Tony Hawk's Underground
Tony Hawk's Underground | |
---|---|
Sports | |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Tony Hawk's Underground is a 2003
Underground is built upon the skateboarding formula of previous Tony Hawk's games: the player explores
The game was developed with a theme of individuality which was manifested in the extensive character customization options, the presence of a narrative, and the product's characterization as an adventure game. Real world professional skateboarders contributed their experiences to the plot. Upon release, the game was a major critical and commercial success, with reviewers praising its wide appeal, soundtrack, customization, multiplayer, and storyline. The graphics and the controls for driving vehicles and walking were less well received. Underground's PlayStation 2 version had sold 2.11 million copies in the United States by December 2007. A sequel, Tony Hawk's Underground 2, followed in 2004.
Gameplay
Like its predecessors in the
While a grind, lip, or manual trick is underway, a balance meter appears: unless the player prevents this meter from falling to the left or right, the character will bail and need a few seconds to recover. Bailing can also be caused by falling without one's board facing downward. Completing tricks in succession without bailing is called a combo.[3] Comboing raises the player's score and fills up the Special Meter; when it is full, the player is granted access to more elaborate tricks worth more points, such as the McTwist and 540 Flip.[4] Underground introduces the ability to dismount one's skateboard, which allows the player to explore levels more carefully and reach new areas. Each level features at least one vehicle, usually a car, that the player can drive.[2]
The levels are based on regions of the United States and other countries.
Underground features extensive customization. The player creates a custom character for the story mode, and may not play as a pre-made professional skater outside a few contexts: a special scene late in the game, minigames, and the free skate mode. A level editor allows the player to create
The game features many real world professional skateboarders including: Tony Hawk, Bob Burnquist, Paul Rodriguez, Chad Muska, Mike Vallely, Andrew Reynolds, and Stacy Peralta. Underground also features cameo appearances by Iron Man, a parody of C.H.U.D. called T.H.U.D., and Kiss bassist Gene Simmons.
While the console versions of the game are fully three-dimensional, the Game Boy Advance version is rendered in an isometric style that incorporates both 2D sprites and 3D models. This version is a more traditional Tony Hawk's game, with little attention given to the story or customization.[10] The mobile version is similarly restricted.[11]
Plot
The protagonist and their friend, Eric Sparrow, live in suburban
There, the pair shoot a skating video that impresses Stacy, who loans them a van and suggests they enter the Tampa AM, an amateur division skate contest held annually at the
The team then flies out to
After designing their own pro skateboard, the protagonist and Eric embark on a team trip to
Eric, who now owns his own skate company, reveals that he had been planning to betray the protagonist after having long abandoned the idea of "soul skating" (skating for enjoyment rather than riches); after unsuccessfully trying to exempt them from the Tampa AM, Eric stole the helicopter footage in jealousy before finally getting the protagonist kicked off the skate team by lying back in Moscow. Determined to fight back, the protagonist teams up with Peralta and several professionals to create a soul skating video, creating a new trick in the process. Due to the success of the video, Eric challenges the protagonist to one last skate-off, with the unedited helicopter tape at stake. The protagonist wins the skate-off and walks away with the tape while Eric screams at them.
Alternate ending
If the story has been completed more than once on two different difficulties, an alternate ending occurs, where the protagonist knocks Eric unconscious, taking the tape back instead of holding the skate-off.
