...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.:lol:

[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. :D

[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 (http://www.thride.com/)

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
FS22xAwlvsE&feature=related

[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 :D) 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. :D

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? :p

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. :lol:

[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. :D

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. :D

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 (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/new-tony-hawk-title-is-xbox-360-exclusive-in-uk) 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 (http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/new-tony-hawk-title-is-xbox-360-exclusive-in-uk) for article.
I'd rather have Ghostbusters on June 19th. :(

[capncnut]

I'd rather have Ghostbusters on June 19th. :(
Not gonna happen though, is it? And the chances are it will be released closer to Xmas to capitalise on the holiday sales. I'm betting on a late November release.

Anyway, f**k Ghostbusters, I'm sick of hearing about the poxy game. It was snatched away from me just when I was getting pumped up for it, so it's dead to me now. I'll pick it up in the January sales for half the price.

[MinionZombie]

Ryan Scheckler must be created by nVidia ... you know why? Cos he said "I'm in the game!" :p

Surely to goodness they'll have a "just play it with a controller" mode, otherwise it'll be far too restrictive.

1) You might just be too lazy.
2) If you're stoned and playing videogames, you don't wanna be standing up faux-flipping.
3) You might be bed-ridden.
4) You might be in a wheel chair, or be similarly disabled.
5) You might be in an upstairs room and your folks might not wanna hear you kick-flipping on the ceiling.

Fine for those that want it, but I'll stick with a joypad. I only dropped in (ah-ha, see what I did there) on the Tony Hawk franchise every few years anyway, so I missed a bunch of the games, so it's not as old to me ... I was stunned that they'd done a brand new game every sodding year for 9 years though, I mean ... damn.

[capncnut]

Surely to goodness they'll have a "just play it with a controller" mode, otherwise it'll be far too restrictive.

Fine for those that want it, but I'll stick with a joypad.
The chances of actually buying this game without the skateboard peripheral is very slim, even if it is joypad compatible. Expect a price tag of £70 upwards.

[MinionZombie]

The chances of actually buying this game without the skateboard peripheral is very slim, even if it is joypad compatible. Expect a price tag of £70 upwards.
In which case, they can suck my fuck. :D

[Danny]

Ryan Scheckler must be created by nVidia ... you know why? Cos he said "I'm in the game!" :p

Surely to goodness they'll have a "just play it with a controller" mode, otherwise it'll be far too restrictive.

1) You might just be too lazy.
2) If you're stoned and playing videogames, you don't wanna be standing up faux-flipping.
3) You might be bed-ridden.
4) You might be in a wheel chair, or be similarly disabled.
5) You might be in an upstairs room and your folks might not wanna hear you kick-flipping on the ceiling.

Fine for those that want it, but I'll stick with a joypad. I only dropped in (ah-ha, see what I did there) on the Tony Hawk franchise every few years anyway, so I missed a bunch of the games, so it's not as old to me ... I was stunned that they'd done a brand new game every sodding year for 9 years though, I mean ... damn.

what?

i thought i was the jaded miserable bugger and you were the generally upbeat one, i think this looks like one notch of fun.


WHAT.IS.HAPPENING?!?

*que that soundbyte from the end of every lost episode*

[MinionZombie]

what?

i thought i was the jaded miserable bugger and you were the generally upbeat one, i think this looks like one notch of fun.


WHAT.IS.HAPPENING?!?

