| Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 | |
|---|---|
 North American box art featuringTony Hawk | |
| Developer | Vicarious Visions |
| Publisher | Activision |
| Programmers |
|
| Composer | Manfred Linzer |
| Series | Tony Hawk's |
| Platform | Game Boy Advance |
| Release | |
| Genre | Sports |
| Mode | single-player |
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 is a 2001extreme sportsskateboarding video game developed byVicarious Visions and published byActivision for theGame Boy Advancehandheld game console. It is a portable version of theconsole game of the same name, starring the skateboarderTony Hawk. While the console versions of the game have a behind-the-back camera perspective, this version instead uses anisometric perspective, featuring modifiedlevels taken from the console version. The player is tasked with getting as high ascore as they can in a limited span of time by performingskateboarding tricks.
Vicarious Visions proposed the creation of a Game Boy Advance version, getting approval from Activision and Tony Hawk. To be able to include the tricks from the PlayStation, they created a 3Dengine for the game, featuringpolygonal characters and using math to design the levels. The music was composed by Manfred Linzer as apastiche of the music featured in the series, as well as songs from "skate punk-type artists".Quality assurance testers criticized the game for lacking "purposefullevel design". These testers were brought on to help address these issues. It released as a launch title for the Game Boy Advance in North America and Europe in June 2001 after being developed for one year.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 has been generally well received, identified by multiple critics as one of the best Game Boy Advance games. Vicarious Visions received particular praise, identified as having pushed the Game Boy Advance beyond what people expected it to be capable of. While some critics had difficulty with its perspective and controls, it has been identified as an exemplar of how toport a console game to a handheld system. The 3D engine created for the game was used in future games by Vicarious Visions on the Game Boy Advance, including its sequel,Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 is asingle-playerextreme sportsskateboarding video game.[1] While controlling the character, the player can perform multipleskateboarding tricks, includingollies,grinds,aerials, andkickflips.[2][3] Other actions include jumping, braking, crouching, and switching stances.[3][4] The playerscores more points throughcombining multiple tricks.[5]Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 features sevenlevels, which includes five from theconsole versions of the game, one from the first game,Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, and a secret stage.[6] The levels are viewed from an isometric perspective, largely resembling the maps found in the console versions, which are viewed from a behind-the-back camera perspective.[6][7] Multiple levels are based on real-world locations, such asNew York andMarseille.[8] The game features 13playable characters, including Tony Hawk, each of whom has their own special technique.[2] It also features built-incheats that allow the player to unlock multiple features, including disabling blood, selecting any level to play, and playing asSpider-Man.[9]
The game has three differentmodes of play: career mode, where the player completes tasks to unlock more levels and increase stats with a time limit; single session mode, where the player can skate in any level with the same time limit; and free skate mode, where the time limit is removed.[10] Each level has certain tasks to complete in career mode, including finding money and breaking objects.[5] There are also objects to collect in each stage, including the letters S-K-A-T-E andvideo tapes.[11]
After completing development of theGame Boy Color version of the video gameSpider-Man, developerVicarious Visions wanted to move on to theGame Boy Advance, avoiding common projects for the platform likeSuper Nintendo ports andMode 7racing games. The idea of aTony Hawk game came up duringbrainstorming, which was considered both a fun and high risk idea, due in part to it being an important brand to publisherActivision. Development of this version ofTony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 began in August 2000,[12] Vicarious Visions having received an earlydevelopment kit for the platform.[13] The staff received occasional input fromNeversoft, which developed the game's console versions. The team experienced issues during early development, attributing their issues to a shortage ofgame development kits and hardware revisions.[12] The team intended to use thesource code Neversoft used, but the code was programmed inC++, and the development kit's documentation said they must useC. Lead programmer Matt Conte created aproof of concept to show that C++ could be done on Game Boy Advance, allowing them to use a large majority of the code from thePlayStation. Conte stated that this is what allowed them to create physics and tricks accurate to the original game.[14]Mockups were created to demonstrate how it might look, which were presented to Tony Hawk, who gave his approval alongside Activision.[12]
