Tony Hawk Shred is the direct sequel to last year’s game, Tony Hawk Ride. These games are known in videogames for its motion controlled skate board that comes with the game. In Tony Hawk Ride the skate board was a little too unresponsive, but that is definitely fixed in Tony Hawk Shred. The Skate Board controller is very responsive, but when I was trying to do more advanced moves which involved multiple pivots and grabs I found myself almost falling off the board. As with the last game, the center of balance is right down the middle of the board, which threw me off balance several times.
There are many famous skaters that are featured in the game, some include: Tony Hawk (Of Course), Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins, Corey Duffel, Travis Rice, Torah Bright, Sean Malto, David Gonzalez, Geoff Rowley, Stevie Williams, Louie Vito, and Chaz Ortiz. On the Xbox 360 and Wii versions of the game players can import their own Mii Avatar characters allowing them to be the pro skaters on the screen.
In Tony Hawk Shred there are many different game modes. For example, there is the option to snowboard with the Shred board which actually felt more realistic than the skateboarding mode. Personally, I would have liked it if the board had trucks for better pivoting with the skateboarding side of the game, but the controller is absolutely perfect for snowboarding.
Throughout the game there are helpful tips from Tony Hawk and other skaters that instruct the player on how to accomplish new and more difficult moves. Along with this, there are little pop ups in the game that tell the player how to perform different tricks.
One thing that I didn’t like about the controls is that all of the skating is on rails. The skater chooses which path to take on the map by leaning when prompted. I think the game would have been much more fun if there was more freedom, but I do understand why they kept the gamer constrained. The motion control technology is good, but it isn’t as realistic as real life. Aside from this fault, the game is very fun and engaging.
In conclusion, Tony Hawk Shred is a fun game and is definitely worth looking into if you like skating or sports games, but it definitely requires a strong sense of balance. I actually fell several times after losing my footing. Tony Hawk: Shred is available at retail and is available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Nintendo Wii.
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