Introduction:

It started with the Pro Skater series, which evolved into Underground. Then Wasteland was released. It claimed that you could endlessly skate through the Los Angles area without any loading times. The question is whether or not it came through...

Story:

With games like skateboarding, you don't need a story. A good story makes the game that much better, and no story doesn't hurt the game either. But bad story lines do. Anyone who has played any of the more recent Hawk games expects a mediocre story. This time around the story is as original as rice cakes and cardboard (which taste about the same). You're a new skater to LA and you meet this skater girl. You need to earn the respect of her and her "crew". They let you into their skate ranch and you help them collect stuff for it. The Hawk series has gone from an OK story, to a crappy one (underground 2) and then to almost no story at all. Which might be a plus, but it does make the game a little bland.

Gameplay:

The controls are great first off. I found them familiar and easy to remember, which is a big up for a game based off button tapping. There are also a lot of things to keep you busy, and the locations you skate in aren't half bad. The problem I had was with the claim of no loading times. In previous Hawk's you selected your location from the menu, it loaded and you skated. In this one, each location is joined together by a hallway or tunnel of some sort. So basically you skate through a long boring hall until you reach your next destination. And you can tell that it is loading when you skate. It would have been better just to let you select it off a menu.
There's not much else to say about the gameplay. You have good control of your character and the tricks are manageable.

I give the gameplay: 8.5/10

Graphics:

I've played American Wasteland on both Gamecube and X-Box and for the most part the graphics are the same. I noticed no difference. But ever since I picked up Underground, I've had this problem with the graphics being too dark and kind of weird. The characters had strange skin tones and the graphics have never been up to par with other games of the time. So, while this isn't Balloon Fighter, it also isn't Twilight Princess.

I give the graphics: 6/10

Sound:

The soundtrack is pretty solid. It's not as good as some of the other board sport games, but there is so good stuff on it. It's mostly indie stuff, but big names like Greenday are scattered throughout. Be on the look out for a song called "I Like Dirt".
Voiceovers is a whole other story though. The dialog is horrible and no body talks like that. Plus the voices are annoying and the characters are your stereotypical skaters.

I give the sound: 7/10

Replayability:

Sports games usually have high replay values. Wasteland's is pretty high, except for the fact that the different locations aren't as 'replayable' as previous games in the series. The create-a-skater, create-a-trick, and create-a-skatepark modes will keep you occupied though. Plus, there's always the unlockable characters to entertain you. (No KISS this time around thought guys)

I give the replayability: 8/10

Challenge:

This game isn't too hard most of the time but some challenges are really hard. It's kind of unpredictable and can be annoying at times. Some tasks might also make you think "this is stupid" or "WTF? I pressed those buttons....why won't it work?". I beat it within 2 days on medium difficulty.

I give the challenge: 8/10

Frustration:

One thing about Hawk games: they will cause fits of frustration. Some challenges are just too hard. You get these easy ones for the longest time, then out of the blue you have to rack up a 35,000 point combo on some embankment. I wish I could see what Neversoft was thinking when they made some of these challenges. Think throw-your-controller-at-the-wall-and-hit-your-brother hard.

I give the challenge: 8.5/10

Value:

It all depends on who you are. Do you skateboard? Buy it because it's the only decent series out there. Do you just want a fun game you can pick up and play? Get acquainted with the series first. You might like THUG or THUG2 more. I wouldn't consider it a waste of money, because I have but tons of time into playing it. It's addicting and there's no real end, but you have to judge for yourself.

I give the value: 8/10

Reality:

Being someone familiar with the sport, the reality of the game is a big deal to me. I can deal with a game that has you doing all kinds of fake tricks, but only if that is set off by great gameplay. In this case, the tricks are completely on target. It's the actual dynamics of the game that I hate. Sticker slapping a building will not make it collapse. Natas spinning a giant tower will not cause it to fall over. I don't care how much you weigh. Also, no the cops aren't that dumb. They would notice a skate ranch in the middle of LA. Nice try though.

I give the reality: 6/10

Overall:

Great controls, very customizable, and pretty addicting. Don't forget the great soundtrack. But there's also the fake loading times, boring story, weird challenges and lack of reality. If you like skating games, buy it. If not try it out first. It's fun but it can get annoying after a while because you begin to notice the flaws.

Tony Hawk's American Wasteland: 7.5/10

Conclusion:

Personally, I like Tony Hawk's Underground the best out of the last 3 games. But this is definitely better than THUG 2. I'd recommend it if you like the previous games.

Written By: Amatatomba
E-Mail: amatatomba@nintendocity.com
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