This version ofTony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 began as asprite-based game, but was changed after staff determined that this would require more than 100megabytes of storage if they wanted to include every trick from the PlayStation version. Because the Game Boy Advance was a 2D console, they had to create a 3Dengine for the game, utilizing an isometric perspective and a real-time-renderedpolygonal character rendered using more than 300 polygons.[1][12] The isometric perspective was chosen due to the developers believing that the level geometry found in the console versions, if viewed from above, would largely be visible.[14] Vicarious Visions aimed to create a similar design to the PlayStation andDreamcast versions, some maps modified to compensate for the isometric angle.[12] Due to not having alevel editor for the Game Boy Advance, they needed to use math to design the levels. They had to set point values for tiles to give the levels depth. AGouraud shader was used for the game's real-time renderer, which took a month and a half to program by programmer Alex Rybakov.[14] After trying to use hardware to obscure the character behind objects, the developers switched to a software masking method, with the character becoming semi-transparent when behind objects. The team was unable to add amultiplayer mode, a feature of the console versions, due to time restrictions.[12]
Unlike other versions ofTony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, this version features an original soundtrack due to the licensed music being too much for a Game Boy Advance cartridge. The soundtrack was composed by Manfred Linzer, who was asked to create apastiche of songs featured in theTony Hawk games. Linzer was given a selection of songs from the games, as well as other songs selected from "skate punk-type artists" as reference.[14] The final soundtrack consisted of 10 songs.[14]Shin'en Multimedia was responsible for implementing the music, using their GAX sound engine.[12][15] The cartridge uses a more advancedsound chip than the Game Boy Color's, as the team wanted to have audio more advanced thanchiptune audio.[12]
When the game was sent to Activision'squality assurance department, it was given harsh feedback by a team devoted exclusively to theTony Hawk series. While the testers felt it looked appropriate and was "technically impressive",[14] they were critical it for lacking the "purposefullevel design" of the console version. Conte stated that in retrospect, the levels failed to replicate the PlayStation version's attention to detail and rewarding skillful play. The quality assurance team was brought on as consultants, going through each level to add elements that encouraged chaining moves and high-level skills.[14] Development was concluded in April 2001 when the game was approved, a large majority of the cartridge space utilized and development taking less than a year.[12][14]
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 was demonstrated at multiple events, includingE3 2001[16] and by the group Advance Team inMinnesota, alongside other Game Boy Advance games.[17] It was one of six games scheduled to be released for the Game Boy Advance by Activision at the time.Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 was published as a launch title for the Game Boy Advance on June 11, 2001,[18] and in Europe on June 22.[19] It later released in Japan on December 14, 2001, asSK8: Tony Hawk no Pro Skater 2.[20] It was one of the top-selling Game Boy Advance launch games in North America, placing second behindSuper Mario Advance and third across all platforms for the month of June.[21][22] It ranked seventh overall in the following month and fourteenth in August, losing its second place Game Boy Advance ranking toMario Kart: Super Circuit.[9][23]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 95/100[24] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 9, 9, and 7.5/10[6] |
| Eurogamer | 8/10[25] |
| Game Informer | 9.25/10[1] |
| GamePro | 5/5[26] |
| GameSpot | 9.3/10[27] |
| GameSpy | 95/100[28] |
| IGN | 9.5/10[5] |
| Nintendo World Report | 9/10[20] |
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 was positively received by critics and gamers, particularly for Vicarious Visions defying expectations of what the Game Boy Advance could do.[14]Review aggregator websiteMetacritic identified it as having received universal acclaim, labeling it a "must-play".[24] It was identified as a key launch title for the system byEurogamer writer Oli Welsh,[29] and was considered one of the best Game Boy Advance games byDen of Geek,GameSpot,GamesRadar+,IGN,Pocket Tactics, andTechRadar.[30] When considering which Game Boy Advance launch title to recommend,GameSpot writer Shane Satterfield stated that the game made him excited to see what the Game Boy Advance could output down the line. He ultimately recommendedFire Pro Wrestling instead, viewing the consoleTony Hawk games as superior.[31]IGN writer Craig Harris considered it among the best games at the handheld's launch, finding its gameplay loop entertaining and varied.[5] It was awarded the best mobile game of 2001 at theBritish Academy Film Awards,[32] and received a nomination forHand-Held Game of the Year at the5th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards.[33]
