Tony Hawk

Attack of the Sidewalk-Surfing Cube Gleamers!

HIGH Winning a four-player game of graffiti by a single "tag."

LOW All these years later, I still suck at the nearly-impossible Downhill Jam.

WTF They didn't just preserve "hobo-bothering" as an objective, they added more of it?!

Back in 1999, when I first got my hands on the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater demo for my PlayStation, I knew that I was in trouble. I played it for hours, trying to improve my scores and seeing what crazy combinations of tricks that I could muster. I'd never ridden a skateboard—and I still haven't—but games like Skate or Die on the Commodore 64, Top Skater in the arcade, and even Street Sk8er for the PlayStation put me in a position where I could actually be that cool guy on the board without breaking every bone in my body.

Good evening all, welcome to the Demo Critic, where I, the titular critic, judge videogames based on the small portions that their developers and publishers see fit to release over Xbox Live Marketplace. Today's subject? Tony Hawk's Proving Ground.

American Wasteland is something of a return to its roots for the series. After the two Underground games and their Jackass-inspired shenanigans, American Wasteland gets back to the heart of the series—skating. Story mode finds players taking on the role of a country bumpkin who hops off the bus in Los Angeles with little more than his board and some big dreams.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Blood, Crude Humor, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence

Game Description: Tony Hawk's American Wasteland gives you the total freedom you need, to make LA your personal skate and bike park. For the first time, you'll skate or bike in a rich, expansive open environment. The sky's the limit as you progress through the Wasteland. No level, no load times—just never-ending action. You'll never skate the same line twice!

Game Description: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, which has been a bona fide hit on every console it has graced, has staked its claim on the Game Boy Advance. The idea is still to perform hundreds of complicated tricks for points, and players can still ride as T. Hawk or any of a dozen pros in the game. Players can create their own skaters from scratch, too, by selecting appearance, gear, clothes, and more. Heck, you can even create your own ideal skate park by building ramps, rails, pipes, and other challenging obstacles.

According to ESRB, this game contains: Animated Blood

No matter which way you look at it, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 is a monumental achievement. When Nintendo first announced the specs for the Game Boy Advance to the world, speculation abounded from all circles in the industry as to what the true power of the console could be. There were debates about how many sprites the unit could actually handle and whether it could pull off a convincing 3D with polygons of any degree of sophistication. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 puts that debate to rest as soon as you turn on the game.

Game Description: One of the most anticipated sequels in recent memory, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 builds on the addictive gameplay of the original by adding many new tricks and features. The idea is still to perform complicated tricks for points, and players can still ride as Tony or any of an expanded roster of pros in the new game. Now, though, players can create their own skaters from scratch, selecting appearance, gear, clothes, and more. Players can also create their own ideal skate park by instantly building ramps, rails, pipes, and other challenging obstacles. All of the old tricks remain, with hundreds of additions. Of course, with all of those new tricks to master, there are also more detailed accidents: scraped knees, broken boards, and wall and (ouch!) pole collisions.