Tony Hawk's Underground 2

Tony Hawk’s skateboarding franchise has been a behemoth chugging along across consoles for quite a few years now.  The series, which underwent somewhat of a transformation with last year’s Tony Hawk Underground, is now releasing its sixth entry, Tony Hawk’s Underground 2: World Destruction Tour.  THUG 2 follows the basic gameplay formula of last year’s game, as it is based in a linear story mode and features a few gameplay tweaks and additions here and there.  THUG also offers a bunch of brand new secret characters, new levels and even a few stages from previous titles in the series.  While it’s nothing groundbreaking, THUG 2 is still a solid entry to the Tony Hawk series.

In THUG 2, Bam Margera (of Jackass and Viva La Bam fame) takes co-billing, offering his level of insanity to the game’s storyline.  Bam and Tony Hawk are splitting into two groups of crazy skaters setting out on a (wait for it) World Destruction Tour.  The object is to visit exotic locations throughout the globe, smash as much stuff and wreak as much havoc as humanly possible.  The team who does the most damage will get the big prize, having the losing team foot the bill.  You start out on Hawk’s team, training in the familiar warehouse level from the very first Tony Hawk.  Then, you start out your tour in the city of Boston, moving on to such foreign locations as Barcelona, Spain in your journey of chaos.

The levels in THUG 2 have an incredible amount of activity and things to do, more so than in any previous Tony Hawk game.  You have a ton of goals that you must accomplish to move on the next level.  Plus, each stage requires you to enlist the help of another pro skater and two unlockable secret characters in order to complete every single goal. 

The secret characters are level specific, unlocking objectives that reflect their personal traits.  For example, the two secret characters in Boston are Jesse James (from American Chopper-fame) on a super-charged Segue-scooter, and Benjamin Franklin.  Jesse James’ objectives include jumping over cars a la Evel Kinievel and race a guy in a wheelchair.

Aside from the main story mode, the game also features a Classic mode for those who prefer a more old school approach to their Tony Hawk experience.  In the Classic mode, you can play as any number of skaters and progress through the stages that you’ve unlocked in the Story mode (which will include a number of levels from Tony Hawks 1, 2, and 3), completing a number of old school goals like spelling SKATE and getting high scores.

THUG 2 gives you a few new moves, as well.  The original THUG pioneered the ability to get off of your board and walk around, and also the ability to drive cars (to some extent).  While there is nothing as different as this in THUG 2, the new abilities are still pretty cool.  You can pick up things like apples and throw them at people and cars, as well as tag walls with your own personal graffiti and plant stickers on walls and objects with a wall kick.  Another new addition is the Freakout, where if you bail and tap the Y button really fast then you’ll build up your freak out meter and flip out, chucking your board and getting a couple thousand bonus points added to your next combo.

The biggest new ability in THUG 2 is the Focus mode.  This mode is similar to Bullet Time as used in Max Payne or Enter the Matrix, and allows you to slow down time to a crawl for fifteen seconds in order to perform combos.  This is very helpful if you are performing a balancing move like a grind or a manual, as it lets you balance for much longer than normal and get in a few more moves to increase your multiplier.

THUG 2 also has a ton of customizable gameplay options.  You can Create-A-Park (a series staple since THPS 1), Create-A-Skater (which makes your personal character more customizable than ever), Create-A-Graphic to use as your personal graffiti mark in the game, and Create-A-Goal, which lets you make up your own goals within your Skate Park. All in all, there is nary a shortage of things to do in THUG 2.

The graphics have a slightly different look to them than the original THUG.  The character models are a bit more detailed, though not realistic looking.  The environments are the same, with a great amount of detail to them, but also somewhat of an unrealistic quality to them.  The levels will also change from day to night, a great touch not featured in previous Tony Hawk titles.  The game’s overall aesthetic goes along with the exaggerated, cartoony feel of the story and gameplay, completing the atmosphere.

The music is what you’d expect from a Tony Hawk game, meaning that it is really good.  THUG 2 has a huge soundtrack, with songs from a diverse roster of artists, ranging from The Doors to Disturbed to The Explosion.  The voice acting is also very well done, with the pro skaters lending their voices to the game, as well as some special guests like Phil Margera, Steve-O and Wee-Man.

THUG 2 is a nice expansion of the series.  More of an evolution than a revolution, THUG 2 takes the fundamental gameplay elements from its predecessor and just adds more and more, giving fans of last year’s THUG an incentive to pick it up. 

Gameplay: 9.0
THUG 2 does what most titles in the Tony Hawk series have done; it adds a few new additions while keeping the nuts and bolts of the gameplay intact.  The levels are teeming with things to do, with tons of goals to perform in each one of them.  There is also no shortage of playable characters, with a plethora of pro skaters and secret characters to help you on your journey.

Graphics: 9.2 
The characters and environments both have a more detailed look to them than in THUG, although not necessarily a more realistic one. This goes well with the theme of the game, since the story is quite exaggerated and unrealistic.

Sound: 9.4
The expansive soundtrack features cuts from bands like The Distillers, Faith No More, Rancid, Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Doors, and many more.  The voice acting (provided by the actual pro skaters) is also very well done. 

Difficulty: Medium  

Concept: 9.0 
THUG 2 doesn’t change a whole lot from the first THUG, but the Tony Hawk gameplay remains tight.  Plus, the sheer amount of gameplay options and level goals is very impressive.

Multiplayer: 8.9
There are many different multiplayer modes, with familiar favorites like Trick Attack and Horse, as well as some weirder ones like Slap!, where you must build up your special meter and knock the other player off of his board.  These are a lot of fun, but XBox gamers will undoubtedly feel the lack of online.

Overall: 9.0
THUG 2 is not a revolution for the series, but an evolution, adding some new features and keeping the fundamental gameplay.  The game feels like an expanded version of THUG, which may be a good or a bad thing depending on whom you ask.  However, fans of the series and THUG should find a lot to love in THUG 2.