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Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (PlayStation 2)

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 review

Game: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
Platform: PlayStation 2
Genre: Extreme Sports
Developer: Neversoft Entertainment

Reader review by kahr

Date unavailable

In case you aren’t familiar with the series, let me tell you a bit about it. The Tony Hawk Pro Skater series is arguably the best skateboarding game to date. While slightly unrealistic because you can bang yourself up really bad and walk--skate away like nothing happened. But honestly, the game would be far too hard if you could injure yourself realistically. You can choose to skate as a number of different pro skateboarders, like Tony Hawk, Elissa Streamer, Bucky Lasek, Kareem Cambell, and so on. Each character has a set area of expertise and unique statistics (which you can upgrade throughout the game). You play through levels by completing goals (find certain items, achieve a specific score). Points are awarded for landing certain tricks (or combinations of tricks).
Tony Hawk's Po Skater 3... what can I say, it more than certainly does the series justice. This to me this is one of the few sports games that are worth purchasing. There are loads of things to do in the vast game. There are nine basic levels, and a few hidden ones that you can unlock after beating the game a number of times. The levels are very well designed and all have very good trick opportunities. Each level has various and unique goals to achieve on top of the common Top Score , Pro Score, collect S-K-A-T-E, etc… there are 9 per level. The tournaments are challenging as ever, and the last one (Tokyo) is damn near impossible at times. The gameplay is very similar to the previous two games, and has been improved upon in many ways. The ‘create-a-skater’ has been improved with a female option, and new clothing, and whatnot. There is also a create-a-skatepark option available (which is awesome). This game is also the first North American released game to support internet based multiplayer games. The two-player mode is just as good as ever, with some new games, and improved ways of playing. With all these great features and the continued upkeep of a great gaming engine, THPS3 manages to go above and beyond what one could expect. The game challenges even the best of THPS gamers, while still being easy enough for novices to start out. There are some cool new moves introduced to the game as well. Just as with the first two THPS games, exploration and trick mastery are the key to defeating the game, but you may find it much more difficult. The graphics are spectacular; they really show what some hard work, and the wonderful PS2 can do. Overall this newest instalment of the series is just as fun as the earlier games, if not more so. THPS is easily one of (if not the) best looking and feeling skating game out there. If you’re a fan of these games, or just simply want to have a good (and sometimes frustrating) ol’ time with or without friends, check out this game! (Friends recommended; for someone to hit when you didn’t land that 150 000 point combo). However, I would like to advise against the PS1 version of the game, it is not nearly as good, and is almost a complete disgrace to the entire series. This is a hard game to rate…I honestly don’t have any problems with it (aside from maybe the level, Suburbia, I like it the least. It is still great though). I think I will give it a 93 out of 100 because the soundtrack leaves something to be desired (too much hip hop/rap for my liking), and some songs can just get downright annoying. But that is just personal preference, and not a really big deal. Thankfully you have the option to disable some songs, if you happen to know the names of the ones you do not like. Also, this isn’t a game for everyone, and it can get frustrating quite easily for those less patient gamers. Another fault worth mentioning is that the game isn't very replayable. In fact, defeating areas of the game can be so difficult (and a once in a lifetime type thing) that you aren't keen on trying to start another career. I highly recommend this game to anyone and everyone with the means to give it a try!

Rating: 9.3/10

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