23-Nov-2001 The Hawk proves that Heaven is indeed a halfpipe. Xtreme bliss The Hawk proves that Heaven is indeed a halfpipe. Xtreme bliss
Heaven's got a new look. The clouds and angels have been kicked out to make room for highways, haunted houses, cruise ships and planks of wood with four wheels. Welcome to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3. It's faster, more hardcore, bigger, bolder, and online. So step right up for the ultimate extreme experience.
A GIANT LEAP FOR SKATEKIND You've probably seen our score already, so we'll start by saying it's totally justified. To put it in context, we got the outstanding DC version of TH2 running next to TH3 on PS2, and were blown away by the originality, huge improvements and innovation.
Every aspect of the new game outshines the fantastic efforts of the last instalment: the visuals, soundtrack, environments, gameplay, and the multiplayer mode – you can now play PS2 online all over the world! Some losers will whine, "It's just a sequel, with a few new bits chucked in". Wrong!
Online play and some stunning changes throughout mark a fresh direction for the series, and make this the finest extreme sports title ever.
Challenges see you stopping pickpockets, causing earthquakes, impressing bikini girls, and grinding bowls of molten steel. Your peepers will be in paradise when you take a ride through the dazzling scenarios that are home to these crazily kooky tasks. Neversoft has seriously come up with the goods, hurling nine massive unlockable levels at us – Foundry, Canada, Los Angeles, Suburbia, Airport, Skate Island, Tokyo, Rio, and Cruise Ship. Three remastered levels from the original Tony game can also be unlocked, plus there are 20 pre-made parks in the Park Editor. However, it's the detail, graphics, and depth of the nine main stages that make TH3 tower above any competition.
ALIVE AND TRICKIN' Every area is packed with people, and you get bonus scores if a spectator sees you pull off a cool stunt. As well as walking around and watching you skate, sometimes they'll jump out of your way or whack you to the ground, depending on their mood.
This interaction breathes extra life into the environments. There are creatures, cars that react to your actions, and other crazy stuff going on in the background to keep the intensity and realism alive. The number of obstacles and details packed into each stage means there are endless possibilities for trick combinations – you'll never run the same route twice. The levels are huge, and almost endlessly replayable.
Tasty backdrops and brilliant objectives don't count for much if the skater controls aren't up to scratch, but as usual TH3 excels in this department. The skaters' speed has been boosted, and the fluidity and flexibility of their movement has also improved. Linking massive tricks combos around the multi-levelled environments feels fluid and instinctive. Rookies who find the pace of TH3 tricky at first will be up to speed in no time with the new Tutorial mode.
For added flexibility, the new Revert system lets you continue strings of stunts after landing from a halfpipe, enabling you to piece together amazing combos. And there are tons of new grinds, flip tricks, grabs and special moves. Plus, the addition of special move manuals, like handstands, makes flat-level play much more exciting.
GLOBAL GREATNESS The real icing is the online aspect of the game. In a UK exclusive, CVG has been playing online with some Activision folk, smashing into and out-tricking each other in the four multiplayer modes. The online revolution is here and it's amazing (see left).
TH3 re-establishes the Hawk as the don of extreme sports gaming, with its blend of blistering action, original challenges, top graphics and online multiplayer joy. So leg it to your local games shop and demand a copy of Tony Hawk's 3. It'll be one of the best purchases of your life, guaranteed.
Michael Cooper
// Overview
Verdict
In a league of its own. No other extreme title comes close to conjuring up the kind of wildly original and stunning gameplay that TH3 provides. Buy it.
The environments in TH3 are so dense with objects (and shape-shifting landscapes) that there are limitless tricking possibilities. In this third instalment, the action feels more 3D in the sense that loads of the action takes place above ground – on wires, high rails, steel walkways, and other insane high-flyer obstacles. These thickly detailed and brilliantly laid-out environments, when mixed with the awesome flexible capabilities of your skater, make for an experience like no other.
The Foundry is where you start off in TH3. Just take a look at the maze of stairways and the intricacy of the surroundings. And it's all yours for the skating...
Keep an eye on the balance bar to avoid bloodshed
Try to avoid falling into this pit of molten steel!
Use the stacks of objects and railings to nail outrageous combos
The top of the metal press becomes a handy ramp. Kickflip through the machinery, but don't get crushed!
Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, UK BA1 2BW England and Wales company registration number 2008885
