Tony Hawk Ride for Xbox 360 Review

This Christmas I was fortunate enough to be able to get my eight year old son the Tony Hawk Ride game for Xbox 360. The set up was easy enough, and only took a few minutes. Instead of having to read a book to learn how to play the game, there are on screen tutorials and demonstrations. The fun starts right away, instead of spending half an hour flipping through a booklet.

The tutorials teach you how to do all of the maneuvers and tricks that will be required throughout the game, and the only real skill that's needed is the ability to balance. The skateboard has sensors on all four sides, and these sensors are what tell the game when you are pushing, or doing tricks. Even though the tutorials show shoes being worn while playing, game play is just as effective without shoes. The board itself is the size of a standard skateboard, without wheels, which makes it easy to store when not in use.

Even though the box says to use the skateboard on carpet, there are Velcro strips included for those that do not have carpet or a rug to play on. I found that the skateboard slid easily across the area rug in my living room, so I applied the Velcro strips to the bottom of the board, and that solved the problem. The board will still move around, with or without those Velcro strips, only because you have to constantly raise and lower one end or the other to do the tricks needed during game play. The more tricks you do correctly, the more points you earn.

Tony Hawk Ride isn't just a video game where you stay in one position, your body moves as the game character rides various cities and skate parks. As you play, you use your legs and arms, and if you manage to play for any extended period of time, you will notice you have gotten a low-impact aerobic workout during the game. The board itself is sturdy, and has a weight capacity of 300 pounds.

Each player gets to create a character, and design his or her look. There are both male and female characters to choose from, so no one is left out. The more you play and master various tricks and locations, the game unlocks more characters and places you can go in the game. My children play it every chance they get, and they have yet to be bored or become uninterested in it, like they have with so many other Xbox games I have bought in the past.

When I purchased this game, I didn't know anyone that had it, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that my children would be getting some form of exercise while they had to stay in on cold and rainy days. I bought Tony Hawk Ride at Wal-Mart for $119.00, and consider it to be a wise investment. I would recommend this game to anyone with an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3.