Hands On: Tony Hawk 4

[Bond]

http://xbox.ign.com/articles/360/360354p1.html

There's been a whole lot of jibber-jabber preceding this year's E3 Expo about Tony Hawk 4. People were bellyaching that the game couldn't possibly live up to the standard this amazingly popular series has set. People were running their mouths about the franchise getting old. Well, hear me now and believe me later: Tony Hawk is still the baddest game on the block. Both Hilary and I got an early chance to play the PS2 version of the game on the show floor. We got an opportunity to take a look at two of the levels: College and Zoo. Read our first impressions below:

Chris' Take:
The first thing you'll notice about Tony Hawk 4 is that the graphics are tight. The textures have improved considerably. They seem to have "roughed up" the look of the game slightly. The environments look more tactile and varied. Where once there might have been a smooth sheet of concrete, there is a bumpy slab of imperfect asphalt. Bottom line, everything looks more real: the skaters, the animations, and the environments. The faces are better than ever, and the interface has a slick, more stylized look than last year's more utilitarian design.

Of course, what Tony is really about is gameplay. Anyone who's ever touched a THPS game before will immediately feel comfortable with the controls. They haven't added a whole lot as far as revolutionary tricks go... although everything you've grown accustomed to is still there. That's not to say to that there aren't new tricks-each skater has a fresh stable-there just anything as groundbreaking as the manual or revert here.

Even from this relatively short hands-on, I noticed some pretty amazing level design. The College level was excellent. There are more lines here than Gary Busey snorted in his career. The whole feeling of the level was organic and free-flowing. There are benches, ledges, rails and vert ramps everywhere. There are more transitions than a South American government here. (Okay, I'll stop with the bad comparisons) As always, it's fun just to cruise around and pretend you're in a Toy Machine video. More than ever, the world feels like your canvas, and you get to paint it with the dope sh--.

The Zoo is also impressive. Stocked full of caged wildlife (we didn't play long enough to set any of it free, but we're betting you can do just that), this level is super-fun, stuffed full of lines (many of them circular), and visually as impressive as the College. Now if only you can grind a rhino...

As for the Career Mode, it's being handled in an entirely different way this time around. Instead of having a clock count down from the get-go, you're allowed to skate freely around a level, get used to lines and explore a bit. When you feel like earning your keep, all you have to do is approach one of the many pedestrians to receive an assignment. Some will tell you to fetch letters, others will ask you to bust a fresh trick. This is an obvious extension of what TH3 was trying to do with observer bonuses and it works well. It's nice not to have the pressure of time always looming over you. If you want to get down to business, you can. If you just want to cruise around and chill, you can. It feels a lot more like the skateboarding vibe to me, and that's a damn good thing.

All in all, my first look at THPS4 has me drooling (and wondering what appointments I can cancel to go play more). The graphics are great, the frame rate is buttery-smooth, the level design is mind-blowing and the whole thing has me all riled up. Can you tell? Can you?

Read Hil's take on the next page...

[Bond]

Continued...

Hil's take
The funny thing about E3 2002 is that no one seems hyped at all for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4. I count myself among the foolish masses. After playing two levels of the new Hawk, I am here to say emphatically -- This game kicks ass. After only a few seconds of playing Hawk, I can guarantee it's a better experience than Tony Hawk 3, which was a pretty amazing game.

Pedestrians are a greater factor in 4. Children, concerned mothers, clueless jaywalkers all get in the way. It's a strange experience the first time you crash into a wayward toddler. The crowd is also an important factor in the game outside of getting in the way. Level objectives are obtained by talking to specific folks, denoted by a giant hovering arrow.

The things you've come to expect from Hawk are still there -- great animations, a slew of tricks, a deep career mode, plenty of skaters, and blood on the asphalt. But what really sets Hawk 4 above the previous three is the level design. Levels are enormous in the new Hawk, with multiple tiers that can be reached in a variety of ways. The college level feels more natural, more authentic than the school grounds of Hawk 1 or 2. A venturous skate up a ramp takes you to the second story of a building, where you can bust a few grinds along the edge of the balcony, smashing a variety of clay pots on your way. There are water fountains, as is a staple of Hawk, but these ones appear more appropriate in the setting, as if Neversoft had taken a snap shot of a real local and made the game match the photo in every aspect. There is so much detail, so many things moving in the peripheral, that the game feels like it is truly becoming organic.

The game appears more gritty, with asphalt looking less like a sheet of paper and more like Edward James Olmos' face. There seems to be no aspect of Hawk 4 that hasn't seen improvement. From the detailed faces to the slicker animations and ridiculously cool new grinds, Hawk 4 is a visual treat the likes of which you never received on Halloween. What made the biggest impression wasn't the beautiful textures, the wandering hippos in the zoo, or the whiny kids wandering around with balloons -- it's the framerate. In the two levels I played there was no chop. Consider these levels are huge, filled with people, elephants, and Chris Carle, and they run at a smooth 60 fps. That's more impressive than the longevity of N'Sync.

Did I mention the hippos yet? Because they deserve mentioning. These water-loving beasts are the most striking of the things I saw at the zoo. Granted, I didn't get to explore all of this massive level, so I'm certain there are more creatures lurking around. Like any good hippo, these fat water buffalo enjoy bathing, making odd noises, and greeting visitors who bail into their lagoon paradise.

Why must Activision torment me so. I was perfectly happy when I wasn't too hyped over Hawk 4. Now I've got more jitters than a june bug on methamphetamines. Just when you think Tony Hawk has reached its peak, it gets better.

Movies:
Tony Hawk Movie #1
Tony Hawk Movie #2
Tony Hawk Movie #3
Tony Hawk Movie #4
Tony Hawk Movie #5
Tony Hawk Movie #6