So, 7 years and 7 sequels down the line from the original THPS on the Playstation, titles are still selling by the truckload and skateboarding games don’t seem to have been the passing phase that most people thought they would be. As far as innovation goes the series doesn’t boast the most impressive roster of changes and improvements, but the blueprint was good from the start so why fix something that wasn’t broken?
Project 8 hopes to take the series to the next level by introducing a smart new feature called ‘Nail the Trick’ mode, which gives you “precision control over your feet to create innovative tricks on the fly”, supposedly. In practice it’s actually a little more limited than the description lets on, and getting the hang of it is a royal pain in the ass to begin with, but soon enough it’ll become second nature. By clicking both sticks on when you’re in the air the action slows down and focuses on the skater’s feet, and by moving the sticks in the right combination of directions you can pull off some nice tricks. Timing is key, but seeing the action close up and being able to manipulate the board in a realistic way is very satisfying, especially when you use it in a high-scoring combo.
The game’s intro is a tasty collection of slow-mo close-ups and some impressive rendered freestyle skating, as ever accompanied by a suitably catchy and appropriate tune: Kasabian’s ‘Club Foot’ this time around. The menu has the familiar polished feel that we’ve become accustomed to with THPS games, and offers the basic Multiplayer, Xbox Live, Free Skate and Create modes as well as the main bulk of the game, the Career. Thrown into the equation is “Pro Tricks”, which is essentially a theatre mode displaying some motion-captured tricks done by the pros, and in which you have full control over the camera and playback speed. Despite it being no more than a novelty, it’s still a good showcase of the work that’s gone into the game and the potential to unlock more videos in Career mode makes it worth going back to.
The Career mode has undergone a pretty hefty overhaul, and this time your ultimate goal is to battle your way into a group of elite skaters and participate in a tournament put on by the Hawk himself. As well as the mandatory messing around that everyone must do for at least 8 hours per session in every THPS title, there are over 200 hugely varied goals to complete and some of the ‘Sick’ targets really do seem impossible, which is a first for me in the series. The play area is genuinely massive, and completing missions and passing tests unlocks more of it bit by bit so there’s always something to do without the number of tasks becoming too overwhelming.
The ‘classic’ mode makes a welcome return within the Career itself with the familiar “collect SKATE” and “find the missing tape” challenges popping up here and there, but these are just a fraction of what’s on offer in each area of the city. Fresh challenges like “wreck yourself” - which makes use of the brilliant (if hilariously unrealistic) bail physics in requiring you to rack up the biggest hospital bill you can manage - are nice additions and give you something a bit different to do if the actual skating becomes a chore.
Multiplayer modes are a bit limited, and with a maximum of 2 players on one machine I can’t see many people persevering with it for longer than an hour or so. The Live options are where you can really see the appeal of it though. Playing a Tony Hawk’s game online is a first for me I’ve got to admit, but I was pleasantly surprised at how well it worked. Finding a game to join was quick and easy even in the early stages and with the quality and sheer amount of features it will only become more popular over time. There are plenty of game types to keep you occupied and they all seem fairly well organised, but occasionally target scores in ‘Graffiti’ can seem almost impossible to reach with 8 people fighting over a limited number of ramps and rails.
Graphically, Project 8 is solid and colourful and… Average. The skaters look good, the scenery is smooth and the animation is, as always, top-notch. It looks good, even great in places, but most definitely doesn’t push the 360 to its limit and the only truly impressive aspect of the game is the detail on the board when you enter ‘Nail the Trick’ mode. The ‘create’ mode has had a bit of a facelift, and although no matter how hard you try your creation will always have that slightly glazed, undead look about him/her, they’ll still look pretty good and the number of clothes and shoes you have to choose from is, well, crazy.
I was quite surprised by Project 8 to be honest, I’ve always enjoyed the THPS franchise but this one really seems to have had some serious work put into it. The only gripes I have with the game are those that seem to have haunted the series since its birth (occasional dodgy collision detection and an unpredictable camera), but these are minor problems at best and don’t crop up too often. It’s hugely playable, horribly addictive, absolutely jam-packed with things to see and do and has the steady support of some of the world’s finest skaters, as well as a few random cameos from Jason Lee (the guy from My Name is Earl). It’s managed to keep the look and feel of the previous titles and with the ‘Nail the Trick’ mode and a bit of a boost to the difficulty level it now offers a little something extra for the hardcore too, so if you like what you see and haven’t already bought it, do so.
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