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new stuff added; same great Hawk action

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 58 / 66
Date: November 11, 2003
Author: Amazon User

In order to keep the series from running out of steam, Activision decided add a "story mode" to the game. You start out as an unknown everyday skater who dreams of turning pro. There are plenty of "story scenes", starring you as the main character. As you progress through the game, new levels open up, and the drama of becoming a pro skater unfolds before you. All of this is a little bit cheesy, but nevertheless makes for an entertaining game to play.

Let me hit on the positives first. The "story mode" of the game does add a decent amount to the game experience. I found myself continuing to play so that I could find out what happens next. Also, the graphics are more detailed and the sounds are taken up a couple of notches as well. The levels are huge with lots of obstacles and spines to skate. All your favorite pros are back, with a couple of new ones thrown in too. However, the only levels you can play with one of the regular pro skaters are the levels you have opened up in story mode. Just so you know.

And now the negatives...
Not much to say here. While the story mode adds to the game, it isn't realistic. The same thing goes for quite a few of the "goals" you have to achieve. They have more in common with Grand Theft Auto than skateboarding. That aspect is probably the strangest part of the game. I guess the creators wanted some stuff in there that would appeal to that type of audience.

Anyway, I would rate this game a 9 out of possible 10.

Welcome to THUG, where Tony Hawk isn't the star, you are...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 47 / 60
Date: June 21, 2003
Author: Amazon User

If you thought Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 was a phenomonal experience, wait till THUG comes out. Sorry to say, the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series are dead, but think of THUG as a perminent substitute... and maybe a slight (yeah right) variation of Tony Hawk 5 where you (yes you) are the undisputed star in this game and can now WALK (yes walk, like on a road) without your board! Some of the biggest changes in THUG are undeniably the fact you can now walk, grapple, dangle, shimmy, jump, and run throughtout a level to find new and hidden areas or to accomplish a goal. Another new aspect, is that you can now gain sponsors unlike its predecessors, Tony Hawk 1, 2, 3, and 4. And no longer is Tony Hawk the star, but you are. Tony's in the game, but you are the one who gains sponsors, YOU are the one who completes tasks, YOU are the one to make it to the big time, YOU are the one who must start at the bottom of the food chain, YOU are the one who will get new boards, decks, locations, levels, etc. and YOU are the one who is the star. Literally, you are the star; for Sony PS2 owners, you will be able to take a picture of your face using a digital camera, send it to Neversoft (or upload in the game, I'm not sure), and have them place YOUR face on your created skater! Now, I'm not completely sure if this is only limited to PS2 owners only, but it will be a fun experience. Like I said, you start at the bottom, meaning Jersey. Why Jersey? I'm not completely sure, but from there, you'll help out local cops to bring down a banner (or something) to gain access to a whole new part of the level, impress backyard skaters on their modified pipes, chase a renegade (or stolen) SUV by stealing a car on the side of the street, post up flyers (or fliers, whatever) for the local skateshop, and much more. Again, with now being able to walk, dangle, grapple, etc., it will be easier for you to find new and hidden areas on a level, like if there was a wicked mini skatepark on top of a building or a secluded warehouse in the very back of a level completely filled with pipes, you'll have easier access to them by using the new walk system. Jersey is the only level I know of now, but there are sure to be other levels just as exciting and new. That's about all I can tell you about THUG now, but be sure that hopefully Activision 02 and Neversoft can pull off this new Tony Hawk series, hopefully, THUG want be a fluke. None-the-less, I can't wait for this title to come out in late October! And remember, the gang from the previous THPS games are in THUG, but they aren't the stars, YOU are.

THIS MUST BE THE BEST GAME I HAVE EVER PLAYED!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 18 / 24
Date: November 06, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This game is amazing! I am going to tell you a bit about it.

Graphics- They have improved, its easy to tell. The mouths move, and the backrounds look more realistic as well.

Gameplay- This is one of those games that you pop in and can't get off.... It is worth the $50 no question.

Goals- The goals are fun and enjoyable to do. Some of them are kind of hard, but im sure you can do it.

Online Play- It is amazing!!! It is really fun and cool to play this new level you get called firefight, you shoot fireballs out of your skateboard and hit people with it.

This game is the best game ever!! If ya dont ahve it get [...]up and go out and get it.

Gonna Be The Best Game Ever

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 17 / 23
Date: September 14, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Everyone else covered the basics so i wont go over that again. But they forgot to say that when you play in the other modes of the game like two-player and so on you can skate as the regular pros. And in this game they brought in two new skaters, Arto Saari and Paul Rodriguez. I've only heard rumors about the soundtrack so i wont spread fake speculations. Oh, and check out the neversoft skaters video.

