Under 114,000 ride Tony Hawk in November

Before its November 17 release in North America, Tony Hawk Ride was being hailed as the second coming of the once-iconic skate series. That quickly changed once critics got hold of the game, which was based on an all-new skateboard peripheral that sensed players' positions on it. Unfortunately, according to many media outlets, including GameSpot's own reviewer, the board didn't accurately translate players' movements, making for frustrating playing.

Poor reviews--coupled with a steep $120 price point--appear to have tripped up Tony Hawk Ride sales faster than a skate stopper on a grind rail. According to November sales figures from the NPD Group, the game has sold under 114,000 units in the US, in line with analysts' pessimistic expectations. By platform, the game sold around 67,000 units on the Wii, about 30,000 on the 360, and only 16,000 and change on the PS3.

For his part, Tony Hawk himself has vociferously defended the 11th game to bear his name.* In a Twitter post last weekend, he declared, "Most snarky critics had their minds set before ever seeing/playing the game. I'm proud of what we created; it's innovative, responsive and fun." His skating series began in 1999 with Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and includes Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, the best-reviewed skating game to date.

* = If one counts Tony Hawk's Motion/Hue Pixel Painter.