A new Tony Hawk for the next generation?
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Jun 21st 2006 at 6:55PM }
Kikizo Games reports that Neversoft is starting from (almost) scratch with the next installment of the only perennial skating franchise. This version's dubbed Tony Hawk's Project 8 and it's being built with a new engine and character modeling tools. Of course, over-the-top skating is still the focus, exploited further this time around with a shallow depth of field.Will the aging skater be reborn on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360? Or is Tony Hawk headed 'downhill?' Project 8 is slated for a Q4 2006 release.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Night Elve @ Jun 21st 2006 7:03PM
Im asking not criticizing, how much you can improve a game like this aside the graphical improvement.
Amir @ Jun 21st 2006 7:05PM
Downhill Jam looks awful. Graphics are PSX-era, and the gameplay sounds like it'll get old quick. I love the large-scale freedom inherent since THPS4. While I may buy a Wii, THPS will be for the X360 or PS3 (I still haven't bought the 360 so am still deciding). That is, if it's a sufficient leap forward since American Wasteland (which I might pick up as a budget title for my Xbox).
the_insider @ Jun 21st 2006 7:32PM
The Tony Hawk series is a misrepresentation of skateboarding and does not convey any of the appeal of the actual sport. Unless they scrap the gameplay along with the graphics I see little if anything at all that excites me...
matt t @ Jun 21st 2006 7:32PM
ill buy a 360 if the graphics look anything like that. i plan to buy a wii but what ive seen from downhill jam so far is very dissapointing.
Villagedeer @ Jun 21st 2006 7:34PM
This is old news... But I havent seen that concept art before.
Here's a trailer (looks awesome): http://youtube.com/watch?v=jkwerdrhqJg&search=Tony%20Hawks%20Project%208
Intellectualdiot @ Jun 21st 2006 7:41PM
Perhaps a bit of Game Informer's latest information can be of assistance with this title. I know it certainly made me stop snorting so derisively at the AMAZINGLY abused depth of field effect.
- "The heart of this new game is that the skaters themselves have awareness of not only what trick they are pulling off, but the height at which the various moves are executed. So for example, the skater's animation is different when he ollies off a simple picnic table than when he launches off the side of a building to a ramp below."
- "Balance in the game is also relayed to the player through animations rather than the balance bar..."
- "The company promised a streaming world that will let the player skate from one side to the other as one gigantic area."
Of course, I have no idea how THPS fans will take these blurbs. I'm not a particularly huge fan of the series myself, but it'll be interesting to see how the game turns out. (And how the game actually looks beyond the focus mode video that all the screens have thus far come from.)
emosewami @ Jun 21st 2006 7:46PM
To the_insider:
True, the games hardly play like skateboarding in real life. But then again, who would want to play a game where you have to spend hours practicing a trick just to land it for the first time?
SuiXide @ Jun 21st 2006 7:52PM
I want to see Neversoft do skateboarding justice. None of the Jackass crap or crappy stories. I want a skateboarding game that makes me feel like I'm out skating with my friends, not watching a crappy movie.
If Neversoft can pull off the 8th installment of a series that's quickly gotten stale, I'll be happy. I hate where the newer games have gotten though the controls remain amazing.
I still want to see the inclusion of a filming mode. Set up a shot, let a friend skate a line, and you control the camera, but not the movement as you'll have already mapped that out. I think it'd be a great idea and it'd get a ton of support.
Randall @ Jun 21st 2006 7:54PM
As a huge Tony Hawk (and James Ransom-Wiley) fan, I'd have to say that in order for the next Tony Hawk game to not suck, it needs to take the focus off of destruction, and back to skating. Bam isn't cool anymore, neither is exploding stuff.
