Year released: 1999 (Playstation), 2000 (Dreamcast), 2000 (Nintendo 64), 2000 (Gameboy Color)

Number of Players: 4 (Playstation), 2 (Dreamcast), 2 (Nintendo 64), 2 (Gameboy Color)

When I first played this a demo of this game on the Playstation back in 1999, I skated around the Skatepark level, skating ramps, doing pop shove-its, and figuring out how it worked. I eventually got this game on the Dreamcast. That's the only version of this game I have, so this review will basically be reviewing the DC Tony Hawk's Pro Skater.

Graphics: The graphics are great. It may not have the smoothness of THPS3 and 4 on the newer systems, but it's nothing that'll hurt your eyes. On the contrary, there is a good amount of detail in this game, everywhere to the trucks on the skateboard to the fully skateable terrains. Heck, there's even detail in this game's glitches! There's no pop-up, and there's only a little bit of distance fog in the bigger levels. Mind you, these are the DC version's graphics.

Control: It's nothing absolutely special, but it's simple. When you play nearly any extreme sports game where the controls aren't the same as in this game, you'll think "Hey, these controls aren't right!" Basically, this sets the standard. It's a simple control system, making it easy to bust out huge combos.

Sound: This game has good sound. While hearing the sounds of ollies and grinds, you'll be hearing the game's awesome soundtrack. This has one of the best game soundtracks I've heard, only second to maybe Tony Hawk 3's soundtrack. Either way, this game has good sound.

Gameplay: This game's gameplay isn't good. It's great! The easy control system will help you push the limits of areas that can be reached and new combo lines. This game didn't have the manual option, making you push your creativity level as far as it can go. It's necesarry for finding secret areas and completing certain goals.

Challenge: Unless you're trying to bust out big combos, it's pretty small in this area. You can get through one skater's carreer mode in an afternoon if you want, because you're not loaded down with stuff to collect, like cash icons. All you have to do is complete the goals, and you'll get skateboard decks automatically. Not only that, but there's only five goals per level. If you want a bigger challenge, try getting insane combos.

Bottom Line: This is a must-have. If you can get this game, I highly recommend getting it. You may think that it's really simple and is nowhere near as good as the newer Tony Hawk games, but think about it. This is the game that started it all. It's the foundation of extreme sports games. The best thing is, it is inexpensive. What could go wrong, especially with such a good game?

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