Development
Concept
The GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox versions of Underground were developed by
The game was initially conceived as the fifth entry in the
Underground was created with a theme of individuality: it stars an amateur skater in a true story mode, whereas each previous Tony Hawk's game had starred professional skaters and had lacked a plot.[7] One reason for only allowing the player to use a custom character was that certain criminal acts completed in the plot would not reflect well on real-world skaters.[9] Previous games in the series had included character-creation features as well, but Neversoft expanded customization in Underground by implementing face-scanning for the PlayStation 2 version:[7] if the player emailed a photograph of their face to [email protected], the company could digitize it for use in the game.[2] Regarding the customization options, especially the park editor, producer Stacey Drellishak said that Neversoft was "trying to create the most customizable game ever".[9] The developers used storytelling and exploration to distance their product from the plotless, task-based format of previous Tony Hawk's games, which led Neversoft president Joel Jewett to describe Underground as an adventure game.[7]
Design
Levels in the console versions of Underground were significantly larger than those of earlier Tony Hawk's games. Neversoft expanded each level until it ceased to run correctly, then shrunk it slightly.[14] Most of the levels were modelled closely after real-world locations; the designers traveled to locales representative of each city in the game and took photographs and videos as reference. The New Jersey level was a replication of a neighborhood where team artist Henry Ji had grown up as a young skater.[15] Neversoft wanted the player to become familiar with the basic game mechanics quickly and to notice Underground's differences from previous Tony Hawk's titles immediately. To accomplish this, they introduced the ability to travel on foot, and the ability to climb along ledges in the first few missions of the game.[16] While Neversoft wanted to keep Underground realistic and relatable for the most part, they added driving side-missions as an enjoyable diversion and to push the boundaries of freedom in skateboarding games,[15] but these missions were intended not to take away from the main experience of skateboarding.[16]
Pro Skater 4, Underground's predecessor in the Tony Hawk's series, had received criticism for its difficulty: Neversoft had not realized that each game in the series was drawing new fans who were unaccustomed to the demanding tasks. As a result, Neversoft added four difficulty settings to Underground's story mode,[17] ranging from "Too Easy" to "Sick". Neversoft wanted players to develop skills for higher difficulty settings on Too Easy while still progressing through the story. The company had included extremely difficult missions in each previous Tony Hawk's game; the methods used to create these missions were the inspiration for Underground's Sick mode.[15] Development of the basic gameplay mechanics and structure began quickly but by the end of August 2003, only two months before the game's American release, work was still in progress.[14]
While the game's cutscenes are animated with 3D graphics, the team recorded live-action videos to introduce the real-world skateboarding teams, so that players could better understand each team before selecting one to join. Neversoft interviewed professional skaters about their experiences of becoming known in the skateboarding world, then compiled elements of these stories into the game's script.[7] Every skater who appears in the plot helped to craft their own scenes and voiced their own character.[2]
Promotion and release
The game was promoted with a playable demo at Microsoft's "GameRiot" event held at Lollapalooza in July 2003.[18] Activision stirred up enthusiasm for Underground with the "Tony Hawk's Face Off Mobile Tour", a series of promotional events across 29 cities in October. Attendees could play the game early and compete in it for tickets to Boom Boom Huck Jam 2003, which Tony Hawk himself attended.[19] Activision, which sponsored the October Gravity Games extreme sports competition, promoted the game at the event and used its rendering engine to model tricks performed by the real-world skaters.[20] The console and Game Boy Advance versions were released on October 28 in the United States,[2] November 14 in Europe,[21] and May 2004 in Japan.[22] The mobile version was released worldwide in January 2004.[11]
Reception
Aggregator | Score |
---|---|
Metacritic | (PS2) 90/100[23] (GC) 89/100[24] (GBA) 86/100[25] (Xbox) 85/100[26] |
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Eurogamer | 7/10[4] |
Famitsu | (PS2) 33/40[27] |
Game Informer | 9.25/10[31] |
GameRevolution | A−[28] |
GameSpy | [29] |
GameZone | 9.5/10[30] |
IGN | 9.5/10[2] |
Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine | 10/10[32] |
Critical response
Tony Hawk's Underground received "universal acclaim", according to review aggregator Metacritic.[23][24][25][26] GameZone's Michael Knutson wrote that Underground is "one of the best skating games around" and that players of every skill level would enjoy it.[30] Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell concurred that "as a 'pick-up-and-play' sort of game, THUG is endlessly rewarding" and called it the best entry in the series.[4]
The story was well received. Joe Rybicki of