A little over-rated

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 21 / 31
Date: November 06, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Don't get me wrong - this is a good game. I just think some of the "ground-breaking" elements it's supposed to contain aren't really that ground-breaking.

In Underground you are to progress through a story mode by which you start with nothing and end up as king of the skating world, all the while battling your once-friend-turned-enemy Eric. Throughout the story you complete several goals and missions to progress on to the next level. Once completing the story mode you unlock a secret level, a Kiss Concert arena, which is one of the coolest levels, by the way.

At this point you can return to previous levels and search for all the hidden goodies, learn new tricks, create your own tricks, or create a park for that matter. It's definitely an improvement over Tony Hawk 4 and is clearly the definitive skateboarding simulator.

First I'll give you the positives. The coolest feature in Underground is the ability to upload your own picture to the skater so it's actually "you" skating. Also, the game has a great deal of online features allowing you to share parks, tricks, etc. online, as well as compete in online tournaments. It also seems to be very faithful to presenting a real simulation of skating and doesn't allow you to defy physics too much, except for the rail rides and surviving horrific falls.

Now the hype.

Underground is lauded as a game that let's you "get off your board and walk around." Um...have you ever played a game called "Grand Theft Auto?" You can walk around - and do a whole lot more. I'm sorry, I don't really find the fact that you can "walk" to be earth-shattering.

I also feel the game is a little *too* real. For example, take SSX. This is a game that gives you a real sense of controlling a snowboarder careening down a mountain, but at the same time let's you completely disobey gravity at your will. Underground isn't really like this. If you are actually a skater I'm sure that compared to reality the Tony Hawk games are awe-inspiring, but to a non-skater the air tricks are rather underwhelming and don't look all that different from what you see on ESPN2. While this is in some ways good I suppose, it leaves me wanting to be able to do more spectacular stunts.

The controls are pretty jerky. One thing I've never liked about the Tony Hawk series is the erratic control and Underground doesn't fix it. One little move and suddenly you're facing the other direction.

Lastly, the story-mode is pretty short. The only game in the series I've played is Tony Hawk 4 (so I'm not a hardened veteran) and I finished the game in only a few days with moderate playing.

I gave the game 4 stars so obviously I liked it, and yes, it's a good game. But game of year? No way. There are other games that kill this (SSX3, Zelda, Metroid). I'm not sure I get all the hype. Sorry to all the diehards of the Tony Hawk franchise.

Hello

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: October 20, 2003
Author: Amazon User

You download your face by taking a head shot of yourself, and then you send it to a certain website, and then they give you a code to put in. When you type in the code, it will put your face onto the person. It even shows it in the story parts. Ity is very cool, u can drive motocycles, bikes, cars, and you can even set the cars on fire. You get your own sponsors and every thing. In the beggining, your friend eric rapps on the window, to go see a famous skateboarder, Chad Muska. You have your first chance to get the hang of the controls. There are nine huge levels. I only know 2 of them, Massachuates and New Jersey.I have played the demo of it, believe me, it is the best game ever made. It is sort of like GTA, but there is no killng and no weapons, and no other things like that. It will be the best game in 2003 when it comes out

Good Game, but More of the Same

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 10
Date: November 16, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Note that this review is geared toward previous Tony Hawk 3 and 4 players.

THUG is another addition to the Tony Hawk series, and focuses on a story line instead of the more open ended goal-orientated features of previous games. You can only use your Create a Skater in this game, but he eventually becomes functionally equivalent to any of the Pros in other TH games. Game plot involves you rising from the kid nobody street skater in the middle of nameless town New Jersey, to gaining fame and fortune and going Pro by showing everyone else how good you are.

All your standard tricks are in this version, and the create-a-trick feature is fun but requires alot of practice to make a trick that both looks interesting and isn't impossible to pull off. Create-a-park is also back with the addition of letting you set custom goals. Online play is also included.

The single-player story line is cliched and unrealistically annoying at times. You're often required to perform tons of very simple tasks in order to continue the story, and skill points are handled differently here. You can't buy skill points as in previous games, instead you have to perform stunts and use tricks in order to gain points. Sounds good on paper but in practice it can be fiendishly difficult to grind for 15 seconds to gain 1 grind point when you have so few points to help you out with at the start, or to do 900 spins when the opening levels have few massive quarterpies. You are also limited to gaining too many points in the opening chapters of the story. At the game start, you can only gain a few points (doing very basic tasks, like a 5 second Manual or a few air tricks in 1 combo) until you progress the story enough to beat an "Amateur" level competition. As a TH4 veteran I was able to max out all my stats before completing a single mission on the first level of the story mode.

The storyline missions have alot of filler, and some are rather difficult. You'll fight the camera controls with the new Run missions, which take you off your board and make you jump up onto rooftops and such in order to find the usual tokens or items or whatnot. These Run missions aren't much fun, and the drive-a-car missions are also bad, basicially providing game filler that is neither challenging nor skateboard related. Some of the earlier "Do the tricks as I call them out" missions from TH4 are also frustratingly difficult.

