Xbox Live Recommendation Of The Week

Tony Hawk is widely considered as one of the greatest professional skateboarders in history, and, unless you have been living in a cave for fourteen years, you have probably played one of his games on the various consoles for which they are available.

This new release is a special re-release of the most popular levels from the first two games, now in High Definition and with new game modes and online multiplayer.

A comparison of the graphics in the original game (below) and the new High Definition version (above)

Many of the levels from the original two games have been reproduced impressively with love and care for the High Definition generation. Players have two minutes in Campaign in which they are challenged to compete on the Xbox Live Leaderboards for a High Score, and complete certain tasks in order to advance in the game. The tasks get more difficult as you unlock more levels, so it can be a real challenge, but a fun one. Free Roam and Single Session modes are also available just like in the original releases.

Titular character Tony Hawk, seen here with his head amusingly expanding in Big Head Survival mode

If you complete enough tasks, you will also unlock new Game Modes, my favourite of which is Big Head Survival which challenges the player to keep their head from exploding by completing combos.

There are plenty of characters available to play with and secret ones to unlock, including full Xbox Live Avatar support, which I found to be particularly amusing during the aforementioned Big Head Survival.

Gamerscore collectors will be pleased to know that they can earn double the usual “G” with this release, a total of 400 points with the initial game, plus extra if you download the Expansion Pack featuring levels and characters from the third Pro Skater game (a 400MS Points purchase).

At 1200 Microsoft Points this is not a cheap release, and the Trial will only give you one level and two minutes of gameplay so it is difficult to judge whether it is worth the purchase, but I have personally found the game to be challenging, varied, and over-all quite enjoyable, all be it a little frustrating at times, so I am recommending that it is worth the cost, especially for established fans wanting a trip down memory lane in High Definition.

You can download the Trial or purchase the game from the Xbox website or from the Games Marketplace on your Dashboard.