E3: Tony Hawk 2
We're wiping the drool off our chins...it's
everything we hoped it would be... and
more May 17, 2001
Its official. Im a Tony Hawk nerd. On theway down to E3, I was in the process of
reading Tony Hawks autobiography
Occupation: Skateboarder. I have been
championing the series since its Playstation
debut. And I wont stop here. Tony Hawk 2
on the Game Boy Advance not only carries
on the high standard of the series, it may just
be the best game at GBAs launch, an
impressive feat for a third party. The best
part? Its only about three weeks away from
being in stores. The best, best part? I got to
play it today at the Activision booth.
Playing Tony Hawk 2 on the Game Boy
Advance feels little different from the
gameplay mechanics on a console, and that is
another serious compliment. Seeing the
screens that came out last month, I was duly
impressed. But there was still a lingering
doubt, because Tony Hawk is all about
gameplay. Any doubt in my mind was wiped
away after just a moment of playing. You can
still string together insane combos, you can
still grind the crap out of any edge, lip or rail.
You can still grab mad air, you can still bail
hard.
The control is a bit different, but it has to be, as the GBA has only the two
buttons on the flat face. Ollying is handled by the A button and grinding is
on the B button. Kickflips are on the left shoulder and grabs on the right.
For those of you who use the shoulders for spinning, youre out of luck.
Youll just have to learn how to rotate using the D-Pad. It took me a few
moments to get used to this new set-up, but it becomes second nature
quickly.
While the screens were impressive, this game looks even better running.
Smooth as silk and highly detailed, youll be shaking your head in disbelief.
How did they fit all this goodness in such a little package? Since the
camera does not move, as in the other versions of the game, the challenge
was to design wide-open levels that allow you to see a lot of the area at
once. The levels are presented in a sort of cut-away. When you skate
toward a ramp in the foreground that might potentially block your view, it
becomes slightly transparent, allowing you to see your skater. This works
extremely well, well enough so that you dont even notice it.
Courtesy of IGN.com 
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