Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 Review
Neversoft at it again, this time conjuring up Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, the newest installment in the series. I’ll try to explain it, but explanation just doesn’t do justice…
Usually, graphics don’t matter much in a game, but they are very apparent here. Neversoft has done such a good job of how the skaters balance, how they look, how they ride, and even how they fall. The whole game animations are fluid. As someone who enjoys skateboarding, I can say that they have definitely captured the fluid movements in THPS3 that are apparent in skateboarding. This game is just so smooth! In previous versions, you would grind, then flip, then manual. In THPS3, it’s all one motion. Even after you pop-shuvit off a tailslide, the pop shuvit blends seamlessly to the grind. Explanation just doesn’t do justice; you have to play it to experience it.
Gameplay wise, there isn’t any new ground being broken here. The freestyle moves are great, but the highly touted revert doesn’t enhance gameplay as much as THPS3’s manual did. But the level editor and the create a skater are exceptional. The level editor gives you much more control over where to place things: the level editor in THPS2 doesn’t even come close. The create a skater is surprisingly deep, and this time around you can create the female skater of your dreams. The human interaction is suprisingly well done. I expected people to just walk around like drones, but they actually yell at you to bust some new moves and dive out of your way. Cops can chase you all around the levels, which have a thousand nooks and crannies for you to escape to.
The levels are superbly detailed, down to the snow that fluffs around your feet. As I was playing, I could just stare into the distance: no fog! But what I liked best are how the levels and the objectives blend together, offering a sense of realism that I’ve certainly never experienced before. For example, when you have to stop the burglars at the airport: there’s a great sense of interaction with the level and the objective.
The replay is tremendous. I mean, there’s just endless amounts of tasks to accomplish. And even after you’ve beaten all the levels, you can still go back with everyone else and unlock some hidden characters and new movies. Rodney Mullen, anyone? The unlockables are so rewarding that you feel like you’ve actually accomplished something.
The one main gripe I had was the controller. The small B button made it hard for me to quickly get accustomed to the controls, and it’s a bit tricky at first considering it’s size compared to the A button (I often confused the two). The controller was really the only problem I had with this superb game.
The sound is so fantastic in this game. It does an excellent job of bringing you into the game, with such favorites as Alien Ant Farm! Expect mostly to all punk music when you buy this game.
Looking back on THPS, the evolution is incredible. It took 3 tries, but Neversoft has succeeded in making the truest skateboarding simulation you can find anywhere. The interaction, the levels, the objectives, the moves, everything just comes together seamlessly, that it is great joy to play even if you’re not the greatest THPS around.
Visuals: 8.5
Sound: 10
Originality: 9
Replay: 10
Overall: 10