  Mr. T would be proud of Spike.
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Give Neversoft credit, they keep gamers coming back to the Tony Hawk
franchise; reinventing the wheel once again with third incarnation
American Wasteland.
Realistically, the series can now be referred to
as a trilogy; Pro Skater the first game set, the Underground series
second and low and behold, the trilogy is complete with American
Wasteland. As long as Neversoft can keep gamers buying into the hype,
they will look for new ways to restructure the concept.
In Wasteland you play a rebellious skateboarded that leaves his home
to pursue a skateboarding career in Los Angeles. Gamers are able to
choose one of the five generic characters to act as the lead in this
adventurous story.
Neversoft uses the same formula in American Wasteland as in previous
incarnations; a dope soundtrack, awesome skateboarding environments
and entertaining situations to keep fanatics glued to their
controller. Purists of the Pro Skater series will be glad to note
they are again taken care of with Classic Mode, which allows users to
enjoy the traditional Tony Hawk adventures across a number of
memorable levels. The main concept in this revival is the Story Mode.
A little disappointed that I couldn’t create a custom character in
story mode, I was quickly reminded right from the get go that I was
able to fully accessories my character at one of the many clothing,
tattoo and skateboarding gear shops on my adventure. I decided to go
shirtless with a spiky haircut and cargo shorts. No tattoos - mom
would be proud.
The first, of the many, cut scenes begins on the bus ride to Los
Angeles where our hero meets a ditzy blonde that makes him
understandably annoyed. This acts as a segue to an even better cut
scene of my character receiving a cordial ass kicking by local
skaters - welcome to Los Angeles. Enter Mindy, the trusty game guide,
who recommends some new clothes and a haircut to fit in. And then the
more important business of where to go and who to talk to in order to
become a skateboarding god.
American Wasteland differs from other Tony Hawk games in that the
progression of your skateboarding skill has to be unlocked by
completing several missions. At first I was frustrated with this but
found later it was very advantageous to not only getting me, as a
veteran player reacquainted with the controls but also allowing
newbies to understand the Tony Hawk trick system. I found a couple of
new trick combos that I would have avoided if it wasn’t for the fact
that I had to re-learn them. The “sack tap” and “natas spin” turned
out to be a couple of my new favorites, and I slowly began to modify
my old trick combos with my newly acquired skills, which inevitably
made me a better skateboarder – at least, in the game.
It’s not until you finish the specific Los Angles mission(s) do you
realize another objective in this installment of the Tony Hawk
series; being introduced to the Skate Ranch. Initially, it’s kind of
a dump with a couple vert ramps, but you and all your newly found
skater friends are out to build the ultimate skateboarding facility
in existence. The park provides the gamer with motivation to complete
side tasks that allow for new pieces of the downtown environment to
be added to the Skate Ranch. For instance in Los Angeles you destroy
a giant dinosaur display to be shipped back to the Ranch to skate on.
A gratifying option when you’re unable to complete a story based
mission, giving the sense of fulfillment when shifting focus from
trying to unlock a new level to obtaining a new object to skate on
back at the Ranch.
Each level is connected by a series of tunnels or transitions that
allow for you to experience the game in a streaming, a.k.a. non
loading environment. I appreciate this and commend Neversoft for
what they were trying to achieve. It shows forward thinking and I
perceive this technique will be duplicated in many games in the
future. I don’t want to rain on anyone’s parade here, but it really
is just smoke and mirrors. Essentially my character has replaced the
loading bar and when I reach the end of the tunnel the level is ready
to be played. Granted it’s much better than watching a coloured bar
reach the illustrious 100% mark, but is just as boring nonetheless.
If you’ve enjoyed previous installments of Tony Hawk, this is another
solid addition to the series. A definite must for the die-hard fan,
and if it’s your first Tony Hawk adventure, this game is probably the
largest of them all with tasks that are challenging, but never
overwhelming. You’ll no doubt end up a fan, buying into the hype,
which is exactly what Neversoft anticipates, until they find yet
another way to rejuvenate the franchise.
WHAM! Rating: |
8.5 out of 10 |
ESRB Rating: |
T (Teen) |
Official Web Site: |
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