Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 Review for Xbox - Page 3

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 Review

Any Xbox owner who doesn't already own another version of the game would be crazy to not pick this one up.

Completing every goal in the game with one skater unlocks something else, like a hidden skater, hidden level, or cheat mode. Once you've gotten the hang of the game and figured out all the goals a few times, beating the game should take around an hour, but the lure of hidden stuff combined with the varied placement of certain level items from skater to skater makes the game very replayable.

The Xbox version of THPS3 duplicates the LAN play of the PlayStation 2 version, but not its online, Internet-based component. So if you happen to have your Xbox hooked up to a LAN full of other Xbox users, you'll be able to enjoy some fantastic four-player multiplayer. The game uses a standard PC-like model for finding games. When you select the system link option, you'll be taken to a list of active games on your network and have the option to host a game of your own. Hosting your own server means you call the shots when it comes to game and level selection, as well as banning unruly players. In addition to skating, you can chat by using an onscreen keyboard.

Aside from free skate, there are a handful of games you can play in system link mode. Trick attack is a simple score-based battle. Graffiti was in previous Tony Hawk games, and it challenges you to mark more territory than your opponents by doing tricks on them. The pieces of the level you use for your trick are changed to your color. Anyone doing a higher-scoring trick on that object can steal the piece from you. King of the hill is a slight reworking of tag from THPS2, and it forces players to fight for a crown that changes hands whenever the king is bumped by another player. Whoever can hold the crown for two minutes (or more if the server operator decides to choose a longer time period) first wins. Slap! is the game's answer to Quake-style deathmatch. When two skaters collide, the faster skater knocks the other one down and earns one point. Whoever has the most points at the end wins. All these modes can also be played in a split-screen two-player mode. Horse, a multiplayer game that has been in all the Tony Hawk games, can be played only in this offline two-player mode. The multiplayer element of the game gives it a nearly infinite amount of replay value--provided you're on a LAN populated by other Tony Hawk players.

In addition to playing amazingly well, Tony Hawk 3 looks terrific. Most of the jaggy edges found in the PlayStation 2 and GameCube versions have been smoothed out. The game is designed to run at 60 frames per second, and with few exceptions--such as anytime you skate near or through fog or smoke, causing the speed to take a serious hit--it does just that. The huge levels look great up close or at a distance, with nice-looking, colorful textures that look much sharper than their PS2 and GameCube counterparts. While some of the standard trick animations from the previous games in the series seem to be reused here, the tricks transition very well from one to the next, and the animation is both smooth and full of little nuances. For instance, spinning in the air while doing tricks looks way more realistic now, as the skaters' torsos actually twist separately from their legs. Even grinding and lip tricks look better now, as the skaters get a little twitchy as they try to keep their balance. A ton of new wreck animations have been added as well. These situational animations make bailing look a lot more realistic--and a lot more painful. Blood that streaks the sides of walls and ramps when you wipe out and remain in that spot for quite some time afterward definitely adds to the painful effect. This streaking blood and other decal-like features wreak havoc with the shadows, though, as the game seems to place the blood (or small scrape textures on the side of a quarterpipe and so on) over the shadow instead of under it. Another nice feature is the ability to look around at will by moving the right analog stick. You can even lock the camera in any position you wish, though it's obviously pretty difficult to skate while you're staring directly at the front side of your skater.

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9.6
Editors' Choice
Critic Score9.139 reviews
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Player Reviews

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Condor23

8.1
great

The game is is fun and has lots of replay value Continue »
Dj95

9.7
superb

this is was really the best skateboardong game!!!
but now its too ld and underground and wasteland is
already out... Continue »

Critic Scores

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TeamXbox 4.4 / 5
IGN 9.5 / 10
Game Chronicles 10 / 10
Eurogamer 8 / 10
Game Rankings 90 / 100
Gaming Age A
HonestGamers 9 / 10
Electric Playground 9.5 / 10

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