*que that soundbyte from the end of every lost episode*
:lol:

Bravo, Sir ... bravo. :)

nQDUtjwoaTY

And I raise you a dramatic look ... Lost style.

pEOD4iEqFP4

AND a slice of Daniel Farrady, bitch. :D

http://blog.silive.com/entertainment_impact_tvfilm/2009/04/large_09.jpg

[bassman]

I honestly had no idea the Tony Hawk series was still "alive".:o

[capncnut]

Okay, I'm liking what I'm seeing thus far. The only bad thing is that it is NOT controller compatible (MZ will NOT be happy), meaning it's gonna be £80+ to jump on this bad boy, as the peripheral is included. It's a bit of a rough deal for obese/disabled players but real skaters should be in for a treat tho.

tfXvazeil70

The Birdman explains
37T4pASyqts&feature=PlayList&p=7412D4F930264A24&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=14

Currently playing THPS3 now and loving it. Sad to see the ol' skool Hawk gameplay go but hey we all gots to move on. And before the EA Skate pussyflaps jump on and attack - go f**k yourselves! :p

[Danny]

i'm just pissed that i dont have room in my room to actually play this, hopefully there'l be a "classic controller" version they just arent announcing in case it does, and most likely will, cause a drop in sales.

[MinionZombie]

i'm just pissed that i dont have room in my room to actually play this, hopefully there'l be a "classic controller" version they just arent announcing in case it does, and most likely will, cause a drop in sales.
Damn straight - they'll see their sales drop alright - I for one don't want to be hopping around my room like a crazed chimp on acid, thank you very much - I like classic Hawk - I want my controller. I'd buy the game with controller compatibility - otherwise, fuck 'em.

[blind2d]

Hear hear! I thought the whole purpose of a skateboarding vg was that you DIDN'T HAVE TO actually do any skating. Now it seems that I have been misled all these years. Oh well, at least I'm getting better at kickflips.... sort of.

[capncnut]

What I find interesting is that Hawk hopes the peripheral will be compatible with other games of the like, snowboarding and surfing, etc. That might make the hefty price tag worth shelling out for.

Also, as he says in the video, he has been doing physical 360's and flips with the board and it's solid. That's a 'weight' off my mind cos I'm not a skinny little rat with twigs for legs, breaking a £45 board was one of my primary concerns with Ride.

[MinionZombie]

Hear hear! I thought the whole purpose of a skateboarding vg was that you DIDN'T HAVE TO actually do any skating.

Damn straight. If I want to skate, I'll get a bloody skateboard ... if I want to play a skating videogame, I'll sit on a goddamned chair, thank you very much!

...

Also, what if you've got absolutely rubbish balance - mine's not very good - this silly peripheral discriminates against people of a poor balance disposition!

*gets the placards out*

You know they really should provide a version/have the capability of playing this game with a sodding joypad. If they don't go back on their current words, and give us joypad playing ability, I'll be quite surprised ... and rather annoyed.

[ProfessorChaos]

MZ, you could move the united states and become a citizen of the land of greedy lawyers and ridiculous lawsuits and try to sue activision for discrimination...

[AcesandEights]

It all pales in comparison to 720.
http://www.robohara.com/pix/blog/720-3.jpg


Never got into the Tony Hawk games. Did they have bee swarms chasing the skaters?

Skate or Die, biyatches!
http://www.geocities.com/civitat/720/Images/720_032208_Bug01.jpg

[capncnut]

Never got into the Tony Hawk games. Did they have bee swarms chasing the skaters?
Nope but flies are a re-occurring pest in the games. :D

[MinionZombie]

MZ, you could move the united states and become a citizen of the land of greedy lawyers and ridiculous lawsuits and try to sue activision for discrimination...
:lol::lol::lol:

[CoinReturn]

Price and release data announced:

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/101/1012452p1.html


Tony Hawk RIDE will be shipping in North America on November 17. The UK and Germany releases are three days later on the 20th.

The game will retail for $119.99.

I smell a flop.

[ProfessorChaos]

yeah, aside from the cap'n, nobody i know even cares about this game coming out. even a pal of mine who's a former hardcore skater and has owned and pwned all tony hawk games is of the "fuck that silly plastic guitar-hero wannabe shit" opinion.

[MinionZombie]

yeah, aside from the cap'n, nobody i know even cares about this game coming out. even a pal of mine who's a former hardcore skater and has owned and pwned all tony hawk games is of the "fuck that silly plastic guitar-hero wannabe shit" opinion.
As soon as I heard there'd be no joypad ability, I immediately thought "retarded money-losing decision".

