Playstation 3: Tony Hawk's Project 8 a Winner

Being fortunate enough to pre-order a PS3 from a nearby store, I immediately purchased a few games to go along with it when the console landed in my hot little hands. Some were better then others, and Tony Hawk's Project 8 certainly ranks up there with "better". Although Tony Hawk had a game on Xbox 360, this is the first time one of his games was created specifically with a cutting-edge console in mind. The game's look and feel have both been greatly improved upon, and the gameplay animations have changed enough to make it seem like a brand new game. It now includes a new tutorial to allow new players to get used to the buttons.

Project 8 takes complete advantage of the Playstation 3's motion-sensors. Tricks and moves take on a whole new dimension with the Sixaxis control pad, letting you control balance and pretty much every other aspect of your toon's tricks. Otherwise, it plays very much like it does on the PS2 or Xbox 360, only that much better. The biggest change is "Nail The Trick" mode, which slows down the action enough for you to perfect the greatest tricks (if your timing is right.)

The storyline is fairly straightforward: Tony Hawk is looking for the eight greatest gamers out there, and you get the chance to prove yourself. You start out at Rank 200, and work your way up. The goals in the game are more open-ended this time around, allowing for greater flexibility in gameplay. The various goals offer three levels of difficulty, instead of making you choose right at the beginning, which is another improvement.

Skating demonstrations are important, and you need to perform increasingly complex tasks to impress the crowds. Then comes the time to prove yourself to pro skaters (including Tony Hawk himself) who will pose different challenges for you, ranging in everything from dumpster-diving to skydiving. But let's face it: you're playing the game for the intense graphics and excitement of flipping the board, not for the storyline.

The biggest complaint about the game lies with its often-choppy frame rate. The animations run a tad more smoothly on the Xbox 360, although aesthetics-wise they're virtually indistinguishable. Maybe it will only bother you if you're a graphics purist, but the instability of the frame rates can be frequently irritating. The Xbox 360 game also supports online play and leaderboards, which is noticeably lacking with the PS3 version. If you have no concern with online play or leaderboards, you may not ever even notice this drawback.

Frame rate issues aside, the game looks pretty good. Nearly all of the previous animations have been replaced by newer, better ones. Even the passers-by and general environment have been greatly improved. The camera is moveable, the slow-motion sequences are incredible, and you get a good sense of just how difficult it is to really be a pro skater. The speed is decent for the amount of action, but the choppy frame rate inevitably slows it down.

The game is surprisingly quick to finish, especially if you've mastered previous versions. Replayability is certainly a factor, though, because once you finish you'll want to go back and try for a better finale, such as pro. Bottom line: the game is fun, and if you've enjoyed Tony Hawk's previous games you're definitely going to have a hard time putting this one down. New gamers might want to rent it first, if only to make sure it's something you really like.