Tony Hawk's Proving Grounds

[capncnut]

Yes, the follow-up to THP8 is well underway. Activision announces new Tony Hawk title Sports franchises have long enlisted a good figurehead to give them that extra appeal. Tiger Woods has helped EA's popular golf series, while John Madden is synonymous with its key NFL franchise. But few others can rival the mainstream popularity that Tony Hawk's involvement in Activision's skating series has leveraged over the years. The latest instalment, titled Tony Hawk's Proving Ground and announced today by the North American publisher, will set your character on one of several paths, based on the choices you make within the game. One of these variables will be the choice of skating style implemented by the player at the various courses, which include Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, DC. The game will also feature video editing tools, including additional visual effects, enabling players to create their own movies from the game. The customisable Skate Lounge will provide players with the opportunity to skate alongside others online. Tony Hawk's Proving Ground will be released for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Wii, and DS, and is due to be in the shops "this fall." Nice.

[Danny]

didnt like 8 or american wasteland so lets hope this doesnt aim for realism and goes the pro skater 2 and TUHG 2 route of good clean fun.

[MinionZombie]

Bloody hell they're cranking these out, eh? I ain't played the previous couple, but aye - fun is the key, that's what I'd want too...also, not just feckin' remakes of the same bloody maps from all the previous games, sheesh!

[MikePizzoff]

Awesome, can't wait. Been hooked on these games since I played the DEMO for the very first one, months before it came out. I guess it was Official Playstation Magazine that released the demo, but I remember playing it over and over for a huge chunk of my summer vacation that year. It's amazing to think back on that compared to what they can do with it now.

[capncnut]

It's out in the UK today. Wooot!

[MikePizzoff]

I played the demo for this like a month ago and it was the first time I thought "wow, this is god awful" about a THPS game. SKATE spoiled me and I'll never return to the Tony Hawk franchise.

[bassman]

I haven't played the Tony Hawk games in ages, but I used to have fun with.....well....the first couple I guess? I lost track of how many there are. You know....being that a new one is released every month it seems.

[MinionZombie]

I haven't played the Tony Hawk games in ages, but I used to have fun with.....well....the first couple I guess? I lost track of how many there are. You know....being that a new one is released every month it seems. Apparently there have been 9 games in 9 years.

[Danny]

i jsut dont like skate, TUHG 2 and pro skater 2 and 4 are my favs of the series.

[capncnut]

i jsut dont like skate, TUHG 2 and pro skater 2 and 4 are my favs of the series. Yeah, Tony Hawk's games have entertained me for many years. Skate was just utter turd.

[Danny]

aye, if i want "realism" i'll get my fat ass out the front door and actually skate.

[MinionZombie]

I'm gonna try out the demo of SKATE in next month's OXM, but indeed, THUG2 and Pro Skater 2 were freaking sweet. I've played a lot of those games, particularly Pro Skater 2. We had a PS1 set up in the Sixth Form and would play it in free lessons, the only problem admittedly was the controller itself, my thumbs would be on fire after an hour long session because of the buttons. I've always been at odds with the PS controller admittedly.

[MikePizzoff]

The reason I like Skate. so much is because I actually [used to] skate and have tons of friends that do. The Tony Hawk games were always fun, but at the same time I thought they were complete garbage because I wanted a game that was like real life skating. Not where you can friggin backflip off a curb. It makes me laugh that everyone says "if I wanted realism in a Skate game I'd go out and actually do it," but at the same time a lot of these same people will complain about other games (say, baseball or something) "hey, that's not realistic at all!" The TH series got so stale and repeatative; Skate brought a whole new life into skateboarding video games and I'm pretty sure if they make a sequel it will sell even more copies than the first, and hopefully put an end to the TH video game franchise.

[capncnut]

While I'm all for realism, I just couldn't get used to the handling with Skate. It's a tad more complicated to get to grips with than the Tony Hawk games.

[Danny]

im not for realism, if i want realism ill go outside, which is why the "game" the sims boggles my mind, theres layers of subtext in the idea of that game i cant fathom "oh yeah, so im watching my virtual family watch a virtual, virtual tv show"- WWWHHHHHYYYY!?!?!?!?