Trip
March 2nd, 2003, 06:39 PM
Last Friday I got my grubby hands on a dual G4 tower with a massive 23" Cinema display and a copy of Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3. Without saying too much here's how my little adventure turned out:
Overall
At first i couldn't believe how much has changed from 2 to 3 in the THPS series. The character models have been completely re-done, the levels have been multiplied in size and include civilians, the texture quality has really been looked into, loads of new tricks/specials to preform, and most of all: EVERY model has been looked into and redone (including skateboard decks!).
I could tell right off after the THPS3 icon bounced once and booted up i was in for a wild ride.
Graphics
I don't know how the game will run on lower end machines, i've heard of it getting laggy on G4s, but on the dual G4 i was using it wasn't lagging even slightly. With framerates probably well over 50fps i was having a really nice time. What's all this have to do with graphics? Well: the graphic textures have not only been well thought out, but well placed. Now even a slight crack in a texture looks amazingly realistic! The 2D textures placed on characters, cars, and obsticals are stunningly great! They're probably the best textures i've seen in a game since MOH:AA.
The 3D graphics are even another step up from the 2nd game in the series. What i noticed right off was how smooth and round the objects in the game have become. Characters are now extremely realistic (minus things here and there)! Infact: once i was skating through the canada level i saw a character in the distance who looked very similar to a friend of mine (hey spencer!), when i saw the character i had to hold myself back from calling out his name.
Sound/Music
The sound effects have been reworked. Not the funnest of sounds, but defenetly worth listening to with more than 2 speakers. Probably the coolest would have to be the sound you get when you fall (which each character has a their own).
The music sound track that was choosen for the game isn't bad (hardly from it) but it really wasn't too much to my taste. Even though i do skate in real life, it wasn't something i enjoyed. If i had to rate the sound on it's own i'd probably only give it 3 of 5 smilies.
Gameplay
Ahhh...this is something that a lot of reviewers have overlooked in this game. The everylasting gameplay topic. With THPS3 you will not have time for work/school for at least a few months. The neverending choice of goals in the game is really a nice workup from the 2nd game in the series.
Not only will this game keep you hooked for months, but you'll also be interested in becoming a better player. Something that i noticed was that even after spending 2 hours with the game i didn't want to put it down. It can really keep you into it if you're actually playing. But then again, with my brain.
Rating (Out of 5)
:) :) :) :) :)
If, for some odd reason, you liked this review and would like to comment on it to personally, please send me a PM.
Overall
At first i couldn't believe how much has changed from 2 to 3 in the THPS series. The character models have been completely re-done, the levels have been multiplied in size and include civilians, the texture quality has really been looked into, loads of new tricks/specials to preform, and most of all: EVERY model has been looked into and redone (including skateboard decks!).
I could tell right off after the THPS3 icon bounced once and booted up i was in for a wild ride.
Graphics
I don't know how the game will run on lower end machines, i've heard of it getting laggy on G4s, but on the dual G4 i was using it wasn't lagging even slightly. With framerates probably well over 50fps i was having a really nice time. What's all this have to do with graphics? Well: the graphic textures have not only been well thought out, but well placed. Now even a slight crack in a texture looks amazingly realistic! The 2D textures placed on characters, cars, and obsticals are stunningly great! They're probably the best textures i've seen in a game since MOH:AA.
The 3D graphics are even another step up from the 2nd game in the series. What i noticed right off was how smooth and round the objects in the game have become. Characters are now extremely realistic (minus things here and there)! Infact: once i was skating through the canada level i saw a character in the distance who looked very similar to a friend of mine (hey spencer!), when i saw the character i had to hold myself back from calling out his name.
Sound/Music
The sound effects have been reworked. Not the funnest of sounds, but defenetly worth listening to with more than 2 speakers. Probably the coolest would have to be the sound you get when you fall (which each character has a their own).
The music sound track that was choosen for the game isn't bad (hardly from it) but it really wasn't too much to my taste. Even though i do skate in real life, it wasn't something i enjoyed. If i had to rate the sound on it's own i'd probably only give it 3 of 5 smilies.
Gameplay
Ahhh...this is something that a lot of reviewers have overlooked in this game. The everylasting gameplay topic. With THPS3 you will not have time for work/school for at least a few months. The neverending choice of goals in the game is really a nice workup from the 2nd game in the series.
Not only will this game keep you hooked for months, but you'll also be interested in becoming a better player. Something that i noticed was that even after spending 2 hours with the game i didn't want to put it down. It can really keep you into it if you're actually playing. But then again, with my brain.
Rating (Out of 5)
:) :) :) :) :)
If, for some odd reason, you liked this review and would like to comment on it to personally, please send me a PM.