|
 |
|
| | Title:
Tony Hawk`s American Wasteland
..............................................
System:
Xbox 360
..............................................
Genre:
Extreme Sports
..............................................
Publisher:
Activision
..............................................
Developer:
Neversoft Entertainment
..............................................
Release:
November 14, 2005
..............................................
Online:
Yes
..............................................
ESRB:
Teen (T)
..............................................
 |
Tony Hawk's American Wasteland (THAW) is the latest in the very popular Tony Hawk video game series. As is the goal with every Tony Hawk game, Neversoft is trying to rework the system and create a new experience for veterans of the franchise while at the same time appealing to a new crowd. Unlike past Tony Hawk games, though, the changes in American Wasteland center more on where you skate rather than how you skate. The result is a surprisingly fun yet disappointingly familiar experience. It is not to say THAW is a bad game, it really is enjoyable. It’s just that after so many Tony Hawk titles, the games, on some level, begin to feel the same.
Pure Skateboarding
American Wasteland brings gamers back to the roots that made the Tony Hawk games exciting. THAW is ditching the crazy antics of Underground and instead focusing on pure skateboarding. As typical with the recent Tony Hawk games, players are going to have the option to partake in a Story Mode by taking the role of a nameless nobody who has to prove himself to every skateboarder in LA. But unlike Tony Hawk games of the past, players will not be able to customize their character before jumping into the game. Players are going to be given five skaters to choose from and only by earning money through various challenges and tasks will they be able to make the skater of their dreams.
The Story Mode starts off slow at first by introducing players to the basics of the game. Several tutorials are available right from the start and quickly open up a good amount of tricks for the players to perform. Unfortunately, the explanation of how to do the tricks is not too clear and leaves those who have never played a Tony Hawk game very lost. Typically, a short cinema is shown with a demonstration of the move and then the controls are displayed. It sounds great on paper but the cinema needs an overhaul for clarity. After gamers make it over these hurdles they will get into the meat of THAW.
The major focus in Story Mode is to create the ultimate skate park. An hour into the game players will get introduced to the owner of the Skate Ranch. The Skate Ranch is basically a sorry excuse for a skate park and it is up to the player to change this. A number of the missions in THAW focus around finding pieces to add to this Skate Ranch. What is so great about this part of the game is how players can see a visual representation of their progress. As more pieces are collected, the Skate Ranch grows and evolves, opening up new areas to skate and test out tricks. So many games today just have the progress percentage and no indication of how much the gamer has gone through. THAW changes this by not only giving gamers an example of how much work they have put into the game, but also letting them enjoy it by making it a skate park.
One Big City...Kinda
When players are not enjoying themselves in the Skate Ranch they will be grinding to their heart’s delight in LA. The level design of THAW is different than anything ever seen in a Tony Hawk game before. In past Tony Hawk games, players were dropped into certain areas built for skateboarding. While these areas were incredibly designed, they ultimately had boundaries which gave the game a sense of confinement. THAW fixes this problem by linking each new skateboarding location to the next via passageways. Once the game gets started gamers will never encounter a loading screen which gives the illusion that you are skating through one large city (supposedly LA). This is not Tony Hawk GTA though. Neversoft did try by placing pedestrians on the sidewalks and cars driving in predictable patterns but it can’t compete with the randomness of GTA. It never feels like one big city. There have been some common misconceptions about this aspect of the game. Those looking forward to a huge bustling city with skate ramps everywhere will be disappointed. Instead, Neversoft gave us numerous linkable areas that give the appearance of a city. While this may not seem like a bad thing, the ads for THAW made it seem like players were going to have a huge city available to them.
The overall design of these sections is typical for a Tony Hawk game. The levels are littered with ramps and rails giving the player an incredible amount of freedom in choosing how they want to set up their combos. In a wise decision by Neversoft the Story Mode can affect these areas permanently by unlocking new areas to skate in or by altering the established terrain. During one mission in particular, players have to knock down a large 69 ball from the top of a gas station. Once they do, the ball proceeds to bounce across the level creating two new areas for players to experiment with their combos. In the long run it makes the level more fun. One odd addition to the level design, though, is the inclusion of the cars. The cars drive on the roads available but can get in the way when a player is trying to pull off a combo. To have your score robbed from you not because you made the error but because of a design choice does not sell games.
