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| Tony Hawk's Project 8 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer | Neversoft[a] |
| Publisher | Activision |
| Series | Tony Hawk's |
| Platforms | |
| Release | PlayStation 2,Xbox,Xbox 360PlayStation 3PlayStation PortableMobile |
| Genre | Sports |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
Tony Hawk's Project 8 is a 2006skateboarding video game and the eighth installment in theTony Hawk's series. It was developed byNeversoft and published byActivision in November 2006 for thePlayStation 2,Xbox,Xbox 360,PlayStation 3, andPlayStation Portable. The game complements the release ofTony Hawk's Downhill Jam, which was conversely available onNintendo systems along with the PlayStation 2 respectively. It received mostly positive reviews. With praise towards the "Nail the Trick" feature and graphics, while the removal of several key features and the absence of online functionality across all three PlayStation versions were criticized.
Tony Hawk, impressed with the undiscovered skate talent in the player's town, announces the creation of a new skating team entitled 'Project 8', where eight of the town's best skateboarders will be selected for the team. The player character starts ranked 200th and by completing challenges and goals, their ranking will gradually improve.[2]
The 6th-generation versions of the game (PlayStation 2, Xbox) as well as the PlayStation Portable version utilize the engine of the previous installment,Tony Hawk's American Wasteland, and the games that preceded it. The 7th-generation versions (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) feature a completely new game engine and gameplay to accommodate the more advanced hardware. The PSP version is the only version of the game to include an additional Classic Mode featuring goals in levels from pastTony Hawk games on a two-minute timer.[2]
For the 7th-generation versions,Project 8 features an open world, which contains variousskate parks and hidden sections. The open world is linear and visibly connected, in contrast to the loading tunnels inAmerican Wasteland. In the 6th-generation version, the levels are separate and have to be manually selected. There are 45 skaters in the game, including unlockable characters, who each have a uniquemo-cap style, providing a different experience and no recycled animations.
The game introduces the 'nail the trick' option. When a player enters this mode the camera will zoom in on the side to focus on the skateboard and the character's feet. Players are then able to use the right analog and left analog sticks to control the right and left feet, allowing the player to flip and rotate the board in any such manner, including tapping the underside of the board in the air and merging various techniques to form new moves.
Another new ability in the game is to control the characters in the game during bails, allowing the player to obtain a high "Hospital bill", with bonus money awarded for broken bones; this feature is used in numerous challenges across the story mode (on PS3 and Xbox 360). Players can also induce a bail manually. The option to walk, which was introduced inTony Hawk's Underground, is retained. The game also features a system named "Stokens"; landing combos in front of pedestrians will "stoke" them and give Stokens, which the player can then use to buy items in-game. In the 7th-generation versions, knocking over a pedestrian will cause them to chase the skater and retaliate, but the player is able to evade this if they skate far enough away.
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | (X360) 81/100[3] (PS3) 76/100[4] (PS2) 69/100[5] (PSP) 68/100[6] (XBOX) 67/100[7] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Eurogamer | (X360) 9/10[19] |
| GameRevolution | (X360)  [20] |
| GameSpot | (PS3) 7.3/10[10] (X360) 7.9/10[11] (PSP) 6.6/10[12] |
| GameSpy | (PS3) [21](X360) [22](PS2) [23](XBOX) [24](PSP) [25] |
| GamesRadar+ | (PS2)[15] (XBOX) [16](PSP) [17] |
| GameZone | (X360) 8.7/10[13] (PSP) 6.2/10[14] |
| IGN | (X360/PS3) 7.8/10[8] (PSP) 6/10[9] |
| Pocket Gamer | (PSP/Mobile)[18] |
The game was met with mostly positive reviews upon release, with the Xbox 360 version garnering an overall average of 81% onGameRankings. It was especially the subject of praise for its "Nail the Trick" mode and graphical enhancements. It received criticism for the removal of several key features.
In theGameSpot review of the PlayStation 3 version,Project 8 was criticized for its unstableframe rate.[26]IGN andGameSpot noted and criticized the absence of online functionality across all three PlayStation versions.[8][21]
TheAcademy of Interactive Arts & Sciences awardedTony Hawk's Project 8 with "Sports Game of the Year" at the10th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards.[27]