Project 8 has two pretty cool trick modes that will aid you in your quest to
be a top skater. The first is focus mode. Successfully pulling off tricks will
build your focus meter and when it is full you can enter into focus mode. This
is essentially Matrix mode or bullet time for boarders. Time will slow down for
you and you’ll have a better chance to pull off a more difficult trick. If a
particular trick is giving you trouble, you can skate around performing simple
tricks until your focus meter is full and then go back and try the trick again
in slow motion. Pretty cool.
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| Laying down the wall. |
The other trick mode is known as nail the trick. It too is a slow motion
mode, but it is tied to one style of trick. If you ollie off of a ramp or ledge
you can switch to nail the trick mode and the view changes to a close-up of your
legs and your board. The analog sticks are used to control your correspond legs
and you can use them to kick and flip your board in while in the air. You’ll
need to time your plant right, though, or you could find yourself trying to land
on your deck instead of your wheels.
Throughout the game various skate pros will make an appearance to provide you
with encouragement, tricks, or sponsorships. One of these encounters is somewhat
humorous because the skater in none other than former pro Jason Lee. Jason
appears in the game looking for all the world like he just walked off the set of
an extended My Name is Earl shoot. It’s hard not to associate him with the Earl
character in the game, making you feel like he is trying to cross you off of his
list more than sponsoring your skate dreams. Sorry, Catalina and Joy are nowhere
to be seen…
The game takes a unique approach to online gaming. Each online game has its
own instance of its location, and players can come and go to free skate and
chat. The game’s host can then at any time select from six different games:
Trick Attack, Graffiti, Combo Mambo, Score Challenge, Combo Challenge, and
Walls. All of these games are the various trick competitions that you’ve seen in
prior iterations of Tony Hawk games, with Walls being the exception. This mode
is a variant on the classic Tron light cycles game where each player creates a
wall behind him or her while skating, with players eliminated when they hit a
wall. It’s a fun addition to the online gaming in Project 8.
I’ve played a number of Tony Hawk games over the years and I have to say that
I found Project 8 to be the most enjoyable of them all. I know that there is a
lot of debate among hardcore Hawk fans as to which game is the best in the
series, and undoubtedly some of these people will be disappointed with the game
for one reason or another. If you’re a casual fan of the series or are
interested in giving it a try for the first time, I think that you’ll find
Project 8 as enjoyable as I did.
In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated:
87%. Tony Hawk still has the stuff to thrill.
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