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Tony Hawk has seen better days

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 16 / 18
Date: October 25, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Up until Tony Hawk Underground (THUG) the series enjoyed a steady upward evolution. Although THUG saw some improvements, the graphics and skate venues suddenly went from clean and sharp in Tony Hawk 4 to dingy and forgettable. The goal may have been to create a gritty world but for me it just looked dirty and rushed. Perhaps it's the stress of trying to put out a new game every year but after Tony Hawk 4 the series seemed much less polished. The addition of non-skateboard modes of travel seemed shallow and tacked on and wouldn't have been so bad if they weren't required to complete the game. The driving portions seemed like they were created in about 10 minutes. THUG 2 introduced a new aspect to the series, a disturbing mean spiritedness. The nastiness continues in THAW and even increases giving players the ability to actually smack their skateboard upside a persons head.

Tony Hawk American Wasteland is an improvement on the two THUG games but still leaves a bit to be desired. The game still seems rushed with bugs and occasional stutters in the frame rate. Some of the tricks have gotten so esoteric to have reached the level of bizarre. The biggest problem is that some of the tricks are absolutely essential in completing the game and some are REALLY hard and this is from a person who has completed 6 versions of Tony Hawk. I am currently COMPLETELY stuck trying to do a manual for what looks like about a half a mile of curvy path.

On the upside THAW has six great levels of Classic Tony Hawk that make me long for the old days. There is a significant amount of BMX biking which although inferior to skateboarding is better than the dismal attempts in THUG to incorporate alternate vehicles. The storyline is improved over the previous two games although still focused on destroying property and injuring people.

I think that Activision needs to stop trying to crank out a Tony Hawk game every year because the series is looking extremely strained. I thought the wonderful Aggressive Inline, which came out a few years back, might light a fire under Neversoft to create a tighter game experience but instead Inline faded into obscurity while Tony Hawk has continued its relentless year by year release.

recycled and gimmicky

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: November 15, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Activision has been spitting out Tony Hawk games every year now for about 7 or 8 years. If my tally is correct there are 5 pro skater games, 2 thug titles, and now American Wasteland. These titles span all the major systems. And you don't need be a rocket scientist to figure out why; the Pro Skater series has made tons and tons of money. Only problem is, they have essentially released the same game time and again, coming up with different titles in recent years to help keep the whole thing fresh.

American Wasteland is simply Tony Hawk's Pro Skater with a bike thrown in for a gimmicky distraction. The same cheesy storyline is presented once again; unrealistic characters with insulting wardrobes parade through the game.

On the good side, the skating is top notch and very fluid. Lots of fun stuff to skate however some of these levels have appeared in at least 2 other Hawk titles. Talk about recycling.
There are a few different pros this time around, at least I think so. I stopped paying a lot of attention the last couple games.

All in all this series is reaching a point of stagnation. Kinda like a singer with one hot single but nothing else of interest; he soon finds himself in the bargain bin once the single falls off the charts.

THAW and stuff

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: November 24, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This is the best sports game anyone could buy regardless of what your favorite sport is. And the new BMX mode gives the game more of a..how do u say..edge. BUT there are a few problems. In comparison to the other Tony Hawk titles, this one I have to say a major dissapointment. When Tony Hawks introduced story mode, this gave more creativeness to the game making it more fun. The story mode in THUG1 was really cool but in THUG2 it was a little out of hand with its World Destruction Tour. Now in THAW 1 was expecting it to bounce back from THUG2 but instead it just repeted the same storyline from THUG1. Don't get me wrong this is still a great time, it's just the dudes who made this game could have spent more time on it. For those of you who have never played a Tony Hawks game (which is probably not very many), and are thinking about a good game for an X-Mas present for yourself or someone close , then this is the game to get. But of course you must take notice of what its rated (parents). I will conclude with this- argueably the best sports game in the recent years, this game is a must get, that is if you dont mind scratchy graphics (compared to previous titles), and repetetive modes. Loyal Hawk fans will get this game for sure. Personally I have enjoyed it. But you might want to read the other reviews before taking my word on THAW and stuff.

