Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater was a revolution on the skateboarding game genre. Published by Acclaim, THPS delivered one of the most amazing gaming experiences on the PS. Enjoyable yet simplistic controls, fantastic soundtracks, and the smooth graphics made THPS one of the most successful games to date. No skateboarding games, as well as the other decent games can be compared to THPS, except for one. Move aside THPS, because Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 is ready to take the place of THPS and continue on the supreme reign of road the predecessor had once ruled over.

There are many great additions that are included in THPS2 which weren’t included in its predecessor. One of the biggest additions is a huge library of complex moves which can be linked together to earn much higher scores. These move connections are the most basic, yet, complex part of the game that you will spend most of your time on the game. Trying to discover the best combinations and actually having to achieve them is extremely addictive. Plus, with the addition of Manuals, you can stretch out your combos even further for the highest score. There are nearly no ways to find all the combos in the game since there are marvelously huge amount of moves that can be put together and it can happen at anytime, anywhere, and at any moment, that you won’t even recognize the differences in some of the combos. The upgraded multiplayer mode is another reason THPS2 clearly withstands its predecessor. With the exception of Horse, which asks the player to beat the opponent’s score, all the other modes are played simultaneously, using the spilt screen system. Another one of the biggest additions is the cash system. Players receive certain amount of cash when completing the goals in the career mode, and by collecting the spinning cash from the levels. The cash comes in handy when buying skateboards, and at customizing characters, by buying new moves and skills. Also, the included Create-A-Skater and Create-A-Park mode will expand the life span of THPS2 even longer.

The level design also has been changed. The levels in THPS2 are huge, well planned out, beautiful in graphics, and yet, the game runs smoothly and fast. Unlike some levels in THPS, there are no straight-ahead levels that you had to carry out. Now every level have been designed to freely roam around. There are also the goals that you need to complete in order to proceed to the next level. Except for the 3 competition levels, there are total of 10 different goals to complete in each of the remaining levels. These goals include high scores, collecting medals/letters/ money, as well as some unique goals that are applied to each and one of the levels. You do not need to complete every goal in the game, but don’t be surprised if you did, you had no choice, but to keep playing.

Graphically, THPS2 delivers immense amount of beautiful character animations and level designs. The lighting’s been done just right in the places where it is needed. The characters are bigger and the tricks are well shown due to the great camera angle, and the amount of polygons that are spent on the characters. The backgrounds are colorful and rich in textures. The graphics department succeeds to 900 its way to the “Improved” section of the game.

The sound effects in the game are done nicely and clearly. The clinging and the grinding of the skateboard on the metal to the bone breaking crash, THPS2 handles the effects professionally, making the situation a bit more fun and amazing. The soundtrack includes artists such as Powerman 5000, Rage Against the Machine, Papa Roach, Dub Pistols, Anthrax, Bad Religion, and Naughty By Nature. The varieties are large and they give enjoyable, but small amount of background music. There are no more of those singular tunes that were featured in the last Tony Hawk. Overall, THPS2 gives nice amount of enjoyable soundtrack as well as the effects that will remain in your head for quite a while.

Just as the first game, THPS2 delivered nice surprises and promising gameplay, along with the great eye treats and the fantastic soundtrack. If you’re looking for a huge amount of gameplay and secrets, get it. If you want a nice and fun gameplay, get it. If you’re a fan of skateboarding, and even if you’re just a regular gamer who likes to play games, get it at all costs, because your library of gaming won’t be complete without this masterpiece, named Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2.