Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2

The Good
This is the only skateboarding game I have, but it is one of the best games I have ever played . First off, this is the Nintendo version of the game, so some content was cut out, but I'll talk about that later. The gameplay consist of various modes, like free skate, career, single session, park editor, and multiplayer. I never played multiplayer, but all the other modes are solid in design. Career plays out that you have to collect certain items,or scores in two minutes to unlock new levels and characters. Park editor lets you make your own park to tear up as you preform kick flips before eating it as you fall flat on your..well...trying to land that ever elusive trick that lets you unlock that last character or board you want. Free skate lets you roam free in the levels unlocked in career mode with no time limit. I can't remember much about single session except that it was like free skate. The level design is well thought out and sometimes very challenging. Now on to the graphics. Good,but I've seen better. The levels have more than enough draw distance to see where you are going, even in the outdoors levels. That is quite a feat considering this was originally a playstation game, and that the Nintendo 64 has a bad habit of a short draw distance. The sound is a little lacking. The music sounds quite good considering this a cartridge. It sounds almost as clear as a cd ! The sounds of things like the skateboard wheels, the level noise, and the wipe outs are very satisfying. The con-trolls are tight with the analog stick, but more precise with the directional pad. This game also lets you create your own skater , with tattoos, different clothes , shoes , and various other things . Plus Spider man is an unlockable character ! If that doesn't make you want this game something is wrong with you ! And on a final note, there are tons of unlockable stuff ,ensuring that you'll come back for more !

The Bad
The songs in this version have been mixed shorter than the other platforms because of the media limitations. The create a skater mode while good, should have had better looking skaters. They are very blocky in the face and particularly ugly. And this game requires the expansion pack AND the memory pack ! And my memory pack erased all of my save data and now I have to start all over again ! And the create a park mode is a little cumbersome.

The Bottom Line
If you love EXTREME sports games, this a definite buy ! If you don't, get this and your mind will be changed. If you want the Playstation version, well , go ahead ! It has more songs anyway.

The Good
It's a classic game. It has unique gameplay; it almost could be described as it's own genre, because of the blend between RPG (gaining stat points) and sports (skating). The Dreamcast version is excellent in comparison to the N64 version, because of the advantage of the Dreamcast's graphical capabilities (fogging distance is much farther, for instance). Controls are about the same, and the content within the game seems to be the same.

The Bad
The in-game music can get repetitive. Also, there isn't any option to create a female custom character.

The Bottom Line
It's worth playing, definitely, if not just to see what it's like. It makes an interesting blend of the sports/RPG genres. It also makes for a good couple of multiplayer rounds; nothing to keep a party together, mind you, but a good distraction for a couple of minutes.

The Good
Controlling the character is a breeze (especially if you have a controller, I recommend any of the Microsoft products). There are so many things you can do here, especially when you have such an easy “Build a park” system to muck around with. And although there are all those tricks to perform, it’s getting all those hidden tapes that make this title such a great challenge.

The Bad
Beginners will find it hard to perform some of the bigger tricks, but practice always makes perfect.

The Bottom Line
Finally a great skateboard title for fans of the sport (and all those people that have always wanted to take it up, but didn’t want to get hurt trying). One of the best translations from console to PC that I have seen for some time.