...and the "Tony Hawk" video game series is finally dead.

[ProfessorChaos]

well, they couldn't compete at all with the awesomesauce that comes packaged with skate (and even more awesomesauce can be found in skate2), so the dorks behind tony hawk's video games have decided to include...(get ready for it): a fucking plastic skateboard controller into their next game. activision knows no shame when it comes to pawning shitty plastic peripherals and crappy rhythm games off on consumers, and the tony hawk games have turned into total shit (pretty much since thps2), so they thought, "hey, that's a great idea! let's make it like guitar hero!" nail in the fucking coffin, folks. seriously, get the fuck out. anyone think this is a good idea? to me, it seems like an act of desperation. thanks for all the fun with the first couple of ps games, tony, they were pretty killer, especially with spider-man as an unlockable character in thps2, but c'mon, face it: you're done. might as well sign on as a character in skate3.

[Craig]

Tony Hawk's games were a big part of my childhood, this series and the GTA games were two of the few games I used to play a lot (I never played a great deal of games to be honest). It was also a time when about all I listened to were songs from games, films or TV rather than particular bands so the music from THPS2 and THPS3 was quite influential. THUG2 was when I first noticed the games were no longer that great and I only bought American Wasteland to try and rekindle some of those good memories. Now I only see the latest installments as the franchise-milking games they are.

[MinionZombie]

Pro Skater 2 was one I played a fair bit (on other people's PS1's) back in the day, then I next played THUG2 (missing PS3 and THUG) which I rather enjoyed, then I was into the wilderness again and re-joined with Project 8 - which I thoroughly enjoyed, and got a lot of playtime out of. Then I got Proving Grounds, which was essentially "Project 8, but not as good, and tons more frustrating" ... plus I'm rubbish at button-press-combo stuff, so...I just like to skate around - although I did get some fun out of Proving Grounds, but Project 8 was the one I really enjoyed. Am I interested in another Tony Hawk game? Not really, no ... especially not with some lame controller idea. I've never played Skate or Skate 2, and I can't be arsed with all that thumbstick twiddling.

[capncnut]

I thought the Skate series was an unadulterated pile of dogshit to be honest and much prefer Tony Hawk's games. In fact, I still play THUG and THAW on a very regular basis. Official website Actually, I think the skateboard looks pretty nifty and could be a good thing. I like the way the buttons are on each side of the board so if you need to grab, you will have to grab the board, just like real-life. I'm afraid controllers are pretty much a thing of the past and in the future you will see a lot of games coming out with their own peripherals. While it's not exactly fair for people who cannot use their legs, bring it on is what I say! I think it could well be the best installment since THUG. Trailer

[MinionZombie]

Errr...duno about that. Hopefully there'll be an option so you can just play it with "classic" controls, that's what I'd want personally. Also, I don't see joypads going anywhere - like an actual console, it's a constant across a series of games - you get used to the joypad, the button layout etc, and all you have to do is apply that same knowledge to each game and just learn (quickly) the specific button layout for each game. A special peripheral is something that should be that - special and used sparingly with a few, select titles that are really designed for it - but also not restrictive (i.e. you can use a normal joypad if you want). Plus it's not practical, it costs plenty of money for the companies and the consumers now, so it'd just be even more money, more hassle, more time etc to be having a bunch of peripherals for everything. The Wii is just *this* side of taking the piss with all its add-ons, in my view. Damn ... it's gotten dingy as fook here, the weather must be getting stormy, I almost need the lights on already... ... As for peripherals, the notion works best in arcades I think - you ride a motorbike, shoot a pistol/shotgun/massive machine gun, you sit in a driver's cockpit etc. It's not something that can be properly replicated in the home.

[capncnut]

Hopefully there'll be an option so you can just play it with "classic" controls, that's what I'd want personally. I would like to think there will be. There are a few skateboard casualties out there. But my point is that games like Guitar Hero have turned the 'kids' (the target dollar) on to the novelty of actually playing a game in a similar way you would do it in real-life. Tony Hawk: Ride is no exception. The 'skateboard kids' (again, the target dollar) will spooge over it. I do love my classic controller and have completed every single Tony Hawk game, from THPS on PSX to Proving Grounds on 360 (not Downhill Jam, mind you), every mission, every gap, ama, pro and sick using said controller. I think it would be in their best interest to add that feature so everybody else doesn't suffer. But I DO welcome the board as I used to ride a little in my golden days. The only thing that I'm upset about is the fact that Neversoft are not on board (no pun ) for the game.

[Danny]

for me tony hawks has always been a rad escape game, grind up a police car, to smash through a window, to ride an escalator to bail into a swimming pool ect., skate was just "try and fail at something you can fail at whilst not sitting on your fat ass,outside. with friends. if i want realism in video games i'll play something that looks realistic, very few games that aim to be grounded in reality stay enjoyable all the way through. case in point splinter cell and metal gear, if either were realistic the stealth genre would suck major dong.

