Hello everyone my first entry is going to be about who i am so everyone( my readers) will know who they are listing to. well first off my name is Kandace i am 20 yrs old from the great state of Texas. I absolutely love video games, everything about them the graphics, story line,characters, weapons,vehicles and etc. I have everything from the original Nintendo to the 360. I have been given the chance to write reviews about games and let my opinion be heard. I am not here to dictate which games y'all should and shouldn't buy. I don't work for any gaming company and and i don't endorse anything and i',m not getting paid for this.just simply a review of video games. and i value everyone's opinion.
gamertag= H3aVyM3tAlCh1Ck
Between pursuing a career in music, doing various website work and running a studio, I don't have much time to put into Arctic Sunburn anymore. This isn't to say that I won't ever update again, but as it stands I have too much on my plate and can't commit to making regular updates. If you think you might be interested in taking over, I would be happy to set up a new blogging account for you. There is no financial reward; only the satisfaction that your voice is being heard by the gaming community and the movie-going public. If you think you might be interested, please contact me directly at: david@arcticsunburn.com.
Hey guys, sorry for the lack of updates. In case you didn't know, I've set up a Facebook page and I'm posting new stuff there regularly, so make sure to become a fan and join in the discussion!
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The Advent of PlayStation
Ahh yes, the PlayStation. I still remember when the console first came out. We were far too distracted by the graphics (or, at least I was) to correctly judge a game by its true merits. If one were to compare it to its modern day counterparts, the PlayStation was weak, but at the time it felt like a huge leap for humankind (uh, for games, that is).As I think back, I was still playing Super Famicom (SNES equivalent) in Japan when the PlayStation came out. It totally blew my mind. I didn't really even care about gameplay. I just wanted to get a PlayStation so I could be wowed by the stunning visuals.
Now that the fog has cleared, I think we can say with some accuracy that the PlayStation really wasn't that strong of a console in the end. It had a lot of game titles, but many of them were pretty sad. That isn't to say there weren't a few gems, however. Final Fantasy VII, Crash Bandicoot, Metal Gear Solid, and Tekken 3 were all pretty cool.
Dare I make the argument that Tony Hawk's Pro Skater was also a good one?
Introduction
Before I played this game, I wasn't the least bit familiar with skateboarding. When my friend instructed me that the square button was used to "flip", I assumed he meant the actual boarder would flip, not the board itself. It was a totally new world for me. I think I had a vague sense of what it meant to "grab" though, from being around snowboarding enthusiasts.To tell you the truth, I can't even remember what got me into the Tony Hawk games. It may have been the fact that I was getting owned at a video game by a girl, and I wasn't willing to let that go on.
I have a feeling that I got into Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 before I ever went back and played the original. Pro Skater 2 had a lot more hype surrounding it, with it being released on several different consoles and platforms. It was an awesome game, but that's another story for another time.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater was quite basic, but also remarkably well developed for its time. Even when I go back and play it today, it feels truer to real-life skateboarding than other games in the series (not that I'm an expert at skateboarding, but I do enjoy watching the pros). Sure, it still has some pretty unrealistic elements to it, but you can't rack up ridiculous combos without a great deal of creativity, unlike Pro Skater 2 and 3, which allowed you to string together massive combos with the use of manuals and reverts.
No, Pro Skater forced you to think about your lines. You had to figure out ways of grinding from one object to the other, and if possible, snatching a couple of gaps in the middle. Racking up 40,000 points wasn't as easy as it is with modern day Tony Hawk's.
The Soundtrack
Pro Skater only had a 10 track soundtrack, but I thought that the selection was quite ingenious. The quirky strains of Primus' "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver" can't help but stick in your head long after you've heard it. The Dead Kennedys' "Police Truck" is the perfect prelude to the game, poised with aggression and quirky guitar riffs. In fact, I can't help but think of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater when I hear the song.The Ska-influenced "Superman" and "New Girl" were also nice picks, but all in all, the soundtrack was quite heavy and edgy and that's what made it cool. Sadly, I can't say the same for the pop littered sound-scape of modern Tony Hawk games.
The Levels
Sure, the graphics have come a long way since the release of this title. Recent games in the series allow you to bust a wider range of tricks, custom build your own skater, and even come up with your own tricks. However, we haven't seen level design the likes of Pro Skater in any of its sequels.It seems to me that they spent more time creating good flow as opposed to achieving realism. Sure, photo realistic graphics are impressive, but if recent releases are any indication, they can't carry a game (and I'm not just talking about the Tony Hawk series). Pro Skater 2 still had pretty good flow, and even 3 to some degree, but subsequent releases just weren't as smooth.
Speaking of levels, let's have a look at them individually, shall we?
- Warehouse - It's the very first level of the game and it's just perfect. OK, so it may not be anything fancy, but it has good flow, plenty of vert opportunities, and even some decent grinds. Most of the cool lines involved the "Secret Room" gap in some fashion, but there really wasn't a huge learning curve, so you could find good lines in a relatively short amount of time.
