An entertaining game, if slightly less so than the Pro Skater series before it.
Tony Hawk's Underground is the start of something a little different. Instead of focusing on the Pros, it is now about you as you go from New Jersey skate mate to Pro and you overcome various friendship problems with your main rival, Eric Sparrow, along the way.
Also, continuing the innovation of Pro Skater 4, you are able to do a few more things which aren't skate-related including the ability to get off your board and explore the levels on foot. The levels are well-designed and many areas which are locked at first are opened as you progress through Story Mode. There are a variety of new challenges to THUG including some which involve street races, big combo scores, but as well as that, the S-K-A-T-E and C-O-M-B-O goals make a welcome return from the Pro Skater series.
This was an impressive game for me. There we some exciting unlockables which include new characters and levels. I think my main concern was the liveliness of the game. It did seem quite dull for me most of the time. This is mainly due to the fact that the graphics aren't quite as good as the sequels. Also, the difficulty settings for Story Mode change in the strangest way. I can accomplish the game from the Very Easy to Normal modes, but Sick Mode brings the difficulty up about 2 difficulties more! Aside from those flaws, the game is enjoyable when playing for the first time. I'd say it's a good idea to play this game first as it gets you ready for the new and exciting exploration you will be doing in the new games.