Tony Hawk's Project 8
Oh Birdman, who clipped your wings?
Published: November 28, 2006
There have been a lot of Tony Hawk games. The series has no doubt helped Activision to become the licensing powerhouse and sequel factory that they are today, and though series developer Neversoft hasn't had a flawless record with the series (yes, I'll admit it, the Underground games were nothing compared to the THPS days, though American Wasteland redeemed things in my mind), they've still managed to bang out a solid string of skating games.
But next gen is here. Not just in that lame Sony "the PS3 has arrived, everyone into the next-gen pool!" sort of way, but with all three systems now out on the market, the transition is tapering off. This means projects (hurrrr, that's almost a pun) need to be developed with the PS3 and 360 (and, to a far lesser degree, the Wii) as the baseline. Clearly that was the intent with Project 8, as our previews have hopefully helped accentuate, but along the way, perhaps due in part to Sony's attitude toward developers or Neversoft's slight transition into a rock star developer, PlayStation 3 owners have gotten shafted a little.
Yes, that was a segue into bitching a little about the lack of online with Project 8 PS3. Disregarding the whys (and I'm sure there are a myriad of reasons), the end user is the one that's faulted. P8 still has goals, still has folks you talk to, still has pro skaters, but the idea this time around -- if I've understood it correctly -- was to move things toward a created skater and personal skills being put up against other players. To that end online leaderboards for nearly every goal in the game (including the semi-optional ones) were shoved into the 360 version, creating an experience that never really ends.
The PS3 doesn't have that -- it doesn't even have online play of any sort, and what integration into the PlayStation Network there was is buggy as all hell. The PSN is slapdash enough, but no other game at launch completely pauses the game when notifications of who is signing on or off from your friends list. It sounds lame, but with all the people on my Buddy List with weird connections or just popping on to check messages the game ended up stuttering like crazy. I ended up having to sign out completely while reviewing the game, and that, well, sucks, as it defeats the purpose of an always-on network connection. So yeah, that part is annoying, but so too is the general performance of Project 8, which I'll deal with after dipping into what Neversoft did right with the series.
At the top of the list is creating a world that's truly seamless. Of course, it means a big, fat wait while loading up the world at first, but that's excused by the fact that you'll never have to see another loading screen again after that (or at least not an obvious one). The world of Project 8 (so named because Tony has come to town looking for the top eight players to take pro) is huge. It's open. The lines feel organic enough that it's a challenge (but not an impossible one, unlike some of the later Sick level goals in the game) to link together a string across a big area, and that was the idea.
The world is also littered with people, from other amateurs looking to make their mark to pros that offer guidance and more than a few goals to repeat appearances by Brodie himself, skater-turned-movie-star Jason Lee (and his Stereo company, of course). Right from the start you're tutored in basic moves through clever goals that remind you of some of the newer moves (for those that opted out of the story-driven games) like the Natas Spin and flatland tricks. There's also the whole Nail The Trick Mode that lets you click in both analog sticks at any time and bust crazy slo-mo board magic for huge points and real physics-based flips. It's a welcome addition, looks cool, and the execution (with the right and left sticks representing your feet, respectively) is spot-on. Like most additions, it feels like it should have been there all along, but you're glad it's here.
But next gen is here. Not just in that lame Sony "the PS3 has arrived, everyone into the next-gen pool!" sort of way, but with all three systems now out on the market, the transition is tapering off. This means projects (hurrrr, that's almost a pun) need to be developed with the PS3 and 360 (and, to a far lesser degree, the Wii) as the baseline. Clearly that was the intent with Project 8, as our previews have hopefully helped accentuate, but along the way, perhaps due in part to Sony's attitude toward developers or Neversoft's slight transition into a rock star developer, PlayStation 3 owners have gotten shafted a little.
Yes, that was a segue into bitching a little about the lack of online with Project 8 PS3. Disregarding the whys (and I'm sure there are a myriad of reasons), the end user is the one that's faulted. P8 still has goals, still has folks you talk to, still has pro skaters, but the idea this time around -- if I've understood it correctly -- was to move things toward a created skater and personal skills being put up against other players. To that end online leaderboards for nearly every goal in the game (including the semi-optional ones) were shoved into the 360 version, creating an experience that never really ends.
The PS3 doesn't have that -- it doesn't even have online play of any sort, and what integration into the PlayStation Network there was is buggy as all hell. The PSN is slapdash enough, but no other game at launch completely pauses the game when notifications of who is signing on or off from your friends list. It sounds lame, but with all the people on my Buddy List with weird connections or just popping on to check messages the game ended up stuttering like crazy. I ended up having to sign out completely while reviewing the game, and that, well, sucks, as it defeats the purpose of an always-on network connection. So yeah, that part is annoying, but so too is the general performance of Project 8, which I'll deal with after dipping into what Neversoft did right with the series.
At the top of the list is creating a world that's truly seamless. Of course, it means a big, fat wait while loading up the world at first, but that's excused by the fact that you'll never have to see another loading screen again after that (or at least not an obvious one). The world of Project 8 (so named because Tony has come to town looking for the top eight players to take pro) is huge. It's open. The lines feel organic enough that it's a challenge (but not an impossible one, unlike some of the later Sick level goals in the game) to link together a string across a big area, and that was the idea.
The world is also littered with people, from other amateurs looking to make their mark to pros that offer guidance and more than a few goals to repeat appearances by Brodie himself, skater-turned-movie-star Jason Lee (and his Stereo company, of course). Right from the start you're tutored in basic moves through clever goals that remind you of some of the newer moves (for those that opted out of the story-driven games) like the Natas Spin and flatland tricks. There's also the whole Nail The Trick Mode that lets you click in both analog sticks at any time and bust crazy slo-mo board magic for huge points and real physics-based flips. It's a welcome addition, looks cool, and the execution (with the right and left sticks representing your feet, respectively) is spot-on. Like most additions, it feels like it should have been there all along, but you're glad it's here.