Later,
Randall
haegen @ Jun 21st 2006 8:15PM
these tony hawk games are so tired. they were great at first, but they are all essentially the same. give us something new! (downhill jam is not new, it's ssx on a skateboard)
Ian @ Jun 21st 2006 8:24PM
The graphics look amazing (as we should expect for the next-gen systems). But is it me or did I see a level that looked oddly like the second competition warehouse from THPS1? I have so many good memories from the earlier games and the last few have seemed to pale in comparison (even though the first few didnt really have a story).
Rodents @ Jun 21st 2006 8:56PM
welcome to e3 fellas, you're only a month late.. i could have told you this + way more information.
Mikeawesome @ Jun 21st 2006 9:29PM
Personally, I really hope this rebuilding of the graphics and physics from the ground up is indicative of a reformation, a returning to the roots, if you will. I think this game will be spectacular. The level design in the first three to four iterations were spot on bringing to life real skate spots without all these little appended things which, in my opinion, gave it an even more arcade-y and less appealing. All through the first iterations they also had a good sense of humor about things, but then with the turn of Underground it seemed like everything had to be one of four things, punk, extreme, destructive, or blatantly criminal. That's what turned me off from the series, but Project 8 gives me hope.
Really, if this game ends up being the streaming world, and it works, unlike in Wasteland where you pass through various "tunnels" where the game loads while you're doing some long grind combo or something, then I think it will not only feel more complete but add to the credibility and the immersion that they're pulling for. Next thing that seems promising, the animation and the motion capture that they've done. All the movements are less robotic and more fluid, to take the characters actions and put them in slow motion so you can watch it closely (assuming that the footage was not entirely CGI) I found that very impressive. When the character drags his foot and angles his feet properly to execute the 360 flip I was stunned, because I had actually done that, and it looked similar, it added to the immersion, for me, just inside the trailer.
@ SuiXide: I definitely agree, one thing I've always found fascinating about skateboarding was taking videos of the skaters, and when I play a game I'll set up a line that I think would look really cool in real life and I would just pull that off until I felt I had it perfect, regardless of points. I think that's the kind of thing that feature would benefit from. Not from people doing 900's off curbs. (which is one of my qualms of the previous games, later on the credibility is lost when your character becomes nearly impervious to gravity)
Willie @ Jun 21st 2006 9:33PM
now how did this become about downhill jam?
i watched the brian bright interview on gametrailers.com, and its givin' me SKY-HIGH hopes, but that insane trailer looks like they just might pull it off. I can't wait!
bobeotm @ Jun 22nd 2006 12:30AM
The Tony Hawk Wii game was a total dissapointment. Tony Hawk Downhill Jam is not only butt ugly (like a bad ps2 game at the time of E3), the gameplay is essentially the same as those old XGAMES psone titles. Like someone said above its SSX on a skateboard, with dumbed down tricks, and rather bland presentation.
If thats the form 3rd party Wii titles will take, that will suck. Hopefully things will improve come launch time.
As for Project 8, a complete retooling is just the shot-in-the-arm the franchise needs. The biggest problem with the pro skater series is that very little changes from game to game, becoming almost Madden on wheels in terms of incrimental improvements. Perhaps making this next gen game have next gen advantages (like physics and more realistic animation) may change things for the better.
Gorg @ Jun 22nd 2006 12:41AM
I downloaded the video in high def during E3, might still be in the marketplace, take a look.
TxdoHawk @ Jun 22nd 2006 1:09PM
I loved the Tony Hawk games. 3 was half the reason I bought a PS2. But honestly, Project 8 doesn't have my hopes up. The graphics and animations look amazing, but it's the gameplay that will make or break this one, just like every other one.
Tondog @ Jun 22nd 2006 2:23PM
Tony Hawk Downhill will probably suck. I really did not like the downhill levels in the first game, and was very happy they were removed in subsequent installments. Why bring back the weakest part of the series?
I would love to see a total revamp of the THPS series. It is long overdue for one.
Also does anyone remember Rockstar's skating game, Thrasher: Skate and Destroy? Now that's one underrated game. Rockstar, you guys better make a sequel.