Tony Hawk's American Wasteland Updated Hands-On
We get an exclusive look at an updated version of the latest entry in the Tony Hawk saga and grab an eyeful of the Xbox 360 version.
Neversoft's Brian Bright tells you why American Wasteland will be the most fully featured Tony Hawk game yet.
Neversoft has been steadily expanding the scope of its Tony Hawk games for years. The past couple of installments have seen some pretty radical approaches to expansion with the Tony Hawk's Underground games, which have integrated a story in addition to building on the existing trick system and various gameplay modes. The latest entry in the series boasts a new title, Tony Hawk's American Wasteland, and a bevy of new additions that should please fans of the series. The last time we saw the game, we got a good sense of its story and some of the ways the always-inventive Neversoft is evolving the franchise. We recently got an exclusive look at updated versions of the new game, including the shiny Xbox 360 version, and eagerly tried them out.
We clocked in a bit of time with the game's story mode--which is a change of pace from the story mechanic seen in THUG--before starting to explore other aspects of the game. The deliberately paced story mode now requires you to pick one of several different goofy alter egos to represent yourself in the game, as opposed to a custom skater. You'll eventually be able to customize your character a bit. The story itself is an homage to the roots of skateboarding and '80s punk style in an adventure worthy of Footloose. You'll guide your lowly, tragically unhip self as you flee oppression, bad dating options, and dysfunctional parenting, heading off to the wilds of Los Angeles to become a skate champ. One mugging later, the reality of life in the big city dawns on you. Fortunately your pathetic state engenders some pity from Mindy, an alternative-looking lass who's big on the eyeliner and hair dye. The first part of the game serves double duty as both a story setup and an in-game tutorial that familiarizes you with the basics of how to play. This early sequence will let you unlock moves as the story progresses and will generally ease you into the experience.
Though it may sound like THAW follows the THUG template a little too closely, it doesn't. The game is set in a free-roaming 3D world that streams in like Grand Theft Auto. The coolest thing about the game is Neversoft's attempt to offer a cohesive experience that integrates the various "create-a" modes seen in the previous Tony Hawk games. In a nod to GTA, you'll now find different stores in the game that will let you do the aforementioned customizing. Barbershops will let you change your hair. Clothing shops will let you buy new outfits. Skate shops will let you customize your deck and will offer "sponsor challenges" that will let you increase your skater's stats. Of course, the stores themselves don't care about your stats--they want cold hard cash, so you'll have to earn some. Fortunately, you'll find a healthy assortment of cash missions from the civilians you encounter in the game. The game experience is kept lively by a day-and-night cycle that is more than just a cool lighting effect--the passage of time will also affect the sponsor challenges, which change every day.
Your ultimate goal in the game, besides cementing your rep as a badass, is to unearth a legendary snake run that's part of a ranch. Once you find it, you'll be able to enhance the ranch with parts that you'll steal from various spots in the environment as you progress through the game. Along the way you'll encounter professional skaters that are a mix of old and new. For example, Tony Alva hangs out on the Santa Monica pier and gives you some helpful information that sees you getting your hands on an alien costume to freak out a Ferris wheel operator. You'll eventually get other pros to show up later in the game, as your goal to unearth the snake run and preserve skating history is going to require you to organize a benefit.
There's a good deal more to do in the game. Neversoft has implemented a compass that shows where the various shops and challenges are in relation to your skater so you know where to head. One of the biggest additions to the game (which will stand out on the compass) is a BMX bike that you can choose to hop on at any time. The BMX gameplay is an interesting departure from the normal skate mechanics due to an all-new control layout. The left analog stick will let you steer, while the right analog stick will push your weight around for flips and rolls when in the air. The nice thing is that the bike is more than just an extra--you'll find BMX-only challenges too.
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland Quick Links
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- Activision
- Neversoft Ent.
- Skateboarding
- Release: Nov 16, 2005 »
- ESRB: Teen
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