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That's another thing. The difficulty levels from the recent entries of the series are gone. In their place, most goals have varying levels of success (Amateur, Pro, and Sick). So it isn't too hard to skate by with a mission accomplished, but getting a Pro or a Sick will result in a faster climb up the wannabe skater ladder. Any challenge you completed at a lower difficulty can be revisited later for greater rewards, which only extends the life of this already extensive experience. You want more? Multiplayer action can be had, either split screen, or up against seven other skaters online. There's a variety of familiar challenges to see who has the master skills, like straight up point scoring, to claiming areas of the map with big combos. There's also the option to free skate and make up your own tests of skill, daring others to match your slick line.
Longtime Tony Hawk fans might expect more, and that's where Project 8 starts to feel unfinished. Most of the create options are gone, while Create-A-Skater is more limited than it's been in more recent games, with no more size sliders and fewer items to customize your characters. Personally, I'll never miss Create-A-Tag, or Create-A-Board, but no more creating your own special tricks, and no triumphant return of Create-A-Goal? Hold onto your copy of THUG folks, because the biggest blow is to come: there's no chance to harness that next gen power to create your own dream park. The loss of Create-A-Park alone is enough to keep Project 8 from being unquestionably the best Tony Hawk game ever.
Another problem is the framerate. Playing in high definition, the game can start to chug when trying to cross great distances quickly, doing a quick spin around in certain areas, and every single time that lame picture in a picture feature pops up. I'm not sure why they put that in this game when it adds nothing to the experience, but the least they could have done was give you a way to shut it off. The upside is I can count how many challenges this actually effected on one hand, and the problem is reduced when playing at standard definition. Another problem is you can now run into people, which might cause you to stumble, or get them tearing after you. Either way it's annoying, and sometimes unavoidable. There's also the occasional glitches that, for better or worse, have always been part of the series. Bailing for no reason, crashing into nothing, and getting stuck in the air are all pretty rare, but pop up at the worst possible times. Still no option to customize the control setup. Nearly ready to give up on that one.
The pavement is some of the best I've seen in any game. It's strange, but richer textures like these and the increased detail in the skaters and the pros (with the aid of normal mapping) that come to call makes for a more engaging experience. Though while it's the most visually impressive Tony Hawk to date, there is a problem of inconsistency, with not every surface getting the same attention to detail. The lighting model is also a bit harsh, tending to make dark areas too muted, and brighter areas nearly washed out. The motion captured animation also isn't as impressive as it really should be, since out of tricks, most skaters still move around in a stiff, robotic fashion that bails on the suspension of disbelief. The music is a mix with something for anyone, and nothing for everyone. There won't be many who will listen to it all, but seamless support of custom soundtracks makes that pretty much a non issue.
After THUG2 and THAW, I know a number of long time fans of the series were wondering if Neversoft had lost their spark, or if the series itself was just tapped out where nowhere interesting left to go. Project 8 stomps those thoughts of doom and gloom. It's focused and ambitious, chocked full of content with an entire city that couldn't be more fun to grind your way through. A certain lack of polish and the absence of features previously taken for granted are a few stumbles that are hard to ignore, but the overall package is still a treat for anyone with a little manual dexterity, whether previous fans of the series, or someone looking for a serious challenge. |
