Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 Reviews

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 is easily the best game in the series, and a bigger leap over its predecessor than any of the previous games were. Hawk 2 introduced the manual and substantially expanded level design, but Hawk 4 features a complete revision of the series' goal and progression system, a huge spike in the longevity of the single-player game, and online play for the masses on top of a host of smaller changes.

The day has finally come when this franchise is not completely unchallenged in its genre. We would have never predicted such an occurrence, say, a year ago, when it seemed like nobody could produce anything near as good as what the developers had done. Today, though, Tony Hawk has genuine critical competition. The console market is flooded with excellent alternatives, and even the PC has Mat Hoffman's Pro BMX 2. Nevertheless, Hawk has a special place in all of our hearts.

Gameplay
Tony Hawk 4 discards the concept of timed level runs that was previously integral to the genre. This isn't a bad idea, since the traditional two-minutes-and-out pacing of other career-mode challenges was getting a little stale. Recognizing that players want to explore the levels as much as they want to clear goals, the designers of this new career mode decided to let them do both at once.

Career Mode in Hawk 4 now defaults to a free-skate mode, where you wander around and pick up goals at your leisure. Each is tied to a particular inhabitant of the level -- talking to them triggers the goal, and only then does a time limit appear. Complete a goal if you like, wander off to find another one, or just skate around until the urge to complete a task returns. The pace of the career mode is much more relaxed in comparison to earlier games, where there was always the pressure to finish as much as possible within the two minutes provided.

That slower pace helps stretch out what is also a much larger array of challenges. Each of the nine levels has 16 goals, and the difficulty curve ramps up far beyond what was presented in Hawk 3. After one or two trips through the career to learn the levels, a decent player could finish that game in a single sitting -- not so in the case of its successor. The familiar score and combo goals are harder, and new goals incorporating racing and platforming challenges are plenty tough as well. There aren't any new skaters outside the unlockable ranks, but clearing the single-player game will still take much, much longer than before.

And never mind how easy it is to get sidetracked in this game. Tony Hawk 4's levels stretch farther than before along every axis -- length, breadth, and height. The first couple of levels don't have a substantial vertical element, but once you get to Alcatraz, the lines suddenly stretch up and down the hills and sides of buildings. It's similar to the multi-layered design in Hawk 3's Tokyo level, but larger and less confined. That's also the same level where the game introduces its warp portals, which let you jump across to another part of the stage and continue a line in an entirely different area.

So much praise has been heaped on this series' level design in the past that one wonders whether it's even worth mentioning anymore. The lines are many and varied, the architecture is complex, the gaps and hidden areas offer all kinds of challenges for completists. This is Hawk. You know the drill, don't you? The new goal system also does an excellent job of showing off different aspects of the level design -- different goals are designed to take advantage of specific areas and features.

There are no changes to the basic control mechanics on the level of the manual or revert, but the new spine transfer maneuver makes for a small twist in certain situations, and the repertoire of flatland tricks continues to expand. The selection of tools required to stretch a combo forever is about as complete as it needs to be at this point, and the addition of a skitching, holding on to a moving vehicle, control makes it a little easier to get around the larger levels.

Online multiplayer has never been the main draw of the series, but Hawk 4 gives you plenty of options. Online competition takes place over GameSpy Arcade and there are several different modes. All of Hawk 3's are accounted for, as well as some new trick and combo selections. The maximum number of players gets a boost to eight and there is now a team mode. As appealing as online competition is, the greatest value is really in the outstanding single player game.

While the new career mode in Tony Hawk 4 has many fine qualities going for it, the most encouraging to see is the ramped-up difficulty. Hawk 3 was a great game, certainly, but in retrospect it could have been a bit harder, offering more and tougher challenges. Hawk 4 removes any possible complaints anyone could have in that regard. Its goals get very tough towards the later stages, but their progression is designed to gradually teach the new skills players need to complete future tasks. The tasks are far more imaginative than what we've seen before, too. They're creative and fun, rather than simple variations on "score so much" or "collect five of these." Some could still use some clearer explanation, but those are relatively few in number, and the level progression is designed such that it's easy to go find something else to do and come back to a difficult sticking point later.

This is, then, the best single-player Tony Hawk yet, and with the online mode finally come into its own it's certainly the best for multiplayer gaming as well. The arrival of genuine competition has obviously been good for this series, and hopefully we'll continue to see it grow and develop at this same pace in future years.

Graphics
You could take a screenshot of Hawk 4, place it next to one from Hawk 3, and think that the game hadn't changed much visually. For the most part you'd be right. The character models are a little more refined the textures are a bit improved overall, but there are no major differences. The only real problem graphically is keeping a solid frame rate. We reviewed the game on a 3.2GHz machine with a 5900 Ultra and it still stuttered frequently. Turning off the anti-aliasing and enabling environment fog got things moving more smoothly, but it still slowed down during several scenes - at 1024 x 768 no less. During action in an especially large environment, e.g. the roof of a building on the College level, the frame rates suffered noticeably. This is simply unacceptable. Incidentally, several of the challenges are very difficult with the fog turned on. For example, you will have a hard time finding the "A" in S-K-A-T-E if it's obscured by mist.

Where Hawk 3 presented comparatively small, confined levels, Hawk 4 has absolutely huge areas. Kona skatepark dwarfs the Skater Island competition level in the last game. The level designs are also impressively true to life in many instances. Speaking as a resident of the bay area, the San Francisco and Alcatraz levels replicate the layout and feel of their inspiration along with the famous landmarks.

The skaters themselves have seen slight improvement in terms of texture and model detail, but as usual, the animation library continues to grow. The selection of basic and special tricks is bigger, with some wonderfully ridiculous additions in the latter category, and there are better transition animations for combinations and those unavoidable bails. Some of the levels still have the odd glitchy spot, where cause doesn't seem to match up with effect when it comes to selecting a bail animation, but that's an aspect of the series that will probably never quite go away.

Sound
We've mentioned before that this is the best licensed soundtrack ever compiled for a videogame, but it bears repeating -- this is the best licensed soundtrack ever compiled for a videogame. The music here is just that good.

Like Hawk 3, it's an eclectic mix of old and new across several genres, but the list is far larger now, with 35 tracks altogether. AC/DC sits next to Aesop Rock, while De La Soul rubs elbows with Iron Maiden.

Along with the killer music comes strong sound design, on top of an already effective base established in Hawk 3. The surround effects are easier to appreciate in this sequel, because there are more pedestrians and other bits of interactive noise in each level. The background noise includes a substantial variety of quips and comments, as well as engine noises, squawking seagulls, the odd seal barking -- you get the idea, yes? Online games are even more interesting, with all the activity surrounding you. Paying attention to the directional sound can even yield a bit of an advantage in a capture-the-flag game, if you're very good.

Closing Comments
THPS4 is easily the best in the series and an incredibly enjoyable port. Veterans of the series will appreciate the spaced out levels and new pace, as well as the serious increase in difficulty late in the game. Newcomers will appreciate the whole package because it takes all the concepts of the earlier versions and refines them.

If you have played the first three games, then you might think you're a bit burned out. However, I would think twice before dismissing the game as more of the same. The combination of solid presentation, outstanding play, and exemplary level design make it worth the investment of time and money. See you online.