Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix (PSP)

CNET editors' rating: 4.0 stars Excellent
Detailed editors' rating
Overall score: 8.5 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating:
  Write your own review
• See all user reviews

Product summary

Gamespot editors' review

• Reviewed by: Jeff Gerstmann
• Reviewed on: 03/16/2005
• Released on: 03/15/2005

Impressive Tony Hawk games that arrive simultaneously with portable hardware launches are nothing new. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 took the series to the Game Boy Advance with winning results. But at the same time, you couldn't help but feel like you were playing a different game entirely. Now, just in time for the PSP launch, Activision is set to offer up a portable version of Tony Hawk's Underground 2, which was released on consoles last year. This "remixed" version of the original delivers almost everything that was great about the console versions, and with the inclusion of four new levels, the single-player experience has gotten even better.

For those unfamiliar with the series, the world of Tony Hawk is all about fast-moving freestyle skateboarding. The game is mostly goal-oriented, with challenges based on scoring, creating long combos of tricks, and some objective-based stuff, like pulling a specific trick on a certain object, which often results in a scene of mass destruction. But while the goals are the main point of the game, the control and gameplay is fun enough that simply skating around and tricking off of objects is a very worthwhile and fufilling activity.

The biggest change made for the PSP remix of THUG2 is the addition of four new levels. Kyoto, Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Santa Cruz have been worked into the main story mode, meaning you'll hear some new dialogue in the between-level cutscenes that make these new levels fit. Each of these levels is a fine addition, and each fits right into the lineup of existing levels very well. Other things that fans of the console games will notice is that the graphics, while insanely impressive and very comparable to the PlayStation 2 version, have been scaled back slightly. Also, there's no in-level voice work at all. But the important things, like the ultra-tight control and gameplay the series is known for, are all shockingly intact. At times, you'll wonder how, exactly, Shaba Games managed to fit the PS2 version onto a portable system with so much of it completely unchanged.

While Tony Hawk's name may be on the cover, THUG 2 Remix has a lot to do with professional shopping cart destroyer Bam Margera and his brand of destructive fun, which figures much more heavily into the latest Tony Hawk game. The game's story mode essentially plays out like a Viva La Bam scavenger hunt, with two teams--one led by Tony Hawk and the other by Bam Margera--setting out on the World Destruction Tour. So your goals don't focus so much on becoming a star of the skateboarding world; here, you're just trying to fly around the world to break stuff.

THUG2's story mode is a whirlwind tour that gives you four skaters and a mess of goals to accomplish in each level. You start out each level as your created skater, though you'll also pick a pro skater as a partner. You'll also find two other skaters--or at least people who ride skateboards, since it seems weird to call Ben Franklin, a high-rolling cowboy, or a shrimp vendor "skaters"--hidden in various spots on each level, and each time you encounter a new skater, you'll unlock another set of goals for that level. Some of these new characters don't even ride boards. You'll run into Steve-O, who rides around on a wheeled mechanical bull, and you'll meet an Australian in a small go-kart.

At the beginning of each level, you're given a list and set off into the world. There aren't any onscreen indicators to point you in the direction of a goal, though if you happen to do a trick off a piece that is part of a combo goal, the rest of the pieces will light up. If you want the skinny on what, exactly, you're supposed to be doing, you have to pause the game and go into your view goals screen, which will give you more details on what you need to do. While this approach frees the game of clutter and onscreen icons, it also means you're going to be spending a lot more time reading text in the pause menu. Each goal is worth a different amount of points. Once you've earned a specific number of goal points, you'll be able to move forward. This also triggers a cutscene, which puts some more backstory in the Bam versus Tony adventure. All in all, the story mode is satisfying in its structure. The PSP version works in four optional levels in the story mode, which is a nice change of pace that gives you some choices to make, unlike the console versions' rigid pace. Despite having three difficulty levels, players should be able to burn through the story mode in around seven to 10 hours. Fortunately, that's not all THUG2 has to offer.

Underground 2 also contains "classic mode," which brings back the two-minute run timer and goal structure of the first three Tony Hawk's Pro Skater games. Many of the levels are the same ones you see in the story mode, but a number of levels from previous entries in the series--all the way back to the school and downhill jam levels from the very first game--appear here. While it's nice to have a separate mode like this, the concept of working to unlock levels that you've either already played in the story mode or remember from earlier entries in the series makes the mode a little underwhelming.

The gameplay in THUG2 starts with THUG, which added the ability to get off your board to run around, and expands from there. Probably the most important addition in THUG2 is the sticker slap, which is an airborne wall plant that shoves you off with a good deal of acceleration, making it perfect for finding your way back onto a rail and continuing a combo by going back the way you came. The rest of the gameplay changes aren't really as useful. You can also execute vertical wall plants while going up some ramps, giving you an extra height boost that you'll rarely need to actually use but will occasionally come in handy. You can now spray graffiti tags when you're off your board, which factors into some goals. When you're special, you can enter "focus mode" by flicking the analog disc, though it's little more than a glorified slow-motion effect. A few goals in story mode require it, but beyond that, all focus will do for you is make it slightly easier to land cleanly or to balance on rails, lips, and manuals for longer periods of time. If this is your first experience with the Tony Hawk series, you might find that useful, but anyone with even limited experience with the games won't need the help very often. There is also a new move called the natas spin, which lets you spin in place on top of poles, fire hydrants, trash cans, and other pointy items. It, like most of the other new moves, figures into a couple of goals, but doesn't really seem all that necessary.

Continue reading

See more CNET content tagged:

shopping cart,

trick,

Activision Inc.,

console,

Sony PSP

User reviews

• Average user rating: 0 stars Not yet available
  Back to product review
• My rating: 0 stars Write review

• Showing 3 of 3 user reviewsSee all 3 user reviews

• 5.0 stars

  1 out of 1 people found this review helpful

  "This is an AWSOME game"

  by Mikey Z on June 3, 2005

  read more

• 4.5 stars

  "Awesome game w/ great graphics!"

  by coltbolt11 on December 17, 2006

  read more

• 1.0 stars

  "Great Graphics but not much fun"

  by Kev50027 on May 14, 2005

  read more

• See all 3 user reviews Write review

Where to buy

Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix (PSP): $24.00

store	price	in stock?	rating
Amazon.com Marketplace	$24.00	Yes

see prices from 1 store

Where to buy Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix (PSP)

• store price in stock
• Amazon.com Marketplace $24.00 Yes
• See store