Many of you who had/still have a PSone or a PS2 will have played a Tony Hawk's game. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and afterwards the Underground series' were games that helped define a whole genre of games.
This isn't just nostalgia speaking. I've recently re-played Tony Hawk's Underground 2 and it still stands up as an incredibly well made and fun game. So what makes it so good? Obviously the graphics aren't of the same level as modern games, but for the time they were very good. Then again, playing games for graphics is like choosing music based on the cover art. The thing that makes Tony Hawk's so good and gives it the ability to stand the test of time, is the same for any timeless game. It's easy to control and understand, but mastering it takes time and skill.
Mixing flips, grabs and manuals is the core of the game, which is easier than it sounds. The controls are easy to get to grips with without being restrictive, which is often something that is sometimes taken for granted, but is incredibly important. Once you have the core skills, you can start to link them together to create combos. It's delightfully simple yet deceptively complex.
Where the games really stood out was multiplayer. What's the point of being good at something if you can't use it to show off and humiliate your friends? Some simple modes like Trick Attack with games like Graffiti for variety increase the lifespan of the game.
I am a huge fan of games that include 'Create-a-xxx' modes, as it adds a personal touch and allows users to add things to the game that the devs never thought of. Tony Hawk's gives me quite a few of these: Create-A-Skater, Trick or Mission are interesting choices. The one that rely stands out however, is Create-A-Park. A level editor is always something that I like to see in a game because it encourages creativity, increase lifespan and makes multiplayer even more interesting. It's a very easy to use level editor but it is slightly restricting. However, considering the age of the game it is very impressive and allows for some incredibly creative levels.
In short, if you had or still have a PS2, I recommend you pick up a copy of Tony Hawk's Underground 2, if you don't already have one, and discover one of the best games on the console.