- School - OK, so I'm not as fond of this level as I am of some of the other levels, but it did have a fair bit of retail space, and even a cool little skate park on the roof areas. It feels a little scattered, but it's got picnic tables, bowls, quarter pipes, rails, and plenty of planters to keep things interesting.
- Mall - We rarely see levels like this one in Tony Hawk games nowadays. Granted, the levels have gotten more realistic, and tend to encompass a much larger area. Still, this downhill style level was really cool, and had a lot of great areas where you could string together gaps and combos.
- Skate Park - See, this is what I'm talking about! It's so simple but it's really effective. There's a nice big half pipe, a bowl, quarter pipes, and plenty of rails and fun boxes in between. Few levels have this kind of flow to them.
- Downtown - This one is a bit of a classic. Yes, we have seen far more realistic levels than this one in modern day Tony Hawk's, but this one left a greater impression on my mind than many others. I will admit that it's not one of my favorites, but it does give you plenty of opportunity for wall riding and big jumps.
- Downhill Jam - Another level that adopted the downhill style, and is very much like the Mall in that respect. This was another level that really defined the game, and allowed for some of the biggest jumps in the entire game. Its one weakness is that it takes too much time to go backwards, but the temptation is to cruise all the way down the hill anyway.
- Burnside - Another classic level for me. I can't get over this one. I just like everything about it. It is a little harder to get your combos going, but then it kind of makes sense that it would be trickier since it appears later in the game. It's a relatively small level with a lot of possibilities.
- Streets - I don't know about this one. Granted, it was one of the more unique levels of the game and we don't see many like it anymore. Its chief weakness is in larger part due to the limitations of the console, because you could only see a certain distance ahead of you. This is an issue throughout the game, but it isn't that big of a problem for the most part.
- Roswell - I like it. It's another simple skate park with a few unique elements to it (like the hidden bowl with the aliens). Most of the park is taken up by half pipes and quarter pipes, but there are some OK grinds off to the side. Not as classic as Burnside in my opinion, but still cool.
The Gameplay
Naturally, it doesn't feel quite as smooth as subsequent releases. What I can say is that it established the standard for future installments. The controls were still quite responsive, and it was clearly just a matter of time before they would figure out the rest.Overall, the gameplay is fun and addicting. I don't think it has as much replay value as Pro Skater 2, but I still like to go back and play it once in awhile.
Conclusion
What else is there to say? Tony Hawk's Pro Skater was an unmistakable triumph in my humble opinion. I still enjoy the series as a whole, but I can't see myself going back to play Pro Skater 4 anymore (mostly because I've beaten it 4 times or more). Whereas the original Tony Hawk still has appeal, as a game that could be picked up and played casually, and could even have some merit for hardcore gamers as well.Although it may have been overlooked in its time, today it has its fair share of admirers and supporters who enjoyed it thoroughly.
On Saturday, March 6, 2010, I hosted a Tony Hawk marathon at my place between the hours of 10 AM and 10 PM. What ensued was non-stop Tony Hawk action, beginning with the original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater for PlayStaion, all the way up to Tony Hawk's Underground for the PlayStation 2.
The plan was to play all the way through the original Tony Hawk saga for PlayStation and PlayStation 2. We weren't trying to get 100% in everything, so we would swap games after unlocking the customary bail video or pro video (soft ending). After 12 hours of gameplay, we made it about half way through Tony Hawk's Underground (the part where you come back from Moscow and have to pull together your own team). It would have been awesome if we had made it all the way through to American Wasteland, but I'm not entirely sure that would have been possible in 12 hours, even if we had been fully prepared.
The first place we got stuck was on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2. It had been quite awhile since I last played this game, so I didn't remember little details like where the Venice Ledge was.
Then Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 turned out to be a big time sink. Even though we were able to proceed through the goals at a rapid pace, it took a long time to unlock the pro challenges because of the sheer number of goals.
Although it may have been possible to get to the end of Tony Hawk's Underground, I'm not certain it would have been possible to get any further in 12 hours. If you were really prepared, I suppose you could cut off a significant amount of time in completing goals, but Tony Hawk 4 is where you would inevitably end up spending 3 to 5 hours.
I was also hoping to share the controller with more players, but unfortunately those present weren't terribly familiar with any of the games, so I ended up finishing all the goals. We probably could have been more effective with players that still remembered bits from Tony Hawk 2 and 3.
However, it was still a really fun day, and that's what it's all about. I'm not sure that I would do it again, but I enjoyed this wacky experiment.
In closing, I'd like to share some of the thoughts I had regarding these games:
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
This is still a really fun game to play. I do prefer the graphics of the PlayStation 2 games, to be sure, but in other respects I prefer this game to the newer installments.
For one thing, this game was pretty edgy, perhaps edgier than many other Tony Hawk games.
