Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 (or T.H.U.G.2) will follow on from the storyline of the original. Your skater is finally a pro, but compared to other big shot pro skaters, you may as well still be a rookie. To show the world you can make it in the big time; you’re pulled into competing in the “World Destruction Tour”, an event for teams of pro skaters, and by some quirk of fate you’ll start the story mode skating for the head man, Mr Hawk himself.
Unfortunately, level-by-level progression is still included in the game. Perhaps it would have been better if T.H.U.G 2 had taken the seemingly inevitable next step for the series and provided a real, living breathing world for you to skate in, similar to that of the Grand Theft Auto series. Nevertheless, the new levels however, are larger, more lifelike, and provide new levels of interactivity.
Hope this cannon doesn't fire...
The first new level, Boston, clearly demonstrates these features, especially the interactive element. Breaking objects, bursting open fire hydrants and lighting your deck on fire are just some things you will witness in the new level design. The interactivity doesn’t stop there though; you can even light cannons, which will fire and bring down a partially constructed building for you to skate in. The goal system has undergone some innovations as well. Goals are now realistic, so you can say goodbye to the majority of icons hovering about, signifying what needed to be completed.
For T.H.U.G.2 to succeed, it’s going to need some fresh gameplay mechanics. One such addition is ‘Focus Mode’ which can be triggered when your special meter is sufficiently full. Focus mode brings the camera right in, focusing on your feet and slows the action down, in a similar way to “bullet time.” This ability allows difficult tricks to be performed with ease, but comes at the cost of draining your special meter. Another new gameplay feature is the freak-out meter, which fills up as you bail, and allows your skater to release some built up aggression. Furthermore, after your skater’s burst of anger, you will receive a small freak-out bonus to your next trick score.
T.H.U.G. 2 includes all the standard game modes that you would come to expect by now, but the new classic mode is a welcome addition and allows fans to play the game “old school” style. This game mode takes T.H.U.G. 2 levels, mixes them with some levels of the previous titles, and lets you proceed through them one at a time, in a similar fashion to that of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2. In this mode, expect the classic S-K-A-T-E goals, and to find the hidden tape which should provide good nostalgic value to those who have followed the series from the beginning.
C-o-l-l-e-c-t t-h-e C-o-m-b-o.
Following previous Tony Hawk games, T.H.U.G. 2 will have a great deal of customization. Create-a-graphic is another new feature available, and allows players the opportunity to change and alter graffiti tags, which can be painted onto walls in the main game, à la Jet Set Radio . The editor will permit you to deform, colour and layer a pre-made graphic until you find something that truly suits your taste.
It seems Neversoft may just have enough new content to make T.H.U.G. 2 into something special and new for the skate genre. With its new gameplay features, level design and the inclusion of classic mode, the game has promise. In the past, Neversoft have released sequels that offer very little new content, but maybe this time they can come up with the goods.
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