Walkthrough—Hollywood

Tony Hawk's American Wasteland takes simulated skateboarding to new levels, with its complete lack of load times, support for playable BMX bikes and featured assortment of original tricks like wall-flips and Bert slides.

But unless you get with the program, you'll be stuck shredding the same small neighborhood for days on end, even if there's tons of fun to be had doing so. I've got the goods right here to help you break into Beverly Hills, and all the inside dirt you'll need to successfully grind the journey out:

Dead on Arrival
Congratulations—you've just arrived off a bus in Los Angeles, only to get mugged. Your dreams of extreme sports stardom look further away than ever. But thanks to Mindy, a raven-haired beauty with a wicked wit and the scoop on street life, help is at hand. Get to know her; she'll be your guide as you progress through the game.

Take her initial advice and give yourself an extreme makeover. Enter the barbershop, talk to the barber and pick a hairdo … and a beard if you'd like. Your next task is to visit the clothing shop nearby. Choose from dozens of available duds, including sweaters, hoodies, or tank tops, and customize your clothes with real-life logos by Independent, DC Shoes and other prominent manufacturers. Next, leave the store.

Skating 101
Once you've finished speaking with Mindy, it's time to start proving that you've got skills. Look across the street—a challenge awaits. Walk up to the spiky-haired guy, Ian, and start it.

Ian tells you he'll teach you the Caveman trick if you'll introduce him to Mindy. Perform the trick, which lets you step off the board and run on the ground. Ian will ask you to grind on a rail. This will complete your first challenge. Mindy asks you to come back to the skate shop. Follow the pink star on your compass to find her.

Fun and Prizes
At the skate shop, Mindy explains how sponsor challenges work: Every in-game 24 hours, you can attempt to achieve certain goals in hopes of improving your skills. She also tells you that you'd best complete a few if you want to make it into the Tony Hawk Am-Jam that's coming up.

All neighborhoods have skate shops and sponsor challenges; simply check out the posters/clipboards near the window to give them a whirl. Check them out now and you'll find that the assigned tasks are fairly easy: You must grind for one second, land a 1,000 point combo, Caveman once as part of a combo, and ollie up three feet.

Begin by finding a rail. Maintain your balance while grinding it using the left analog stick for at least a second. Bravo—on to the next goal.

Score a 1,000 point combo by grinding for a few seconds or by using the ramps located next to the skate shop to string some cool trick sequences together. Get some air off the ramps, and you can also eliminate the three-foot ollie requirement in one fell swoop.

The Caveman? Easy! Just step off your board, run up to a rail and start grinding. You'll be set.

If you get frustrated, keep this in mind that this, as with any sponsor challenge, is an optional mission that you can complete at any time.

Show and Prove
When you finish, go back and talk to Mindy again—she's standing by the skate shop. She'll introduce a friend who can help improve your skills, and he'll issue a challenge.

So here's the deal: Movie star Ben Whofleck has just arrived for a red carpet premier. You're asked to kick-flip over him. This can be done by grinding the rails near him or accomplished directly from the ground. The game will tell you which buttons to push.

Now, it's time to learn how to manual. Complete the assigned challenges, and you'll learn how to string tricks together. Once done, go meet your boy at the Dog & Cello and learn how to revert.

Finish this and you'll be set for your first major challenge: Getting your gear back from one of the guys who jumped you at the beginning of the game. Shame him by using the tricks you've learned to bust out with some monster combos and land a higher score.

Uh oh—beaten, the bad guy flees. Chase him down and smack him with your board to put him out for the count. (Hint: He runs in a specific pattern, so watch his movements closely before rushing in.)

Time to Travel
Soon, you'll be moving on to bigger and better things—for instance, Beverly Hills.

But first, go meet Mindy over by the Beverly Hills Galleria entrance. She'll explain the mission. Your goal: To complete a trio of combos with three different point values on top of the Dinosaur. Avoid falling, use the techniques you've picked up thus far along the way, and you'll do just that.

Having met all objectives, a goofy cinematic plays, and voila … Beverly Hills opens up for your skating enjoyment.

Before breezing through the mall though, remember—there's no rush. A completely non-linear setup means you can proceed onward to make new friends and compete against the Hawkman himself, or just chill some more in Hollywood.

Article by Chris Zimmerman

• Tony Hawk's official site.
• Activision site.
• Transworld Skateboarding Magazine.