Secondly, the gameplay is more realistic than Tony Hawk games that came out later. It was a lot harder to string together combos, and you had to be creative because you couldn't use manuals or reverts.
Thirdly, the level design is really cool and we haven't really seen anything like it since. I don't think I would enjoy playing levels like the Mall or Downhill Jam all the time, but they were a nice change of pace.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
I don't have much to say about this one except that it's a classic. Manuals made it far easier to string together combos, and getting high scores, at least for me, became a walk in the park. The soundtrack was pretty cool too.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
This game is far smoother than I ever remembered it to be. Maybe it's just me, but landing vert tricks felt way easier than other installments of Tony Hawk. Although the goals still tended to be "collect this" and "do that", there was nevertheless some attempt at creating more variation.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4
This is where the game started to change in a big way. Although there were still goals like "land a high score" and "collect the S-K-A-T-E letters", the game introduced many new elements that made it considerably more interesting.
There were still a certain number of goals to be completed in each level, but each goal had to be completed on its own, and would only start if you initiated the people with arrows over their heads.
The soundtrack was a little more mainstream than the others, but picks like "TNT" kept you grinning.
Tony Hawk's Underground
I may have given this game a bad rap before, but I forgot how good it was (I'm probably thinking of Underground 2 - that's the one that kind of sucked). There were fewer goals that involved tedious collection of random items (though there were still some goals like that). Essentially you begin as a no-name in the skating world, and have to work your way up through the ranks, and this concept rang true for a game that broke the numbering system.
This game also incorporated storyline elements, and although it was quite linear, it was worth playing through at least once. Repeated play-throughs would likely have less value.
The plan was to play all the way through the original Tony Hawk saga for PlayStation and PlayStation 2. We weren't trying to get 100% in everything, so we would swap games after unlocking the customary bail video or pro video (soft ending). After 12 hours of gameplay, we made it about half way through Tony Hawk's Underground (the part where you come back from Moscow and have to pull together your own team). It would have been awesome if we had made it all the way through to American Wasteland, but I'm not entirely sure that would have been possible in 12 hours, even if we had been fully prepared.
The first place we got stuck was on Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2. It had been quite awhile since I last played this game, so I didn't remember little details like where the Venice Ledge was.
Then Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 turned out to be a big time sink. Even though we were able to proceed through the goals at a rapid pace, it took a long time to unlock the pro challenges because of the sheer number of goals.
Although it may have been possible to get to the end of Tony Hawk's Underground, I'm not certain it would have been possible to get any further in 12 hours. If you were really prepared, I suppose you could cut off a significant amount of time in completing goals, but Tony Hawk 4 is where you would inevitably end up spending 3 to 5 hours.
I was also hoping to share the controller with more players, but unfortunately those present weren't terribly familiar with any of the games, so I ended up finishing all the goals. We probably could have been more effective with players that still remembered bits from Tony Hawk 2 and 3.
However, it was still a really fun day, and that's what it's all about. I'm not sure that I would do it again, but I enjoyed this wacky experiment.
In closing, I'd like to share some of the thoughts I had regarding these games:
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
This is still a really fun game to play. I do prefer the graphics of the PlayStation 2 games, to be sure, but in other respects I prefer this game to the newer installments.
For one thing, this game was pretty edgy, perhaps edgier than many other Tony Hawk games.
Secondly, the gameplay is more realistic than Tony Hawk games that came out later. It was a lot harder to string together combos, and you had to be creative because you couldn't use manuals or reverts.
Thirdly, the level design is really cool and we haven't really seen anything like it since. I don't think I would enjoy playing levels like the Mall or Downhill Jam all the time, but they were a nice change of pace.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
I don't have much to say about this one except that it's a classic. Manuals made it far easier to string together combos, and getting high scores, at least for me, became a walk in the park. The soundtrack was pretty cool too.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
This game is far smoother than I ever remembered it to be. Maybe it's just me, but landing vert tricks felt way easier than other installments of Tony Hawk. Although the goals still tended to be "collect this" and "do that", there was nevertheless some attempt at creating more variation.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4
This is where the game started to change in a big way. Although there were still goals like "land a high score" and "collect the S-K-A-T-E letters", the game introduced many new elements that made it considerably more interesting.
There were still a certain number of goals to be completed in each level, but each goal had to be completed on its own, and would only start if you initiated the people with arrows over their heads.
The soundtrack was a little more mainstream than the others, but picks like "TNT" kept you grinning.
Tony Hawk's Underground
I may have given this game a bad rap before, but I forgot how good it was (I'm probably thinking of Underground 2 - that's the one that kind of sucked). There were fewer goals that involved tedious collection of random items (though there were still some goals like that). Essentially you begin as a no-name in the skating world, and have to work your way up through the ranks, and this concept rang true for a game that broke the numbering system.
This game also incorporated storyline elements, and although it was quite linear, it was worth playing through at least once. Repeated play-throughs would likely have less value.