The game's aesthetics were generally well received. Bramwell called the graphics "unchanged and increasingly antiquated" and criticized the presence of "sharp, angular character models, eerily unrealistic lighting and odd little moments when the player is trying to turn round and ends up banging into a curb".[4] Knutson, meanwhile, was positive regarding the graphics, art, and animation: he called them "nearly flawless" and praised the realism they brought to the inherently fantastical skateboarding genre.[30] Williams said that "THUG's cityscapes are incredibly well designed" and singled out the GameCube version of Underground as exceptionally well rendered.[29] Rybicki called the levels "big and beautiful".[32] Knutson commended the soundtrack's large size and the sound effects' realism.[30] Perry appreciated the "hilariously hurtful" injury sounds and the extensive song list.[2] By contrast, IGN's Craig Harris praised the graphics of the Game Boy Advance version but was more mixed on the soundtrack.[10]
The alternate gameplay modes were received very well. Knutson lauded the game's high degree of customization; he summarized that "everything is expounded a hundred fold: from create-a-skater to create-a-park mode, it is simply amazing". He singled out the level editor as one of the deepest he had ever seen.[30] GameSpy's Bryn Williams identified the level editor as an "extremely well-designed" feature that contributed to the overall "brilliance" of the full product.[29] Leeper said that each customization mode is "intuitive and user-friendly", and both he and Rybicki especially enjoyed the trick-creation feature.[31][32] Reviewers for Famitsu magazine praised the story mode, whose open world format they compared to the Grand Theft Auto series.[27] Knutson and Perry enjoyed the multiplayer, particularly the online Firefight mode.[30] Williams thought similarly and stated that "the most notable disappointment" of the game was the lack of online play for non-PlayStation 2 owners.[29] Harris found the board customization of the Game Boy Advance version to be poorly implemented, though in-depth.[10] Despite his praise for the customization modes, Leeper admitted that his greatest enjoyment still came from "seeking great lines" and beating own scores.[31]
The walking and driving controls were criticized. Bramwell claimed that these modes felt "like they've been attached with an old stick of glue that's about as adhesive as baby oil".[4] Knutson agreed, though he praised the novelty of these diversions. He stated that "the Tony Hawk series has always had exceptional controls" and that Underground, overall, was no exception.[30] Perry felt that the feature increased levels' replay value.[2] Similarly, Famitsu reviewers noted that, although the game's fast pace makes it extremely challenging at times, the high difficulty provides a sense of accomplishment when jumps and tricks are performed correctly.[27] Williams found the GameCube version's controls mediocre, albeit manageable.[29] Damon Brown from GameSpot said that the mobile version's restrictive controls—many tricks require three button inputs—were that version's only caveat.[11]
Sales and accolades
Underground won Best Sports Game at the 2003
In Europe the week after the game's release, the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube versions were respectively the fifth, sixth, and eighth-best selling games for those consoles.
Sequel
Neversoft and Activision released a sequel, Underground 2, on October 4, 2004, for Microsoft Windows, GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Game Boy Advance, and PlayStation Portable consoles. The plot continues that of Underground and focuses on the player character and their team sabotaging an opposing team. The gameplay, structure, and level design are very similar to those of Underground, but Underground 2 features new tricks and gameplay mechanics, like the Natas spin, the ability to plant customized stickers in levels with the "sticker slap", a slow-motion "Focus" mode, and the ability to earn points by having a tantrum after falling. The plot is set in new locations, including Boston, New Orleans, Berlin, and Barcelona.[46]
Notes
References
- ^ "Tony Hawk's Underground Q&A for Mobile - GameFAQs".
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Perry, Douglass (October 28, 2003). "Tony Hawk's Underground: Neversoft takes its game to the people. The full review". IGN. Archived from the original on October 17, 2008. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
- ^ a b Tony Hawk's Underground (GameCube) instruction manual, pp. 4–7.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Bramwell, Tom (December 1, 2003). "Tony Hawk's Underground: Tony's back, and this time he's you!". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on December 22, 2004. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
- ^ Neversoft (October 27, 2003). Tony Hawk's Underground. Activision.
Hough, a pro on the player's team: Alright, here it is. They want pictures of you blasting some big grab airs. Above us is a nice open gap over the front of this atrium. It's perfect for these photos.
- ^ Tony Hawk's Underground (GameCube) instruction manual, p. 29.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Perry, Douglass C. (October 6, 2003). "Tony Hawk's Underground: Hands-On". IGN. Archived from the original on June 6, 2014. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
- ^ a b Perry, Douglass C. (October 10, 2003). "Tony Hawk Face Scan". IGN. Archived from the original on June 6, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Still Tony from the Block: Skating gets back to its roots in Tony Hawk's Underground". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 172. November 2003. pp. 100–101.
- ^ a b c d e Harris, Craig (October 28, 2003). "Tony Hawk's Underground: It's a remarkable feat to make a great design even better... but they've done it". IGN. Archived from the original on April 26, 2004. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e Brown, Damon (January 1, 2004). "Tony Hawk's Underground Review: With each new Tony Hawk title, this franchise is getting stronger. T.H.U.G. continues that very encouraging trend". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 4, 2017. Retrieved June 5, 2014.
