This is the 6th appearance of the astoundingly successful Tony Hawk Skating series. For the 5th offering Acclaim decided to shoot down claims that the series was suffering from a severe case of sequel-itus, and change the name, remove the time limits and change the emphasis of the game towards creating and improving your own skater. Oh, and a new name, free of numbers completed the spruce up.

 

Tony Hawk Underground 2 is taking this new direction even further, by delving into the past. Yes, this game is in fact two games. Not only is it an update of T.H.U.G 1, but it also allows you to play every level Pro Skater stylee, with time limits, S-K-A-T-E to collect, and the traditional laundry list of things to see and do in each level. Fantastic!

This game doesn't just deliver two games in one, but it also delivers quite a hefty update on T.H.U.G 1. It expands upon the idea of teams. The game focuses on a rivalry between two teams of 10 skaters, Team Hawk and Team Bam (Bam Margera of Jackass fame). Fans of Bam will be pleased to know his long-suffering father also makes and appearance as a playable character. The team system means you can switch character on the fly, and in true Hawk style, there are loads of comedy characters to use, as well as boring ol' sk8ter boi's.

 

Classic mode is exactly what it says on the tin. 2 minute timed runs, to do as much as possible, in a huge, interactive environment. This is where fans of THPS 3 will be happiest, with familiar targets to achieve, and the thrill of the rapidly decreasing amount of time left to do it in. Personally, seeing the game return to its roots is great, especially when coupled with such a complete story mode.

There have been a number of interesting additions to the game in general. Firstly, the environments are even more interactive then ever, with very inventive ways to open up secret areas. The tagline to this game is 'World Destruction Tour', and the game lives up to that title, with locations all round the world, incorporating many familiar landmarks. They are also huge, with loads of areas with in the level that can be explored, and linked to make a huge chain of tricks.

 

Various elements of gameplay have changed too. Firstly, you can enhance the points scored during a trick by slapping a sticker (of the name of the game, of course) to the ramp or wall you are using for the trick. Tagging is also implemented, although whether it is to the same extent as 'Jet Set Radio' is unclear at this time. In addition to this, you can now throw stuff from your board, and execute a new move, called 'Spaz out'. That's what it sounds like, you mess up a trick, and as long as you can button mash fast enough, you get to kick your board away, and get point for it. Great! You can also slow time, which will be a very handy feature, although quite how that will implemented is also unclear.

All in all, it looks good and plays very well. If Neversoft polishes this one as well as we all know they can we should be looking at the best game in the series, combining both play systems the games have so far used. It shows the humour, and the continuingly increasing level of wackiness that has made the series stand out, furthermore this isn't just another sequel but a genuine advance in the genre.