[EvilNed]

It's kinda strange really how out of touch some designers are.

[CoinReturn]

It's tough to justify spending $120 on a skateboard accessory that has no use outside Tony Hawk.

I think Modern Warfare 2 + Left 4 Dead 2 for the same price is a far, far more sensible way to spend your money.

[capncnut]

It's tough to justify spending $120 on a skateboard accessory that has no use outside Tony Hawk.
For the time being. It is hoped that the peripheral will be used with snowboarding and surfing games. But that's not me. I'm a fan of the THPS franchise therefore I will buy.

I'll have L4D2 as well. ;)

[MinionZombie]

I think Modern Warfare 2 + Left 4 Dead 2 for the same price is a far, far more sensible way to spend your money.

Or use the cash for the MW2 prestige edition - then you can stalk through your neighbour's back yards and spy on them in the dark like a right pervert. :lol:

[ProfessorChaos]

i bet those nvg's that come with MW2 are cereal-box quality plastic pieces of shit ....i actually thought of going all-out for the prestige edition, but think i'll go with the "hardened version", or maybe just buy the stand-alone game...either way, november 10th is a day already marked on my calendar...

[MinionZombie]

i bet those nvg's that come with MW2 are cereal-box quality plastic pieces of shit ....i actually thought of going all-out for the prestige edition, but think i'll go with the "hardened version", or maybe just buy the stand-alone game...either way, november 10th is a day already marked on my calendar...
Word, bitch. :cool:

I've had it pre-ordered for a while now (just the normal game, nevermind any of that overly expensive NVG stuff).

I've also got Episodes from Liberty City coming about 10 days before that, and a week before GTA I've got Ghostbusters coming ... and then a month before that I've got Dead Rising 2 to bash through - so it's all stacking up for a heavy-ass time for gaming come October. :)

[capncnut]

Take a gawk at the packaging.

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/external/13021/2009/08/57/original_57b64e7746c1c1e28e800c4561b5ef7d.jpg

And here's (http://play.tm/preview/26305/tony-hawk-ride/) a good preview. From what I can gather, Ride has a thirty hour career mode, which has three difficulty settings depending on how good you can skate in real life (ie. real physical grabs on the hardest setting while you only have to stick your hand out on easy). A full tutorial mode, a bunch party-type mini games outside of the career (one of which is dodging orbs apparently), loads of multiplayer games (racing each other through levels is probably a dead cert), the usual free skate/hi-score thangs and 'hundreds' of unlockables (skaters, decks, etc) will bring a bit more to the table.

Graphically, it's not supposed to be a very big leap from Proving Ground but the board is actually getting some decent write-up's. Because it is at floor level, balancing is not a problem and I've seen a few oldies on videos having fun with it. It has a weight limit, however, of 300lbs, which wont slash sales figures as much as I thought because if someone is over 300lbs, they should be at a gymnasium instead of playing games. Regardless of that, I think Ride might do okay.

[MinionZombie]

Regardless - no controller play, not interested.

Plus I wouldn't want to look like a right bender walking down the street with that tucked under my arm half-poking out of a carrier bag.

...

*for clarification* "bender-moron" not "bender-gay" ... in case there's any Guardianistas having a panic attack right now after they dropped their fair trade peace crisps over their sandals. :p

[capncnut]

Plus I wouldn't want to look like a right bender walking down the street with that tucked under my arm half-poking out of a carrier bag.
Yeah, I have to admit that I would probably have to have someone drive me to GameStation cos I ain't carrying that home.

But golly am I gonna cream when I start playing. ;)

Edit: I hope I ain't got to get every fucking gap as an achievement whilst actually playing the game standing up. That'll proper knacker me. I got rid of my Wii 'cause I'm not an exercise freak.

[Danny]

rad as that sounds i think im just gonna have to be a rythm-fag and add that money towards dj hero meself.