The game's levels received praise as good adaptations of the console versions', withElectronic Gaming Monthly writer Crispin Boyer stating that they were "surprisingly good".[6] He found the smaller stages to be more fun, while finding the more open levels' perspective confusing. Boyer also found the controls limiting, attributing it to the Game Boy Advance's limited number of buttons. FellowElectronic Gaming Monthly writer Greg Sewart also found the controls awkward, stating that the perspective made it more difficult to control. He believed that players could get past it with patience, but expected that a lot of people may become frustrated.[6]Eurogamer writer Martin Taylor was more positive towards the perspective, feeling that the camera perspective forced players to explore the levels before they focused on the tasks in each, which he believed was a core aspect of theTony Hawk series.[25]GameSpy writer Andrew S. Bub considered the isometric perspective a good compromise, believing that it allowed players to play more confidently. He also found the controls accurate, appreciating the existence of a tutorial and button mapping to make the controls easier to get used to.[28]
Reception for the lack of features compared to the console versions was mixed.Gamekult writerUsul was disappointed by the lack of a multiplayer mode, feeling that this—compounded with the lack of levels and limitations compared to the console versions—made it an inferior experience despite still enjoying it.[34]Nintendo World Report writer Jonathan Metts commented that players who could do without the multiplayer and level editor found in the console game could find this an adequate alternative to the console versions, but believed that someone already familiar with the console game will not find a new gameplay experience.[20]Nintendojo writer Matt Thompson considered it an adequate alternative, enjoying that he could play it wherever he wants, which he stated prevented it from getting old like the console versions did for him.[35]
The game's visuals and technical aspects were the subject of praise, withTime Extension writer Jack Yarwood believing that it inspired the creation of future games with a similar approach and technology.[14] It was also called "the most amazing piece of technology we've ever seen on a handheld" byNext Generation staff.[7] Martin Taylor was initially skeptical of how good the game could perform when he heard about its reveal, being surprised by how similar it felt to its console counterparts.[25] Crispin Boyer was similarly positive, calling it visually stunning and noting that it had smooth movement and a superiorframe rate to the PlayStation version.[6]GamePro writer Dan Elektro believed that a person would find it difficult to not be impressed by the level of technical quality in the game, particularly it running at 60 frames per second and its use of animations from the PlayStation version. He considered it a "major leap forward" in handheld gaming.[26]Game Informer writer Andrew Reiner praised the visuals for managing to feel three-dimensional, as well as for its use of transparency to see the character when they move behind objects, stating that the visuals left him in awe over how impressive they were.[1]
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 was considered an exemplar of handheld conversions of console titles by multiple critics. Jonathan Metts felt that the issues of handheld conversions of console games came from a combination of hardware limitations and developers not wanting to make console-type games on handhelds. He praised Vicarious Visions for both the execution of the game on a technical level, as well as their courage for having attempted to create something like it in the first place.[20]GameSpot writerJeff Gerstmann was similarly critical of trends regarding handheld ports, claiming that developers tended to "[duplicate] one or two key aspects of the original game and freestyle the rest" with mixed results.[27] He considered it a benchmark for such games, as well as the best handheld skateboarding game ever made.[27] In his retrospective,Kotaku writer Luke Plunkett felt that the game had aged better visually than the console versions, remarking that games like this had to be more inventive in how it scaled down a console game compared to newer games.[36]
Vicarious Visions went on to work on otherTony Hawk games for the Game Boy Advance, excludingTony Hawk's Downhill Jam, instead developing theNintendo DS version. The 3D engine created for this game was used for future Vicarious Visions projects on the Game Boy Advance, includingCrash Bandicoot: The Huge Adventure,Jet Grind Radio, andTony Hawk's Pro Skater 3, the latter which had an internal 3D level editor they used to make level design more intuitive.[14]