Published by: Activision Developed by: Neversoft Minimum System Requirements: WIN 95/98 Direct X 7.0a (included) P233 MMX (hardware mode), PII 266 (software mode) 32 MB RAM (hardware mode), 64 MB RAM (software mode) 350 MD Hard drive space, plus 95 MB for Windows swap file 2D Video: 100% DirectX7a-compliant 4 MB card and drivers 3D Video: 100% DirectX7a-compliant 3D card and drivers (optional) 16-bit sound card 4X CDROM *Network LAN (TCP/IP) play supported SCREEN SHOTS COMING SOON! Da Introduction: Prepare for the thrill of Pro Skating in the concrete jungle. If you're a new skater, strap on your kneepads, put on your cup and prepare to eat plenty of pavement. Even the most skilled cyber-skaters will be challenged in this professional circuit of stunts, jumps, flips, spills and adrenaline pulsing action. If you haven't skated before, I guarantee that after playing this game you will be rushing out to get a board of your own. Installation was a relatively painless process. You may need to read a couple of instructions before rushing through, but they're not worth raising any complaints about, since you should be doing it anyways! Right? Features: · Skate as one of 13 professional real life skaters, or create your own from scratch · Compete with friends on custom maps with custom skaters · Multiplayer modes including 1-player career and free skate modes, as well as 2-player modes such as trick attack, graffiti, tag and horse · Original levels from THPS included in single player mode · Includes hip-hop & punk soundtrack featuring Rage Against the Machine, Naughty by Nature, Papa Roach and more. Da Graphics: The graphics in THPS 2 (Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2) were a real treat. Textures and mapping were well done, as was the ambient lighting in the skate parks. While this game doesn't require a super-fast engine to power the graphics, the creators of THPS 2 managed the difficult task of having superior graphic environments without compromising the gameplay, creating lag or any other noticeable side effects. This was an impressive accomplishment considering the low system requirements needed to play the game. Trees, benches, lights and objects in general were all done with remarkable attention to detail. In some of the better constructed parks, you really get the feeling of being out on a summer night at a nearby skate park, brushing up on your chops, or having an all out trick-fest with the local competition. You can almost imagine a summer breeze blowing over you with a mixed feeling of fear and adrenaline as you prepare to plummet from a near vertical drop into the concrete abyss below. Is this a glimpse into skater Heaven? Maybe it's what hardcore skaters dream about at night. The only possible downside occurs if your player gets stuck against a fence or other obstruction. The character will waver back and forth and complain until you get it out of the hang-up it is on. From then on it's smooth sailing. Da Sound: The soundtrack that accompanies your wild roller-coaster ride is nothing save an audacious romp through adrenaline inspiring rock, hip-hop and alternative veins of contemporary music. THPS 2 dishes out healthy doses of kiss-ass, pulsating rhythms that inspire you to flip your flips and do those tricks that only you can do. Overall, the musical choices for THPS 2 are perfect in every way and definitely fit this genre of gaming as well as the focus group it is intended for. Regardless of whether or not you are a fan of harder-edged popular music, you've got to agree that the tunes do add to the whole feel of the game and creates a truly significant atmosphere for an overall superior gaming experience. Other sounds in the game deserve mention as well. The environmental sounds were not over-used or lacking in any way at all. Grinds and tricks over railings sound like you would expect them to. The sounds of rolling wheels over concrete, metal, icy and wood surfaces, or even the sound of bones crunching and limbs thrashing as you take a bad spill down the side of an inclined ramp, landing head first into a metal railing beyond, sound very realistic…painfully realistic. Da Gameplay: The first thing I noticed about the gameplay was the ease of playability. The keyboard's arrow keys control the basic character movements (or alternately the W, S, A and D keys, which is the configuration I preferred). The trick hot keys are controlled by the number pad, and are used in conjunction with the movement keys to produce some pretty spectacular stunts. Players who are familiar with these types of games will have no difficulty in learning the movement/trick key combinations. Even for the novice, it won't be long before you will be doing ollies and nosegrinds