[MinionZombie]

No way man, Splinter Cell was pure awesome ... but Metal Gear can suck a fuck. Aye, I don't particularly want a lot of realism in my games, they are escapism - and also, I think every game should have a cheat-filled "fun mode" you can choose to play ... and for "casual/easy mode" to really mean that across the board. Some games do casual very well, others have casual modes that are anything but. They keep banging on about choice, but what about the choice to lounge around and not be challenged so you can just have fun? Also - bloody nora Capn, you've got m4d-sk1llz for Hawk games ... I'm a bit naff at them - but I play them purely for fun (the ones I have played anyway). I found Proving Grounds was far harder for me to play - not enough time to do things, too complicated for amateur, fiddly new additions to the controls etc - as such it frustrated me on a number of occasions quite a bit. Project 8 only ever really frustrated me a little bit, but I was actually able to complete that game and get a shedload of hours out of it. Proving Grounds gave me fun, but not as much as Project 8 did.

[capncnut]

Also - bloody nora Capn, you've got m4d-sk1llz for Hawk games ... I'm a bit naff at them - but I play them purely for fun (the ones I have played anyway). I found Proving Grounds was far harder for me to play - not enough time to do things, too complicated for amateur, fiddly new additions to the controls etc - as such it frustrated me on a number of occasions quite a bit. Project 8 only ever really frustrated me a little bit, but I was actually able to complete that game and get a shedload of hours out of it. Yeah, the Tony Hawk franchise is pretty much where I rule as a gamer. They are the only games where I can truly slay anyone with complete confidence. A fourty second grind is nothing to me... I strongly suggest you get American Wasteland for the 360. Can't be more than a tenner now and it's the last best game in the franchise. In fact, I think the story mode is easily the best and the longest. Don't listen to the haters (let them f**k off and twiddle their thumbsticks to Skate), THAW is balls-out fun with some of the best levels designed. And when you meet the character, Mega, I dare you not to piss your pants with laughter.

[EvilNed]

I've only really played Proving Ground for the Wii, but I loved it. It was addicting as hell.

[blind2d]

Then I got Proving Grounds, which was essentially "Project 8, but not as good, and tons more frustrating" ... Am I interested in another Tony Hawk game? Not really, no ... especially not with some lame controller idea. I've never played Skate or Skate 2, and I can't be arsed with all that thumbstick twiddling. You took the words right out of my brain. I play thps4 religiously. everyday for the past two years. still not boring. my personal favorite. thaw and thug were good, but there were only two cool things in thug2, zombies and skatopia. disappointing, much like thpg. Let's see.... Hot Chocolate, Fully Flared, The Beginning, and... those new DVS things that come on the Berrics stuff. Oh, and of course Tony's first 9 at the 99 Xgames, the most iconic piece of skateboarding video.

[MikePizzoff]

but there were only two cool things in thug2, zombies and skatopia. My band just spent the weekend camping out and playing a fest at Skatopia. Fuuuuuun shit. Tony's first 9 at the 99 Xgames, the most iconic piece of skateboarding video. Iconic, maybe. But certainly not anywhere near the best.

[capncnut]

I play thps4 religiously. everyday for the past two years. still not boring. my personal favorite. thaw and thug were good, but there were only two cool things in thug2, zombies and skatopia. disappointing, much like thpg. THPS4 is a great game. I played it again recently and was quite surprised how challenging it is. And heck, any game that has Iron Maiden and the Sex Pistols in the soundtrack has gotta rank high in my opinion. What I liked about THUG was how far they took the game. The create-a-goal function literally gave players the choice to invent their own game so to speak. I thought that was really neat. And the Hotter Than Hell level in Australia where KISS take to the stage is worth the price alone. You can even spine transfer over Peter Criss's drum riser while he's playing, awesome. THUG2 was a disappointment for me also but I thought it had the best soundtrack. Nawlins, Skatopia, and obviously, Pro Skater levels were great but the story mode was incredibly stupid and pointless. Still, it was nice to play as Phil Margera, Steve-O, and Wee Man. Oh, and the zombies. I think THAW gets a hard time and easily has the best story mode. As a hardcore player of the Hawk franchise, that story still takes me a good 7-8 hours solid, even on the easiest difficulty. I loved the Lords Of Dogtown esque plot. So for me, best classic game has to be THPS3 and best plot driven game is THAW.

[capncnut]

Yup, Microsoft are extremely impressed with what they have seen with Tony Hawk: Ride, so much so that they have snapped it up exclusively for the 360 in the UK. Click for article.

[MinionZombie]

Yup, Microsoft are extremely impressed with what they have seen with Tony Hawk: Ride, so much so that they have snapped it up exclusively for the 360 in the UK. Click for article. I'd rather have Ghostbusters on June 19th.