In contrast, some of the earlier "trick point" missions are ridiculously easy, and I found many of those solved with only a handful of basic flatland manual tricks strung together.

Also, you'll often find yourself completing missions and gaining stat points using advanced tricks you've already learned from TH4 or TH3 (or from practice, or reading the instructions). Strangely, you'll often find your next mission from a guy who "teaches" you how to use those same skills, which seems like redundant filler.

Mission descriptions can also be very vauge and require many attempts not because you bail or run out of time, but instead because you don't know what you should be doing or what item you should be looking for. Fortunately missions that are multi-part don't require you to start from the beginning should you fail a portion.

Graphics and sound are on par with previous TH games, although I found the graphics to be a bit darker and grainier. Alot of the goofy dark-hearted humor and secret areas in previous TH games are gone in THUG, which is a shame. There are secret tapes and gaps galore but so far I have found them to be either too easy to find or too hard to temporarily abandon the story line to go back and get them. Remember, more story = more skill points, so the incentive to plod around areas you've already beaten isn't quite as strong as in previous TH games.

It's fun to finish missions and eventually pick your sponsors, which provide you with new gear graphics and outfits. There are a ton of pro skaters involved but they mostly make cameos, and after you hear their two or three lines of speech, you're dealing with nameless "team members" or "team managers".

Other than all the above negatives, it's of course difficult to give the game a low rating. It's still the fun Tony Hawk gameplay you're used to, and still a challenge. There are a bunch of new options and tricks, including wall-pushes to continue your Manual when you find yourself heading into a wall, and the Run ability which lets you stop a combo mid stride and jump off your board to run towards some new rail or pipe or whatever - kind of like a Revert or a Manual but without a balance meter. Unfortunately I haven't found much use for either, unless a mission requires it.

I still feel TH4 is so far the epitome of the Tony Hawk series of games, and THUG feels more like an expansion pack to TH4 than a true sequel. Still, it's alot of fun and a good addition to any PS2 library.

Disappointing game from Activison

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 8 / 11
Date: December 10, 2003
Author: Amazon User

It is too bad that Activision has strayed so far from the quality of this game in previous versions. The game has a lot less to do with skateboarding and seems to unnecessarily pander to 13-17 year old males. The people who were waiting for this game to come out would have bought it without all the controversial themes - strip joint and pole dancers, disrespect to police etcs. Those things didn't help them sell the game and certainly will keep some people from buying it - especially mothers buying it for their sons.

Caution: Adult Language

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: November 15, 2003
Author: Amazon User

My son seems to enjoy playing this game. However, as his mom, I have a problem with the use of profane language in the game. There is nothing in the "Teen" Label that mentions the language issue.

The adult language, I guess, is to make these guys sound "cool." It adds absolutely nothing to the storyline. There's so much bad language, it become annoying.

I hope my son doesn't begin to think that using this language is appropriate.

I'm very disappointed in Activision and in Tony Hawk for allowing his name to be associated with a game with this kind of language.

Parents - be warned.

WICKED!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: January 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Well....were to start. First I will give you an overview of the game.
Your a punk skater. What to do? BECOME A STAR BABY. In this game your a no body skater trying to make it to the big time with people like Tony Hawk and Bam Margera. Drive, walk, wall plant, MicTwist over a chopper. This is what is ready for you with this game. Next I will go through the pros and cons!

PROS
Well theres some many. First, YOU CAN GET OFF YOUR BOARD! Unlike any Tony Hawk game before you can walk around the massive levels. Tap L1+R1 to hop off your board. You can now walk up ramps, steps and what not. This is usefull for getting longer lines and for getting to those hard to reach spots.

Next...story mode. You map your face in the game to take your self from no body to some body. There a real story here. Its kinda corny some times but thats rare. Im not going to give any thing away. Play it your self.

Finnaly...YOU MAKE THE GAME! You can create you own skaters, parks, trickes, goals and decks. Do like the stuff in the game? Make your own. Were does the skate letters go? You chose. Were should the combo letters be done at? You pick. Hate the tricks? Make your own. Put spins, flips and more ito your own trick.

CONS
You knew thse were coming! Well letts get it over with.(Dont worry not many of these)

Some of the goals are HARD! Im not really complaing though. Just really hard for new people. Also not all of the pros do voice work for the game. I would have like to meet them all in the game...:(
Well thats all of them(for me at least)

RECAP
Graphics--------9/10
Fun factor------10/10
Replay Value----9/10
Music/sound-----7/10(1000000000/10 if you like KISS)
Learning curve--Hard(kinda)

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