Tony Hawk's Proving Grounds

[capncnut]

http://www.vooks.net/images/provingshot.jpg

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.:rolleyes:

[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.:rolleyes:
Apparently there have been 9 games in 9 years. :eek:

[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. :dead:

[Danny]

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

[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. :rolleyes:

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!?!?!?!?

[Craig]

I thought Skate was the most refreshing skateboarding game since Thrasher Skate and Destroy. I enjoyed THPS2 and 3 when I was a lot younger but always preferred THUG of all the most recent ones. Most other sports games have always tried to be as realistic as possible and improve on it with each sequel, whereas extreme sports, dominated by games like Tony Hawk's and SSX, when someone actually makes it original and realistic in some people's eyes that's a big no-no. Of course this doesn't apply to all gamers.

It's sort of the same with some FPS players as well, they say they want realism but still end up playing CS:S and CoD.

And I didn't have a problem with Skates controls, I thought they were a very good way of doing tricks.

[capncnut]

Tony Hawk Adrenaline (THPS 10) has been finally announced, scheduled for release Q4 2009. Speaking as someone who hated both Skate and Proving Grounds, I'm pretty excited at the fact that it's going to be a reboot of the franchise whilst retaining the key elements from THPS3 and THUG.


In Tony Hawk's Adrenaline a new motion sensing board controller takes your game off the couch and launches you into the ultimate skateboarding experience. Thanks to an intuitive board based control scheme it's never been easier to pull off amazing tricks and feel the sensation of skateboarding. Shift your weight to turn and balance grinds, kick back on the tail of the board to ollie and lean into airs to pull off huge spins. Feel the sensation of dropping into a 60ft mega ramp, bombing down the worlds steepest streets, and watching the earth disappear beneath your board as you launch out of a halfpipe. Next gen graphics amplify the fun as you ride through thrilling situations like these. Put down the controller, step on the board and feel the sensation of going big.

[MinionZombie]

I really liked Project 8, I think it worked well, and I preferred the layout and all the areas where you could skate.

The problem with Proving Grounds, for me, is that they've taken a good game, then fiddled with it too much and just made it not as good. Plus, there are some really annoying bits in PG - such as that Bam rigger episode chunk where you're on a boat and have to get 60,000 points at least in 60-lame-seconds-of-lameness - it takes TWENTY of the f*ckers just to climb up the bloody ladder to get up on the crane! What moron thought of that?!

There's another bit - where you're doing a team skate video - yet again, about 15 seconds to pull something off ... not very realistic is it, considering they have no time limit in real life and do it until they get it right.

I've still enjoyed playing it, but there have been more "oh for f*ck sake!!!:eek:" moments in Proving Ground than Project 8.

I never played American Wasteland, it wasn't next-gen and I couldn't be arsed with it, lol.

They also need to get rid of silly little bugs, or times when you want your skater to go somewhere or do something and it just farts around getting you stuck or whatever.

[MikePizzoff]

After playing SKATE, I don't think I'll ever touch a THPS game again.

[capncnut]

I never played American Wasteland, it wasn't next-gen and I couldn't be arsed with it, lol.
American Wasteland is the BEST of the three next-gen Hawk games. If anyone has watched Lords Of Dogtown then you will know what I mean. But no skating game (including Skate or the even worse Proving Grounds) even touches THPS3, THUG or THUG2. Simple as that really.

[bassman]

American Wasteland is the BEST of the three next-gen Hawk games. If anyone has watched Lords Of Dogtown then you will know what I mean. But no skating game (including Skate or the even worse Proving Grounds) even touches THPS3, THUG or THUG2. Simple as that really.

I haven't played any of the newer games, but damn did I love THPS3. It sucks that it won't work on my 360, though. Seeing as how my regular Xbox is only used for music now and won't play games....

I really loved 3, though.:(

[capncnut]

I haven't played any of the newer games, but damn did I love THPS3. It sucks that it won't work on my 360, though. Seeing as how my regular Xbox is only used for music now and won't play games....

I really loved 3, though.:(
I adored all those levels. Canada was my favourite my miles...

[bassman]

I adored all those levels. Canada was my favourite my miles...

It's been awhile since I played. Canada is the snowy level with all those hidden things in the trees/mountains, right?

If so....yeah, that was a good en.

[capncnut]

It's been awhile since I played. Canada is the snowy level with all those hidden things in the trees/mountains, right?

If so....yeah, that was a good en.
Yup, that's the one. And yeah, nice you mentioned all the hidden thingys, that was when Tony Hawk games were a pleasure to explore. Even the gaps!

[Danny]

Yup, that's the one. And yeah, nice you mentioned all the hidden thingys, that was when Tony Hawk games were a pleasure to explore. Even the gaps!

damn straight, 2 ,3 and 4 were great for that, i was almost a semi platformer though thug 2 rocked as well, levels like new orleans and skateopia were the ****.

[capncnut]

damn straight, 2 ,3 and 4 were great for that, i was almost a semi platformer though thug 2 rocked as well, levels like new orleans and skateopia were the ****.
I am utterly of the belief that THPS2-THAW are the only Hawk games to play (THPS1 is a bit slow to play nowadays). Project 8 was okay but riddled with nigh-on impossible to obtain sick level missions. The one where you had to come off your board and crash through various gates - utterly stupid. Proving Grounds was just plain baffling, handles like an entirely different game. Talk about 'it ain't broken but we'll fix it anyway'.

But yes, THUG2 had some awesome levels: Barcelona, Berlin, Nawlins (zombieeez!), Skatetopia and The Triangle were the bomb. The best one in my opinion though was that Pro Skater level. The one with three adjoining levels - Spaceship, Aztec temple and Hell - now that was a pleasure to explore. :elol:

[MikePizzoff]

But no skating game (including Skate or the even worse Proving Grounds) even touches THPS3, THUG or THUG2. Simple as that really.

