Flawlessly executed, endlessly replayable!

User Rating: 10 | Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 (Platinum) PS2
This was my first Tony Hawk or extreme sports game, and I was unprepared for the sheer playability of what has long since become a favorite in my collection. This game is totally accessible, which is to say almost anyone with working thumbs can play this game. The beauty is that though this game is simple to learn it can be just as difficult to master, and mastering this game can be rewarding and satisfying in nearly every respect.

As a game, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 Doesn't try to take itself too seriously, with lots of cheesy humor and odd characters to experience. You can choose to play one of several characters based on real life skating pros, each with their own moves and skills (both of which can be customized and built up as you play) or you can custom make your own character, with faces, clothes, skateboards, and moves. Stages such as a metal forge, skate parks, even a cruise ship offer an amazing amount of variety and challenge. Play a sort of quest game to experience them one at a time and collect items that will unlock videos, better stats, and more stages, or just play head to head with a buddy.

To add even more replayability to the game a level creator is included, which though somewhat limited to what might feel like a slightly restricted size, offers a tremendous amount of possibilities. Building stages is a simple process of moving and rotating objects around then planting them in place, trying them out, then saving them. Created stages are saved to memory cards which can be shared with friends, and are often a blast for head to head action.

This is by far one of the best values you can get for your gaming dollars.