Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 is a pleasant surprise for Tony Hawk fans who feel the GBA can't handle the non stop action.
Graphics: 9/10
Sound: 10/10
Value: 8/10
Tilt: 8/10
Final Score: 8.7/10 (B+)
When I first played this game, my initial thoughts were "this game's gonna suck". What a fool I was! Playing it afterwards I was surprised that not only was the control scheme intuitive enough for me to easily perform tracks, but the tricks are also the exact same as other Tony Hawk games!! It didn't take me long to get balanced, being the Tony Hawk fan I am.
Controlling the game is complex but well designed. The L button does flips, the R button does all the basic tricks, and moving the D-pad around does all of the tricks with ease. The B button is for jumping and speed. It takes a little bit of time to get used to the D-pad, but in general, the control scheme is dead on.
As for the gameplay itself, it does almost everything right. Big air with plenty of ramps and lots of skaters. The specials are awesome too. One skater's special is the human dart, and that is a hell of a lot of fun to watch!! And get this; the games saves what player you used when the game turns off! The locations are awesome too; from the foundary to Tokyo, the levels are big and full of ramps for you to pull off tricks. An excellent tutoral mode teaches you the basics.
While terrific, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 for the GBA isn't perfect. Career mode is pretty tough because collecting the goals requires 2 MINUTES!! Yes, I'm aware this also occured in the console versions, but 2 minutes does not work in the portables because the isometric view requires you to find the shadows. Rio was the only non difficult one I can find. Also, WHY IS TOKYO LOCKED?!
The graphics are pixelated, but smooth as hell, and the locations are colorful and detailed. And be sure to turn the audio up, because the sound is terrific and the music is excellent.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 is a pleasant surprise for Tony Hawk fans who feel the GBA can't handle the non stop action. It's not as fun as the console versions, but it is close. For GBA owners, this is the ultimate skateboarding experience I've seen on the system. I really enjoyed playing the game, and others would be foolish not to reccomend this terrific GBA port.