In the first eight months after Tony Hawk's Pro Skater initial debut, the world of video games has been altered. I've never seen a game accepted by so many different people. It has further pushed the medium into the mainstream of society. It's simple; the world loves Tony Hawk's Pro Skater. Hopefully, the forthcoming review will illustrate the reason for the genius of a mere skateboarding game.

In the graphical department, Tony Hawk is deceptively simplistic. The visuals are well done, with massive, fog free environments and lifelike characters. The entire game, from the boards and menus to the replay mode, screams of the high production values. Nevertheless, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater wasn't designed as an eyecandy filled treat. If you're looking for cool explosions or flashy FMV, you'd better search elsewhere. Instead, the graphics in Tony Hawk serve a more important purpose. In defiance of the current gaming trend, the visuals in Pro Skater actually improve the play of the game.

The most amazing part of the graphic engine is the character movement. It makes Tony Hawk Pro Skater the best in the genre. If you remove the animations, the game is a subpar skating effort. Every single movement in the game is lovingly crafted to perfection. The bail animations will make you cringe in pain. In the same manner, landing the 900 Stalefish caused a friend of mine to jump out of his seat. The animations will draw you into the world of professional skateboarding. In addition, the detailed movements add a great deal to the gameplay. After all, the ability to combine a 180 Kickflip with a Madonna makes the action intense to the point of insanity. It wouldn't be possible without the character movements.

The other major breakthrough is the environment creation. {*Tony
Hawk's Pro Skater} is lacking in the background department. EVERY little thing in the game is interactive. Even the walls of a building are open to a grind. The amount of trickable items is crazy. See a massive network of water pipes above your head? Find a way onto em! Is a taxi gunning towards you with the pedal to the metal? With a little skill, the once-dangerous car can be morphed into a few thousand points with a car grind. In every way, the levels are an amazing feat of programming.

The control scheme is identical to the earlier versions of the game. The joystick controls the direction of the player. It helps to guide and balance the movement of the skater. The buttons on the right side each correspond to a different type of trick. On the back of the controller, the triggers help increase the speed of a spinning move. The combination of a button with a control pad direction accesses a huge number of moves. In addition, the different tricks can be chained to create some crazy combos.

As a result, the play of the game is amazingly fun. In the beginning, you'll probably ride around the level, tossing a few moves out and falling on your face. After a few minutes, you will notice the pipe in the middle of the skate park, and you'll ride a slick looking grind down the length of aluminum. In an hour, you'll be tricking off a ramp onto a 50-foot grind, tossing in a few Japan Airs along the way. The depth of the Tony Hawk Pro Skater engine is hard to believe. You'll never see the same kind of game twice. Each time through the game offers a different, unique experience. In this way, the replay value is through the roof.

It's really a simple decision. If you like videogames, skateboarding, or life in general, then you must purchase Tony Hawk Pro Skater. Do yourself a favor, get off the Internet and onto the Dreamcast. ~ Bryan Melville, All Game Guide

The graphics in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater serve a greater purpose
than mere eyecandy. The animation and enviroment creation make
it the ultimate skateboarding game. ~ Bryan Melville, All Game Guide

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater possesses an incredible soundtrack with a
slew of punk bands playing a selection of tracks. The sound
effects, such as the grinding wheels, complement the action of the
game very well. ~ Bryan Melville, All Game Guide

The game's simple control system lets you get into it right away, but slowly opens up a lot of combo possibilities. The ability to skate in expansive levels using anything to perform tricks or grind on is great as well. ~ Kyle Knight, All Game Guide

It's simple; you will never get sick of tricking through Tony Hawk.
The ultimate example of a long lasting game. By the time you're sick
of playing it, you'll be too old to hold a controller. ~ Bryan Melville, All Game Guide