- ^ "Early Work on Tony Hawk 5 Begins". IGN. April 2, 2002. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
- ^ Perry, Douglass C. (October 8, 2003). "Tony Hawk's Underground". IGN. Retrieved August 18, 2023.
- ^ a b Wiley, Mike (August 30, 2003). "Tony Hawk's Underground: An In-Depth Look". IGN. Archived from the original on June 6, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Notes from the Underground". 1UP.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2004. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ^ a b "THUGged out! New Tony Hawk's revealed". Computer and Video Games. August 4, 2003. Archived from the original on July 5, 2007. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ^ Padilla, Raymond (October 6, 2003). "Tony Hawk's Underground: Sporting the legendary THPS trick system and a heavier story, Neversoft is set to deliver gaming's first skateboarding adventure". GameSpy. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ^ Davis, Ryan (July 2, 2003). "Tony Hawk's Underground GameRiot Demo". GameSpot. Archived from the original on September 4, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2014.
- ^ IGN Staff (October 14, 2003). "Activision Launches Tony Hawk Tour". IGN. Archived from the original on June 6, 2014. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
- ^ "Activision To Sponsor 2003 Gravity Games". Game Informer. October 14, 2003. Archived from the original on April 4, 2008. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
- Pan European Game Information. Archived from the originalon October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- ^ "スケボーゲームの常識を破る話題作!!『トニー・ホークスアンダーグラウンド(Xbox ワールドコレクション)』" (in Japanese). Famitsu. March 28, 2003. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- ^ a b "Tony Hawk's Underground for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on January 23, 2015. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
- ^ a b "Tony Hawk's Underground for GameCube Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 21, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
- ^ a b "Tony Hawk's Underground for Game Boy Advance Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 9, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
- ^ a b "Tony Hawk's Underground for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on November 17, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
- ^ a b c "30 Point Plus: トニー・ホーク プロスケーター2003". Famitsu. No. 1284. July 25, 2013. p. 45.
- ^ Game Revolution. Archivedfrom the original on June 2, 2014. Retrieved June 1, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Williams, Bryn (October 27, 2003). "Tony Hawk's Underground (GCN)". GameSpy. Archived from the original on August 13, 2006. Retrieved June 1, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Knutson, Michael (November 11, 2003). "Tony Hawk's Underground by Activision Inc". GameZone. Archived from the original on April 13, 2005. Retrieved June 2, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Leeper, Justin. "In Hawk We Trust". Game Informer. Archived from the original on March 2, 2008. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
- ^ a b c d e Rybicki, Joe (January 2004). "Tony Hawk's Underground". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. No. 76.
- ^ "2003 Winners". Game Critics Awards. Archived from the original on June 6, 2014. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
- ^ "MTV Video Music Awards / 2004". MTV. Archived from the original on July 17, 2014. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
- ^ "D.I.C.E. Awards By Video Game Details Tony Hawk's Underground". interactive.org. Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "PS2 Top 20". GamesIndustry.biz. November 22, 2003. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- ^ "XBox Top 20". GamesIndustry.biz. November 22, 2003. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- ^ "GameCube Top 20". GamesIndustry.biz. November 22, 2003. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- ^ "XBox Top 20". GamesIndustry.biz. January 24, 2004. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- ^ "GameCube Top 20". GamesIndustry.biz. January 24, 2004. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- ^ "PS2 Top 20". GamesIndustry.biz. February 21, 2004. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- ^ "US Platinum Videogame Chart". The Magic Box. December 27, 2007. Archived from the original on April 21, 2007. Retrieved June 4, 2014.
- ^ "Player's Choice". Nintendo.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2007. Retrieved November 13, 2014.
- Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association. Archived from the originalon May 15, 2009.
- Gamasutra. Archived from the originalon September 18, 2017.
- ^ Perry, Douglass C. (October 8, 2004). "Tony Hawk's Underground 2: Neversoft throws in everything and the kitchen sink, but will number six still satisfy that aging skating urge?". IGN. Archived from the original on April 8, 2014. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
Further reading
- Hester, Blake (August 30, 2017). "From Busted Teeth to Broken TVs: The Oral History of Tony Hawk's Underground". USgamer. Retrieved September 3, 2017.
External links
- Tony Hawk's Underground at MobyGames (GameCube, PlayStation 2, Windows, Xbox)
- Tony Hawk's Underground at MobyGames (Game Boy Advance)