In addition to completing Story Mode objectives players will also have a wealth of other options to keep them occupied. While they aren’t stealing stuff for the Skate Ranch players can earn money and increase their skating skills. Earning money is as simple as seeking out the person on the map with the green dollar sign floating above their head. By speaking to them players will be given a challenge which usually comes in the form of “do these many tricks in a certain amount of time.” Fulfill the requirements and cash will be added to the player’s bank. This cash can then be used to buy new clothes, hair styles, accessories, and even trick out your board. Littered throughout the levels are various stores where gamers can buy their new stuff as well as accept challenges. These challenges are daily and, by completing them, the game awards points which can be spent to improve your skater’s skill.
But Don't Forget the Older Fans
But let’s say you are an old school Tony Hawk fan. You enjoyed the days of enclosed arenas and the timed challenges. THAW has gamers covered in the form of Classic Mode. Classic Mode, as the name implies, brings back the gameplay that made the Tony Hawk franchise popular. Players will be dropped into closed levels with numerous goals to complete. Collecting SKATE and COMBO (while in a combo for the latter) are just some of the numerous old school objectives. The levels in Classic Mode all come from the older Tony Hawk games and it is unfortunate that Neversoft didn’t include some new areas to try out.
Some Issues
Despite all this good there are some aspects of American Wasteland that prevent it from receiving higher scores. First off and probably most importantly is the graphics. Honestly, this game just doesn’t look that amazing on the Xbox, yet alone the Xbox 360. There is a definitely upgrade in the graphics between the two consoles, as well as Xbox 360’s ability to display the game in complete high definition. But this just doesn’t cut it when compared to some of the Xbox 360 exclusive titles. The level textures are bland and lack the detail we know is possible from an Xbox 360 game. What really killed it for me was how the grass was just a flat bed of green. Previous Tony Hawk games featured bladed grass; I see no reason why a predecessor should not as well. The character models, while animated fairly well when a trick is being performed, look sub-par and move stoically when involved in cut-scenes. The closer the camera gets to them the worse they look; now imagine that in high definition. If you have an Xbox 360, it is well worth the 10 extra bucks just for the improved graphics, but don’t expect to see anything completely redone.
The second aspect of American Wasteland that removes it from greatness is the steep learning curve. Yes, the game does teach the gamer how to do all the tricks in the game but as mentioned earlier these tutorials are sometimes lacking in clear explanations. Furthermore, the huge list of tricks and moves available to player can leave them overwhelmed with options. It does help that the controls are incredibly responsive but some gamers may find themselves pulling off tricks and moves they didn’t want to. This may not sound like a bad thing, but when challenges come along that require specific tricks, the combination of so many moves coupled with the tight controls will leave some games frustrated. It takes a lot of effort and practice to become a good Tony Hawk player. Those who want a break from the skateboard can traverse the entire game on foot or take a spin on BMX bikes (there is one in each level). The BMX bikes handle fine and don’t take away from the skateboarding gameplay.
Neversoft knows that their fans love to create their own stuff and so it is no surprise that THAW features the famous option to create a custom skate park. This time the park is featured on the runway of an aircraft carrier. While lacking in realism it does make for a nice backdrop while testing out the park. Players will also have the ability to create their own skater but may only use him online or in Classic Mode. The ability to create your own trick returns as well.
Online
What really adds to the longevity of this game is the online play. With the heated competition of Halo 2 and the other new 360 games on Xbox Live it is nice to find a game that features a laid back form of competition. Players will generally find the atmosphere of THAW online to be an inviting one where gamers help each other out and show off more than compete. There are thirteen available modes to choose from on Xbox Live, some of them most would not think to be found on a skateboarding game. King of Hill and Capture the Flag are particularly interesting experiences. Those who want to show off how many points they can accumulate will welcome the combo and point accumulation gametypes as well.
Overall
THAW is a good game. It is just too bad that some of the parts of the title were not what gamers were expecting. If you were looking for a GTA Tony Hawk game...sorry you aren’t getting one. Also, if you are a newcomer to the franchise, the first few hours are going to be frustrating while the basics are mastered. Luckily for everyone there is a non-threatening Xbox Live experience that adds incredible longevity to the game. Overall it is worth a look and for some a buy, but here is hoping they add more new content in the future.
| The Core Score |
Overall
7.4 |
| Fun |
|
8.5 |
| Gameplay |
|
8 |
| Graphics |
|
5 |
| Audio |
|
7.5 |
| Replay |
|
9 |
|
| | | |
