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GAME:
The Tony Hawk game series
has seen all the consoles in the last 10 years, and the most
exciting part about Tony Hawk Underground 2 Remix is not the
fact that is ported to yet another game console, but the fact that
this particular console has nearly the power of the PS2 at its
disposal.
A huge gaming experience
even on the lighter handheld version, THUG 2 has two main
modes to choose from in single-player: Story Mode and Classic
Mode.
Story Mode
follows Team Bam and Team Hawk as they fight for domination across
the country…you have challenges to complete, tournaments to
compete in, etc…all while exploring the world in front of you. Off
your board, or on it.
Classic Mode
follows the formula from the earlier Hawk games such as 1, 2, 3 and
4…you have areas with challenges to defeat in order to unlock new
ones…pretty similar in structure, but some slight differences make
it a welcome change of pace.
From the main menu, you
also have the option to free skate, which allows you to explore the
areas you have unlocked with unlimited time…and of course the Create-a-Skater
feature is back, not to mention a Create-a-Logo feature which
adds some more customization to the game…and even a Face Mapper
option which allows you to use jpg files of yourself!
The Create-a-Goal
mode also adds playability to the game, by allowing you to create
some wild stunts of your own, and is also usable in multiplayer
mode.
The physics of the game
are the same as the more recent incarnations…reverts, manuals,
grinds, grabs, etc…with some newer features such as acid drops and
tantrums to keep those combos going longer and longer.
All this, not to mention
the amazing WiFi multiplayer play (hot seat HORSE is also available
for one console play) which includes 13 different game types as well
as the ability to play over the internet with up to 3 other people.
TECHNOLOGY:
As the series technology
is getting better and better, the PSP Remix version seems
like a bit of a step back with some jaggy visuals and looser
control…but these issues aside, THUG 2 is even more
impressive for its size and utilization of system resources…this
is apparent in all aspects.
The visuals of the game
are a little more jaggy-edged than your bigger-modeled environments
and character models of the big consoles…but for a handheld game
it frankly looks stunning. The soundtrack is also fairly lengthy,
and despite the system’s weak speaker system, there is a lot of
good done here from an audio aspect as well.
The controls are a bit
like stepping back into an 8-bit realm without a fully-functional
analog stick, but when your hands get used to the change you will
find the game easy to maneuver in.
Of course the WiFi
multiplayer options are also a very impressive technical
feature…and although the game can only support 4 players, this is
well utilized by many fun game modes.
OVERALL:
With excellent
single-player and multiplayer options, THUG 2 Remix for the
Sony PSP lives up to all its potential on the portable system. With
the only problems being a slightly frustrating control style and
long loading times, THUG 2 will be one of the hottest games
for the much-anticipated system…and rightly so.
The game shows off the
system’s raw power, what more can I say?
Game: A- (As it should be
for a handheld)
Technology: B+ (To good
use, but…)
Overall: A- (Easily one
of the best available)
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