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Tony Hawk's Underground 2 Remix Review
Written by Modojo Staff on Thursday, March 31, 2005
Great gameplay and a very solid soundtrack contribute to a faithful Tony Hawk version.
Graphics show a few glitches, and overall it's what we've come to expect.
When Nintendo's GBA launched here in the States I happily went to Toys R Us, plunked down the cash for the system and several of its launch titles, one of which was Activision's Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2. While the new Game Boy played host to a remixed version of Super Mario Bros. 2, another Castlevania, and even the overlooked Fire Pro Wrestling, Tony Hawk truly shined on the hardware because its developers managed to take the excitement from the console versions and bring it to the portable system.
Flash forward to 2005 and Activision has done it again with Shaba Game's PSP version of Neversoft's Tony Hawk's Underground 2. Not only is this game (dubbed THUG 2 Remix) a near perfect port of the critically-acclaimed Xbox, PS2, and GameCube hit, but the developers have actually added new content, and while it's not the most technically sound launch title, it's a pretty damn good for a first effort, making it one of the system's best games.
For the most part things have remained the same, especially where the story's concerned. Tony Hawk's recruited you to join him on a World Destruction Tour, a brutal skate-a-thon between Team Hawk and Team Bam (led by Bam Margera) that takes place in several highly detailed and enormous environments including Barcelona and Boston as well as several new areas not featured in the console versions such as Atlanta, Santa Cruz, Kyoto, and Las Vegas. If that isn't cool enough, there's also extra dialogue in the cut scenes, so you'll be getting a better overall experience.
The goal in the game's story mode is to complete various challenges for your team. Succeed, and you'll move one step closer to victory. Fail, and the losers will have to pay for the entire trip! Faced with such a daunting task you grab your skateboard and basically proceed to trick off everything including ramps, statues, and rails, the goal being to complete the current objective(s) and rack up tons of points. You'll play the game as a created skater but you'll buddy up with an actual real-life pro, and in your travels you'll come across numerous secret characters such as Ben Franklin and Steve-O, all of which ride in their own vehicles and have specific tricks.
Going back to the create-a-skater feature, THUG 2's is extraordinarily deep, allowing you to pretty much craft a wide assortment of characters, but what's really cool is the ability to map your face onto your latest creation (as well as create logos). All you need to do is snap a picture of your mug using a digital camera and then upload the image to your PSP. The process is extremely easy and the results are fantastic. It's definitely a great way to show off your new toy.
If you loved the multiplayer modes in THUG 2 or you're new to the experience you're going to really like the four player wi-fi. Shaba's included the modes from the console THUG 2 including capture the flag, trick attack, elimiskate, and scavenger hunt. All told, there are 11 total modes and each offers a unique gameplay experience. As for setting up and joining games, like most PSP titles, jumping into and out of THUG 2 Remix's multiplayer modes are a breeze.
I was really concerned that the PSP's button layout would make playing this game a huge pain in the rear but such is not the case. Controlling one's rider's a snap, and the same goes for pulling off tricks. All of the PSP's buttons are responsive, and before long you'll be doing all sorts of death-defying stunts.
Like most of the PSP's launch games, THUG 2 Remix really takes advantage of the hardware's insane graphical abilities, so much so that what you'll be looking at almost resembles the PS2 version of the game. However, not everything is perfect. Some of the textures are a bit blurry, and some smaller objects in the game that really aren't noticeable have been converted from 3 to 2D.
Also, I came across a few graphical glitches such as clipping and being able to see through the head of my character, but things like this are almost expected from a first generation launch title. It doesn't mean we all have to accept them, but when compared to the big picture, these flaws don't mar the overall experience.
The Tony Hawk games are known for great soundtracks and THUG 2 Remix is no exception. The entire console game's 50 plus track list has been carried over to the PSP version and it's quite a varied mix of styles. Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, The Doors, and Metallica are just a few of the many featured artists, making this game's collection of tunes quite bizarre-looking on paper but excellent in practice.
In-game, all of the sound effects you'd expect from a THUG title are present, so grinding on a rail and plummeting to one's neck-snapping doom sound just as good as ever. However, I'm a little disappointed that Activision didn't include the voice acting in this game.
Activision always delivers when it comes to portable versions of its Tony Hawk franchise and THUG 2 Remix for the PSP continues in this tradition of excellence. It's not a perfect port, but for a first generation title, when you factor in all that the developers managed to cram into this game including the additional content, this is definitely one of the system's best games. While you're probably foaming at the mouth for Lumines and Ridge Racer be sure to also pick up THUG 2. Sure, it's not a perfect game, but you really get your monies worth.
