No real threat to Tony Hawk, but still can be a fun game.
Skateboarding has been a popular trend ever since the late 70’s, and now with all the death-defying tricks some skaters perform, the genre seems more appealing than ever. No other game has defined the sport better than the Tony Hawk series, but many have tried. Which brings us full circle to Konami’s latest attempt in ESPN’s X Games: Skateboarding. While not quite the caliber of the mighty legend, the game can still be rather fun.
Graphically, X Games Skateboarding is a mixed bag. While some stages look absolutely jaw dropping, even sharper than the DC version of Tony Hawk, others are marred with major draw in and slow down. The skater models are done quite properly, with large polygon models complete with flapping shirts in the wind and chain wallets rattling behind. The game’s X Games presentation has been replicated very well, making it feel like a telecast. If you actually play the first half pipe over and over like Skate or Die, you might be very pleased with this game, but once you step into the open levels, the game hits a few skids. While most stages like San Francisco and the museum have detailed levels with nice textures, the game’s fog and terrible draw distance really affect the beauty of this title. Which is a shame, especially with the power of the PS2. If the developers could have somehow eliminated this problem, the game may have given old Tony a run for his money. As is though, the game falls straight into the pits of mediocrity.
The audio side tends to suffer the same fate as the graphical features. The sound effects are sparse and not really as authentic sounding as other titles. We also have the announcer for the X Games doing some voiceovers, although he is as quiet as a church mouse. You barely hear him in the introductions, and a bit of chatter describing each trick enthusiastically would have benefited here. Finally we come to the music. It’s been a few years since I skated, but I didn’t know that most new punk groups became bastardized boy bands. Who the heck are these guys, and why are they plaguing this title? Where’s NOFX, Bad Religion, Pennywise, or any of the great Epitaph recording artists? It just goes to show if it isn’t mainstream, it isn’t always suitable for gaming. All in all the audio is pretty standard fare.
Game play, while not as slick as Tony Hawk, is still rather responsive. I really had no trouble pulling off tricks and such after a few practice attempts. The game works quite well with the Sony dual shock controller. The only hitch is the game sometimes not recognizing when I’ve done certain tricks, even though I performed the movement to a tee. This only happens once in a great while though. Otherwise, navigating rail grinds, up half pipes, and over ramps didn’t trip me up in the least. I really don’t know what some reviewers were complaining about here. The game, while not terribly deep in the trick area, still played well in my opinion.
Options are where the game fails to impress. Remember the original Tony Hawk title? This is basically what you get with the X Games mode thrown in. No create-a-park, no create-a-skater, practically no customization what so ever. So what do you do when you’ve completed each level? You unlock a few new outfits, board designs, and maybe a skater or two. Is this what we want with a second generation PS2 title? Nah, not with Tony Hawk 3 coming in a couple of months. X Games Skateboarding really doesn’t offer the die-hard fan anything new to freshen the genre.
I can’t say I didn’t have oodles of fun with X Games; it just didn’t last too long. Boredom grew on me after a few runs through, and shamefully wouldn’t have with a few more features thrown in along with better visuals. It’s a good starter engine for Konami, and I urge them to build on it, as the series could be a strong contender. For now, it’s a nice “tide me over” title till Tony 3 comes out.
