The regular old Tony Hawk skating game just not doing it for you anymore? Too stale? Tired of the same superstar faces doing the regular set of nearly impossible stunts across surfaces that you normally wouldn’t dare walk across? Maybe I can see that. But, the real question is: Do you think you’ve got what it takes to start your own skating empire? If so, then get ready for a new, edgier-than-ever, in-your-face Tony Hawk skate fest that puts you in the game.
Published by Activision and developed by Neversoft, Tony Hawk’s Underground promises to be a new breed of skating game, giving you never-before-seen control of the action. From a true-to-life story line to fantastic technological advances, the game has the moves to beat any other skating game in 2003.
The biggest and most stupefying move being busted on skate-happy fans in Tony Hawk’s Underground is the whole play-as-you-are shtick, where Activision promises that you aren’t stuck playing as Tony Hawk or Buckey Lasek, but can just be yourself—a skate punk with a mission. Given that the Xbox already has the very cool ability to download custom soundtracks into games, the idea of being able to customize your graphics opens up a door into a whole new universe of possibilities.
Now you find yourself truly in the middle of the action, and the Neversoft developers aren’t about to leave you hanging. No way, dude. They’ve scripted a plot-twisting story line for you to follow, bringing you in as a local skate punk ready to show the world his most serious stuff, serving you up a series of adventures that could—could—lead you to fame and fortune as one of the newest superstar skaters. This is not some faceless wonder. This isn’t even Tony Hawk. This time it really is personal.
Okay, so it’s you. And you’re a skater on a mission. What else? On to the next stunning innovation. How about this one: You can actually get off your board!
Remarkable concept though it may be—because we all know that skaters live on their boards 24/7—it really is a new twist over many skating games that you can choose to tuck your board under one arm and do some other activity. Run up on top of a cop car (one of my personal favorites), or climb a ladder to discover some new boarding areas not accessible to the usual limitations of gravity and sloping rails. Do some rooftop prowling, or even grab a car—it’s called borrowing, right?—and explore one of the nine huge city sprawls. The idea of Tony Hawk’s Underground is no limits. Take that at face value.
When you get back to skating, and you will, there’s also more to do in the game world than ever before with the new Create-a-Trick mechanism. You wanted in on the action, so show off your creative side as well as your road rashes. Design and name some serious in-the-air tricks, coming up with signature moves and your all-purpose death-defying assaults against gravity. Pull one of those in front of your buddies, and then watch their faces as you slap them with your own moniker. It’ll be worth every drop of blood spilled.
The expanded park editor will also let you create your own bigger-and-better skate adventures. Nothing is sacred when you’re looking for a rail to grind, after all. And, you can share your latest levels and coolest tricks with online support, making a name for yourself outside of the regular gameplay adventure as well. It’s the kind of control you’ve always wanted. It’s exactly what Activision—and Tony Hawk—delivers.
