graphics are pretty simple early-PS2 graphics without fancy lighting effects (aside from some simple colored lighting effects). The level geography is pretty simple, too, with fairly simple textures. Each character and level has a lot of style and individuality, helped by coloration themes and those simple lighting effects. Over-all, grafitti and posters seem to be a theme in both the interface and in some of the levels.
Intelligence:
No AI.
Immersion:
One of my favorite features of this game is the fast restart option (as in the restart option doesn't have to reload the level). Thus, if I fail to reach a goal, i can pause a moment before the clock is up, hit restart, and immediately I'm back in the level with a fresh timer. The game's style and logic are very consistent, and give THPS3 it's own cartoony inner logic that makes sense from level to level. The controls can get complicated, which can really impede on new players enjoying the game.
Cameras:
This camera has always been a bit of a pox on the THPS series. It simply sits behind the player and rides surfaces to prevent intrusion. I take issue with the poor sense of depth the camera gives. If the "view angle" was a bit wider, that issue may be resolved.
Control:
The controls are the best I've played for this highly trick-centric style of game, allowing for lots of different tricks to be pulled off without secret moves and with precise control. The problem becomes there are too many controls to juggle, so besides being rough to learn, it demands a lot of attention and coordination.
Ideas:
Ah, sequel. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." The additions to the controls make a big difference in how the game is played. Furthermore, the level design is much more accomplished in this outting, making this game a significant improvement to an already stellar series. In my opinion, I would have liked to see more like this and less of the free roaming GTA style games that came later.
Memory:
This is the best Tony Hawk game I've played. The experimentation and exploration in each stage is addictive and rewarding.
The skate-tape montage of the real-life skaters who star in the game doing tricks at photo-shoots for the length of a song that was made typical of the series by THPS 2 and THPS 1. Menus are simple lists, though when there are multiple menu lists (such as in the creat-a-skater menus), navigation is allowed by both hitting left and right and hitting the shoulder buttons, which becomes bothersome as the changable options have left-right arrows around them when you're supposed to hit the X button to access that option.
Getting Going:
Full on tutorial! Very well made tutorial. The player can choose a specific lesson, which includes advanced and new techniques so new players aren't as lost and hopeless as other THPS games allow them to be. The tutorial stage is a flat, rectangluar enclosure with only enough skating elements for the lesson at hand. From this start pertinent commands show up in the corner of the screen, so new player's don't have to immediately memorize the button combinations. Early stages also feature simpler architecture and goals that are easier to achieve.
Fun:
This is the first THPS game I, personally, really enjoyed playing, mostly thanks to the tutorial enabling me to do better from the start. Each location is cartoonishly rediculous and enjoyable thanks to nearly every surface being an opporunity for more points. The controls are easy to pick up (after the tutorial), which is great when coupled with the forgiving physics. The game continuously rewards players for dedication and practice with possibilities for extended tricks and combinations that are limited more by the player's imagination than the level's architecture.
Visuals:
The graphics are pretty simple early-PS2 graphics without fancy lighting effects (aside from some simple colored lighting effects). The level geography is pretty simple, too, with fairly simple textures. Each character and level has a lot of style and individuality, helped by coloration themes and those simple lighting effects. Over-all, grafitti and posters seem to be a theme in both the interface and in some of the levels.
Intelligence:
No AI.
Immersion:
One of my favorite features of this game is the fast restart option (as in the restart option doesn't have to reload the level). Thus, if I fail to reach a goal, i can pause a moment before the clock is up, hit restart, and immediately I'm back in the level with a fresh timer. The game's style and logic are very consistent, and give THPS3 it's own cartoony inner logic that makes sense from level to level. The controls can get complicated, which can really impede on new players enjoying the game.
Cameras:
This camera has always been a bit of a pox on the THPS series. It simply sits behind the player and rides surfaces to prevent intrusion. I take issue with the poor sense of depth the camera gives. If the "view angle" was a bit wider, that issue may be resolved.
Control:
The controls are the best I've played for this highly trick-centric style of game, allowing for lots of different tricks to be pulled off without secret moves and with precise control. The problem becomes there are too many controls to juggle, so besides being rough to learn, it demands a lot of attention and coordination.
Ideas:
Ah, sequel. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." The additions to the controls make a big difference in how the game is played. Furthermore, the level design is much more accomplished in this outting, making this game a significant improvement to an already stellar series. In my opinion, I would have liked to see more like this and less of the free roaming GTA style games that came later.
Memory:
This is the best Tony Hawk game I've played. The experimentation and exploration in each stage is addictive and rewarding.