Getting My Money's Worth

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 3
Date: December 19, 2005
Author: Amazon User

This Game is the BEST. My 11 year old son absolutely loves it. On the Weekends he wakes up extra early does, his chores, and any homework, he may have and plays his game. It' a great Bargin tool.

THIS GAME STINKS

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 6
Date: January 01, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Five reasons why it stinks
1. The BMX does manuals when you do not whant it to
2. It is freaking imposible to do a wallflip
3. The missions are pointless
4. The graphics aren't as good as they say
5. Yes. There is loading

yes I do have this game.

No levels...No loading times...NO truth to those statements!

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: January 01, 2006
Author: Amazon User

You start out Tony Hawk's American Wasteland in Hollywood. Actually, you start in a LEVEL that is about 5% the size of the real city of Hollywood. To progress further in the game, you must accomplish various missions and tasks that your smoking hot new friend Molly gives you. This game is really no different than the other T.H.U.G. games, except the levels start to open up and become more expansive as you finish your goals. As far as turning on your system, jumping into a giant video game version of California and skating for miles at a time...it doesn't really happen that way. It sounds great on the advertising campaign, but there ARE levels in this game and until you work at it for a while, you are stuck on one of the smallest first levels of any Tony Hawk. Still a fun game if you like the series, just misleading.

Disappointing but Fun

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 4
Date: January 03, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 was probably the best game in the series. Since THPS4, we have enjoyed a steady decline in difficulty and overall quality. This new game is so easy, in one sitting you can beat the game and retrieve all the pieces for your homemade skatepark, the "Skate Ranch." I have been a fanatic about these games since the beginning, and since we left the "pro skater" title, the games have become cheesy. The storyline is unbelievable (this game is starting to improve there, however), the character models are weird (all the pedestrians are about 3 feet taller than your character), and now, the game features one level only in story mode! I did enjoy playing through the game, though. Classic mode was fun, with harder goals than the story mode by far, and unlike story mode, you can completely customize your character. Personally, I think the previews made the game look much much cooler than it is. Another game like this and I'm finished with this series.

Tony Hawk's American Wasteland= best in extreme sports?

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 3
Date: January 19, 2006
Author: Amazon User

With a new invention comes a new series pretty much describes Tony Hawk's American Wasteland; a masterpiece of the genre of skateboarding and BMX.
Unlike last year's Tony Hawk's Underground 2, this game is more emphasized on story mode rather than "mission-based"; going back to the series orginal roots.
By selecting one of the five characters, players wind up in a tour bus that takes them to Los Angeles California, the city of the legends. Hopping off the bus gamers immediately jump into the story where players get jumped and beaten; their items and clothes all stolen away!
Gamers may seem that all else fails, but a girl named Mindy comes to the rescue and basically "tutors" you in regards to how you must blend into the L.A. enviornment, how to learn basic skate moves and more.
Veterans familar with the series will also witness a new way to "pimp-out" their character; obtaining haircuts, selecting new clothes and purchasing accessories. Furthermore, it can be essential to the mercurial or static player.
While players are skating and griding, players may have noticed a new device to the series, a BMX bike. Early in the game, players can learn the basics and grind and ride in a new way.
Let's not forget about the music. Covering bands such as Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance, this game has gone to the "punks."
If you get tired of playing story mode, there's always Classic Mode, where players can rank up their score and complete moderate tasks.
With no load times, great music and an awsome storyline, Tony Hawk's American Wasteland has just broke the mold in extreme sports games.

I Liked It!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: February 08, 2006
Author: Amazon User

most of these people are crazy. sure, this isn't the best tony hawk game, but it is really fun and there are some cool new stuff in it.

Awesome! But They Lie

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: February 13, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is a great game. But there are lots of lies in this game like no loading it loads more than any tony hawk game. But when you ride the bike it does lots of Stupid manuals.

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