like the pros. Some of the basic maneuvers include: ollie, nollie, wallride, manuals, boneless, and no comply. Each skater has a different trick setup. You can configure your tricks any way you like using the Edit Tricks section. There are also multiple grind and lip tricks including: 50-50, nosegrind, 5-0, boardslide/lipslide, smith/feeble, crooked/overcrook, nosebluntslide, and bluntslide for you to wow the crowds with. With many different play modes available; the gameplay is always exciting and fresh. Players can choose from three different single player modes. Single Player Modes: Career Mode: Here you are a professional skater and compete for cash money. For each successful event, characters then use this money to buy new equipment, unlock levels, buy tricks, increase stats, and get into the elite competitions. Single Session: This is more of an intermediary style of play. Here you skate a single level in an all-out two-minute session in an effort to set high scores. Only the default level, The Hangar in Mullet Falls, Montana is available to start. You will have to build your earnings in the Career Mode to unlock other levels. Free Skate: Purely for fun and recreation, this level allows new players to learn the basics and pros can brush up on their skills and tricks. Again, to start, only the default level is available. You will have to unlock the other levels in Career Mode then Free Skate them to learn their terrain. Of course, what game would be complete without the thrill of multiplayer gaming? THPS 2 features built-in support that allows you to host or join a two-player, multiplayer game if you have a TCP/IP Network Connection. Multiplayer features three Network game types and one Hot Seat game type: Network Game Types: Graffiti: Players set their own time limit then push the limits in a race to see who can nail the most tricks. Obstacles are "tagged" with your color by tricking off them. Players can also try to steal their opponent's tags by pulling off better tricks off the same object. The player who tags the most objects before the time limit expires, wins. Trick Attack: A total free-for-all to see who can skate the best lines and rack up the most points. You can run into opponents and rub their faces in the terrain. This mode of play now features new variable time limits. Tag: The name says it all. You don't want to be "it" in this game where you tag other players. When you are it, you have to bust tricks to gradually cripple your opponent's stats until they are a sitting duck. When "it," you're on a timer. If it hits zero, you lose. Hot Seat Game Type: H.O.R.S.E.: One word spells defeat in this one-on-one best trick contest. Nail a trick, and then watch as your opponent tries to beat it. Your opponent must match or beat your score. If not, he or she gets a letter. The first one to get all the letters to spell "horse" tastes defeat. With all the in-game options like the ability to create and modify your character's appearance (including hair style/color, clothing, tattoos etc.) and to modify the physical attributes of your skater's alter-ego, the creators of THPS 2 did an superior job of allowing the player to regain control of the game, leading to a more personalized gaming experience. Another great addition to the game was the inclusion of a 3D real-time skatepark editor. The interface itself was straightforward and quite simple to use. Each of the four available park themes (power plant, industrial, outdoor and school), have over 130 pieces in 18 categories. There are plenty of available props and objects to create the parks of your dreams (or nightmares). You can also load one of the many pre-built parks to use as a base for your own ideas and alter it any way you see fit. Da Conclusion: If you have even a remote interest in skateboarding, get this game. If you don't, you will after going a few rounds on this all-out skating frenzy. The producers of THPS 2 (Activision and Neversoft) obviously went through a lot of time and effort to make this game a realistic skating extravaganza…it has definitely paid off for them (and us as well!). Activision has created a rock-solid gaming experience with superior graphics, music and playability. This is not a game that will be turned into a coaster, used for skeet shooting, or gathering dust motes in a remote corner of my office. It will be played and enjoyed -isn't that the mark of a truly successful game? You be the judge. Da Rating: Graphics: 8 Sound: 7 Gameplay: 8 Tilt: 8 Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 for the PC was reviewed by DA GAMEBOYZ contributer Avatar on his: Gaming Test System: AMD K6-2/350 MHz Windows 98 SE 128 MB RAM 32X CD-ROM Voodoo 3/3000 video card Sound Blaster 16 sound card