I strongly disagree with you. Skate is FAR better than any THPS game, EVER. No matter how great they are, even if just for nostalgic factor. Skate is the game every person that ever really skated always dreamed of since the early days of THPS. Although, at the same time I kind of feel that the two shouldn't even be compared:
Skate = extremely realistic skatboarding sim
THPS = over the top, unrealistic, arcade skater

[capncnut]

THPS = over the top, unrealistic, arcade skater
But waaay more fun! :D

I suppose it's down to taste, really. People will naturally compare games like, say, Gran Turismo and Project Gotham Racing, but I have always been a Sega GT man myself. And Sega GT was never really noted for it's realism.

A couple of things I absolutely HATED about Skate was the awkward camera angle and the sheer difficulty to pull off a simple kickflip that can be achieved in any THPS game in two seconds.

[Danny]

if i want to skate realistically ill get off my fat ass and go to the skatepark outside my house, tony hawks has always been an escapism game, letting you do things you never could.

[capncnut]

if i want to skate realistically ill get off my fat ass and go to the skatepark outside my house
And I'll bet you that half of the teenagers in that skatepark are there because of the THPS games.

[Danny]

seen one person skate there, all the rest stand by the halfpipe chewing gum like cattle and holding a board to there chests.

the picture next to poser in the dictionaries never been more apt.

[MikePizzoff]

if i want to skate realistically ill get off my fat ass and go to the skatepark outside my house, tony hawks has always been an escapism game, letting you do things you never could.

You wanna step outside, boy? :rockbrow:

[Danny]

not being sarcy, though it looks like that on screen i would genuinely do that if i wanted a realistic experience.

im not ready for a cable in my head and being suspended in nutrient goo just yet.

[capncnut]

not being sarcy, though it looks like that on screen i would genuinely do that if i wanted a realistic experience.
Totally. Back in the day, me and my buddies used to have Friday night piss-ups playing Tiger Woods 99 on multiplayer (ah, remember the days). One night one of said pals started getting cocky because he was winning repeatedly and it was really getting on our tits. I said, "you'd get your ass kicked on a real course buddy", and he was all "nah, nah, nah, don't be a bad sport." To cut a long story short, the following morning three of us went to the local golf course and used/shared a mutual friend's clubs. The cocky little squirt couldn't play real golf for s**t and bowed out in frustration after the third hole.

The point? Even the most realisitic games are absolutely f**k all like the real thing.

And today, I'm right in the mood to clock THUG once again. I don't know why but that game is very relaxing to me.

[MikePizzoff]

Well considering the following elements, I can't really do the stuff in real life that I can do in SKATE. :

-Police are hardcore on busting skaters.

-Coming across good spots is becoming increasingly difficult due to the above.

-I'm not as limber as I was when I was younger and I don't have health insurance (in fact, I owe $3,000 to a hospital from recently doing something dumb that I shouldn't have been doing at my age).

-Maybe you guys have the balls to actually 360 shove-it a 10 foot gap with a 20 foot drop, but I sure as hell don't.

So, I'll stick to a realistic skating game since I can't/shouldn't do the real thing.

[Danny]

actually ive never seen cops hassle skaters over here, not once. and i mean ones who will grind and or barrel down a massive set of busy stairs and nearly brain an old lady at the bottom.


fun times.

[MinionZombie]

actually ive never seen cops hassle skaters over here, not once. and i mean ones who will grind and or barrel down a massive set of busy stairs and nearly brain an old lady at the bottom.


fun times.
That's because listing all skating related "crimes" aren't on their target lists, but stopping hoodies who look "shifty" is.

Otherwise, they're too busy indoors filling out forms and getting lectures from "community cohesion officers" or whatever they're called ... limp-winded numpties basically ... so yeah, not many cops about unless the footie's and/or pubs are letting out.

[capncnut]

actually ive never seen cops hassle skaters over here, not once. and i mean ones who will grind and or barrel down a massive set of busy stairs and nearly brain an old lady at the bottom.
I haven't either. I was at Bromley South station once and some kid came down the sloped entrance of the train platform by grinding down the centre handrail. He came off badly and landed way over the yellow line just as a train was pulling up. You'd think that would be enough for the BTP to remove him by the scruff of the neck and escort him off the premises (not only could he have killed himself but also injured commuters) but no, they actually let him get on the train.

[MikePizzoff]

actually ive never seen cops hassle skaters over here, not once. and i mean ones who will grind and or barrel down a massive set of busy stairs and nearly brain an old lady at the bottom.


fun times.

Whoa, in America you'd be lucky to skate at a good spot for 45 minutes without being hassled by pigs.

[capncnut]

Just finished THUG for the second time in three days. It is by FAR the best THPS game ever made. It has the just right balance of learning curve, mission objectives, and playability - although THPS3 is a damn close second.

Timed myself on Normal. I did everything including ALL stats, ALL 130 missions (including KISS mission) within 4 and a half hours. The last mission where you have to race Eric Sparrow around the block for the tape (even on Normal) is a total and utter f**king bitch. I never skipped one cutscene and even landed the chopper gap on the pink hotel balcony (which is a f**king bitch also).

Call me a 'non-realist' but I would like to see a Tenth Anniversary THPS mix-match, which has a story revolving around, say, 15 of the best levels from THPS1 to THUG2 (updated to fook), an optional Classic Mode which actually involves using each character as opposed to plonking the Classic goals in game and a sturdy set of two-player modes. You can sling these open world games up your arse for all I care, just gimme a THPS game I can play.

And not Proving Grounds 'cos it was utter gash! :D