Brewology

Tony Hawk's Underground 2
Rating : 4 out of 10

Overview

Ahhh, T.H.U.G. 2 - this game screams marketing. I really, really wanted to like this game, but this is one game that you can tell was run through so many focus groups of their target demo, males 18-24, that the game really had no hope from the onset. Everything, the music, the graphic design, the product tie ins, even that vapid T.H.U.G. psuedo-acronym (Tony Hawk's Under Ground? Is he "Underground" or physically under ground? Someone please dig him up, poor guy) is just so contrived that it's insulting. This game reminds me of watching an MTV reality show or listening to Good Charlotte or seeing Paris Hilton in a trucker hat listening to Green Day in a soda commercial. In short, it made me wanna vomit. There's an OK game buried somewhere in there, but it's covered in so much crap I don't know if it's worth finding.

Graphics

T.H.U.G.'s graphics are pretty good. It looks like the PS2 version, but the wide screen format gives you a wider field of view, which can be cool for planning ahead when doing a long run of tricks. The models were all very solid looking and the environments look quite nice. The synching between the models mouths and dialogue is even pretty good (even if the dialogue itself makes me wish I was dead). I may despise this game due to my overblown anti-corporate anti-marketing paranoia, but I'm not gonna pretend this isn't a great looking game. Definitely a nice example of first generation PSP graphics.

Sound

This is a touchy one. I cannot be an impartial judge on the sound here as I have "very strong musical tastes." In other words I'm a total music snob and I hate nearly everything. I despised the sound track and had to leave the music off. It's filled with rancid, festering, nauseating music. About the only things I liked on the sound track were from Joy Division, The Cut Chemist, and... uh, well, that's it actually. I do not expect my views to be the same as anyone else's in this regard, and if you enjoy the music, than it will definitely make the experience better, for me though, I was begging for the ability to play MP3's off my memory stick. As for the sound effects, have you ever played a Tony Hawk game before? It sounds like that, but on your PSP. If you haven't, go down to a skate park and close your eyes and put a bit of cotton in each ear, it sounds like that. The voice acting was absurd, Tony Hawk is a jerk and Bam Magera makes me want to fire bomb whatever state he lives in, but, it's just a game, who cares right?

Story

Oh god. I don't even know what to say. Ummmm.... it's really, really stupid. The way I see it, a Tony Hawk game is like a porno, the story is completely unnecessary, and should be avoided at all costs. It's some retarded crap about going around the world pitting Tony's team versus Bam's - I really couldn't make it through all the cut scenes so that's all I know. It's some real moronic crap. Skip it, there's no point.

Gameplay

Now with all the bile and vitriol I've spewed over this game you may assume I hate Tony Hawk games... how wrong you'd be. I used to play THPS 2 for Dreamcast for days on end, and THPS 1 & the Dave Miraa's Pro BMX for PS1 all the time. I always played freeskate, or against friends, but I loved the games. It took all the frenetic combo-button mashing fun of a Street Fighter game and packaged it in a whole new way. I loved those games, and I loved T.H.U.G. 2's free-skate mode. It's classic mode was good too, a solid Tony Hawk experience. If they had left it at that this would be a much simpler review, and probably allot nicer. It's all this other crap they layered over it that ticks me off so much. If you like Tony Hawk games, this plays just like one, with a few cool new twists, just stay clear of the story mode,or your mind might rot.

Overall

This would be a solid buy for 10 bucks or under. I am thoroughly ashamed that I paid between 30 and 40 hard earned dollars for it. If you like the T.H.U.G. series, than you have no need for my advice and I suggest you don't heed it. If you liked the THPS games and this is just an attempt to have some of that fun on the road, buy it used, and cheap - and just keep it in freeskate or classic mode with the sound off and all will be well. Again, this isn't a horrible game, but if I had played it before I bought it, I would have just played it, if you catch my drift.

zylog awesome review...thanks!

meh the game was alright.But ur review turned it into somehting more better lol.I really diss agree on what u said about the graphics though.At my perspective they really were bad.But the game was alright.

depending though. the game could be choppy or "bad grahics" but thats the psp games now...like, at first there really bad or good. but later on, when they get the hang of it, trust me, the games will be a hundred times better, but I'd have to say, tony hawk isnt that bad. i've played it once or twice...grapihcs are ok i guess, not that bad.

PSP

true true. ive never played it before but my friend has it and i think it looks pretty good from what i saw and ya over time the games will get better plus they had to make some games right away so that it wouldn't be like Nintendo DS which only had the metroid prime demo

Zylog, I totally get you... I despise Bam Margera; he's 75% talk and the rest is stupidity.

Though I think you were a little extreme, I understand your point of view as this game being totally mainstream to "mature gamers" or "casual gamers".

If you don't mind me asking, what kind of music do you listen to? I thought that thje fact that they had Frank Sinstra and Johnny Cash on it was pretty cool.

Or was it Eric Clapton? Damn my extremely limited music knowledge...

*sinatra

i disagree, although this game is pretty difficult (and what the 6th tony game??) but now the game is portable, and i think its the same as the ps2 version (graphically, controls, fun) THUG 2 is the only UMD that i still actually own, (sold rest back, haahah) and for that reason, this game is good... much better than 4 out of 10

i give the game a 10 out of 10
the best video game ever made
i play it so often
I love it!
I am seariously addicted to the game.
I put it in and took it out of the psp sooo many times, that it broke
i love that game, if i could, i would marry it

i give it a 8 out of 10. i just like it better for ps2. and i think they should of let us use the an stick to skate.

me to 8/10

i think if i had played this game as it came out i would give it an 8/10 but having played it last month and playing project 8 and comparing the changes that have been made i have to give a 5/10. the game is simply past its prime

Hd the game and completed it the chararcters are really good and the levels are good i give it a rating of 8/10