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> Results: Tony Hawk's Proving Ground
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The ESRB says:
Alcohol Reference GamerDad saw nothing of note within the game itself but a couple of mentions are found in the live-action video segments Tobacco Reference Likewise, the live-action video segments are to blame here, not the game Violence One of the sub-plots involves attacking a street gang, and you can "body check" other skaters and pedestrians Language Characters and passers-by alike are heard to say things like "damn" and "ass" Now in its ninth iteration, the Tony Hawk games have ruled the world of videogame skateboarding. Until EA came along with skate., which leaves Proving Ground feeling a little tired and old-fashioned. Not that there aren't new features here. Proving Ground takes the features of the last game such as a continuous game world with no loading and adds a more realistic setting (Philly, Baltimore, and DC), seamless online multiplayer, bowl skating, a full level-editing tool that integrates perfectly into the game world, a video editor to create your own skate videos, the ability to climb structures to find hidden skate spots, and a branching story that allows you to develop your own character according to the style of skating you prefer. Presentation is good, visually it's an upgrade from last year's already impressive Project 8 engine, though there are a few glitches here and there. There's lots of voice acting, though professional skaters do not make for good professional voice actors, and the usual punky/thrashy/hip-hoppy soundtrack is present. Though you can blow through the story (what there is of it) in a few hours, the large game world is filled with challenges that will keep you skating for considerably longer than that.  Unfortunately it's the skating itself that feels old-fashioned, even with the expansion of last year's "Nail the Trick" mode to include "Nail the Grab" and "Nail the Manual". Most of the time you are still having to memorize lengthy strings of button presses like you've been doing for the past 8 years. My other main complaint is that even if you have been with the series since the beginning, you're forced to act like a newcomer with the advanced moves and new tricks unavailable to you until they are unlocked during the game. Proving Ground should still satisfy anyone asking for a decent skateboarding game, but skate. shows that there is plenty of room for the genre to evolve. If Tony Hawk doesn't step up to this new challenger, it could find itself left behind. Platforms The PS3 and 360 versions are basically the same and form the "real" version of Proving Ground. The PS2 and Wii ports lack several of the new features, and do not have a continuous world; each level must be loaded separately. They feel very stripped-down as a result, and the Wii version also has poor controls. As in previous years, the DS gets essentially a different game developed by Vicarious Visions (though this time the name stays the same), and it could actually be considered a better game, with the same solid gameplay, online features, and presentation that made Sk8land a hit. 
Thankfully, the Tony Hawk games have moved away from the obnoxious Jackass-style direction they were taking in favor of something that's grounded in reality. That reality is still however coated in youthful rebellion, with several examples of going against authority and outright breaking the law. The opening movie shows a security guard being knocked down, highlighting the new "checking" ability which rewards you for violently bashing into other skaters, pedestrians, and members of a street gang that is trying to take over turf from the skaters. "Breaking and entering" is another new ability in the game, which is just as it sounds, trespassing on property to create new places to skate. The soundtrack has a similar rebellious tone, with songs from some typically controversial genres like death metal and hip-hop, but more explicit content is censored.
The male-heavy character roster does have some females, but the create-a-skater options (and the main story of the game itself) assume a male player. Finally, despite the fact that Tony Hawk himself is rarely seen without his helmet in real life, you'll be hard-pressed to spot one in use in this game. Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Browse Amazon.com's selection of "tony hawk, skateboard" themed games Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Tony Hawk's Proving Ground |
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