Nail the Trick in Project 8

The Tony Hawk series has always offered a solid base of intuitive gameplay that supports deep and intricate strategy. Over the years, advances in technology have enabled new abilities and subtle complexities, all of which have come to a triumphant apex in Tony Hawk's Project 8.

Trick on the rooftops.

Get Educated
Skateboarding may not seem to be as complicated a sport as, say, football, but the mechanics of it may actually be more difficult to master. Keep in mind that the key to any Tony Hawk game is in the combinations, and every new entry in the series has introduced a new way to bridge combos.

Don't frustrate yourself by hopping right into the game and expecting to succeed. Instead, take a half hour or so and run through the tutorials. It will serve as a skating primer for beginners and a refresher course for veterans.

Nail that trick.

Nail the Trick
The biggest gameplay addition to Project 8 is the new Nail the Trick ability. Clicking down on both sticks while in the air slows down time and allows you to use the analog sticks to create your own custom tricks. Keep these tips in mind when you Nail the Trick:

• Hold the Stick: Don't just flick the stick in a particular direction, but hold it. Each stick controls a foot, so if you just tap in a direction, your foot will pop the board out and then immediately return, disturbing the board's rotation and ruining you trick.
• Grip Tape: Until you get really comfortable with the Nail the Trick mechanics, don't alter the board's rotation until the grip tape is facing up again. In short, don't mess with the board when it's upside down.
• Little Tricks, Big Points: Don't feel like you can only Nail the Trick when you catch big air. It's also perfect for bringing small gaps, like between two rails.

Reading Comprehension
Project 8 is packed with hundreds of challenges, and you will quickly discover that good reading comprehension will matter as much as your skateboarding ability. Don't just glance at the requested challenge, but closely examine the text.

Ballet dancers eat your heart out.

You may think at first glance think you need to kick-flip to the left and then turn, but you really need to hit a 180 to the left and then do a kick-flip. It may seem like a tiny difference, and it certainly is, but it will make all the difference between your success and your failure.

Come Back to It
Each challenge offers Amateur, Professional, and Sick difficulties. A player can easily get caught up in trying to capture all three challenges in a row, but don't feel like you have do that. Remember that your skills will improve as you keep playing, so you should have an easier time completing the harder challenges later. If you can't do it yet, come back to it after your skills have developed.

Natural Progression
Your skills improve as you use them, so if you're a grinding addict, you'll find that particular skill builds up faster than the others. Make sure you periodically work to build up the skills you may not use as often.

Better keep your balance.

Make a point of practicing the abilities that you aren't as comfortable with. Doing this will build up the abilities that you aren't as skilled at, making up for your shortcomings. The opposite may be true as well, as your natural abilities may make up for your skater's shortcomings.

The Combo Truth
Stringing together massive linked combinations is still a primary focus of the Tony Hawk series. However, with each mechanic that has been added to the game that allows you to link tricks, the focus has become less on button mashing and more on maintaining control.

For example, instead of frantically trying to nail three kick-flips and a couple of grabs in a single jump, try a more relaxed and controlled approach. Nail just one or two moves while in the air, and then hit the right trigger to do a revert once you hit the ground. Then pop into a manual on the way to a rail, start a grind, olly off the rail and into a Nail the Trick maneuver. If you don't try to do everything at once, you will be able to string together a lot more tricks for a lot more points.

Manual and Rail Tricks
Don't forget that you can mix up your grinds and manuals with their own sets of tricks. Instead of simply coasting along, try playing with the button combinations (Y, Y or B,X, etc) to add variety to your moves, and consequently adding bonus points to your tricks.

Article by Ryan Treit