4. Tony Hawk's Underground [Video Game]

1. Bibliographic Information
Neversoft. (2004). Tony Hawk’s underground. [Video Game]. United States: Activism, Inc.

Rated Teen for Blood, Mild Violence, Strong Language, and Suggestive Themes

Console Played on: Playstation 2

Also available for Game Cube, Game Boy Advance, and Xbox.

ISBN: 1-58416-576-6

2. Plot Summary
Tony Hawk’s Underground begins with the ability to customize your player and skateboard. Users chose from a variety of aspects including face, clothing, and so forth. When you continue, your friend Eric Sparrow shows you a flyer for a Chad Muska demo. So you and your friend hit the streets of your New Jersey neighborhood to practice and explore new spots to skate. On the street there are numerous places to skate including the abandoned pool, Elm Street, and atop the roofs of the city. As you continue in the game, your moves attract the interest of Chad Muska who encourages you to get sponsored from Stacy Peralta. Once sponsored you tour the world skating in different countries such as Canada, Russia, and back in the United States. However, missions occur throughout the game and Eric is not always dependable. Play the game to see if you can gain the notoriety as a professional skater.

3. Critical Evaluation
Having little experience with video games, I found Tony Hawk’s Underground to be easy to pick up. Granted, the game was on “easy,” but unlike Half Life 2, the game provided beginners with a chance to become acclimated with the game. Moves can either be picked up via talking with other characters in the game or by trial and error by simply pressing buttons. For example, you can talk to other players in the game to learn how to jump off of your board to run on foot. With the game on easy, the custom player hardly falls, which allows the user a better chance of understanding the game. Missions are mostly determined by completing a move or a certain amount of points within a given time frame. While I did not necessarily complete all of the missions on the first try, the game did provide users with the ability to try again. Thus, the game felt like it was designed with the user in mind, emphasizing entertainment rather than complex strategy or moves.

4. Reader’s Annotation
Create your own skateboarder and impress Chad Muska in the fifth installment of the Tony Hawk videogames.

5. Information about the Author
Neversoft is owned by Activism Blizzard. It was started in 1994 by Joel Jewett, Chris Ward and Mick West, all of which used to work for Malibu Interactive. Neversoft’s most successful game franchises not only include the Tony Hawk games but also Guitar Hero and its subsequent releases.

6. Genre
Sports

7. Curriculum Ties
N/A

8. Booktalking Ideas
N/A

9. Reading Level/Interest Age
I think that teens aged 15-17 would enjoy playing this game.

10. Challenge Issues
The game is rated T for Blood, Mild Violence, Strong Language and Suggestive Themes. While I did not see all elements of the rating system, I did see blood and strong language while I was playing. I would advise adults to consult the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) found at: www.esrb.com for more information.

11. Why was it selected?
Not all teens play first person shooter video games, so I wanted to include a different type of game.

12. Citation
Entertainment Software Rating Board. (2010). Entertainment Software Rating Board. Retrieved from www.esrb.com.

Neversoft. (2010). About. Retrieved from http://www.neversoft.com/site/#/About/

Wikipedia.org. (2010). Tony Hawk’s underground. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Hawk's_Underground

Picture from
Wikipedia.org. (2010). Tony Hawk’s underground. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Hawk's_Underground

13. Awards
E3 2003 Game Critics Awards: Best Sports Game
GameSpot's Best And Worst 2003 Most Despicable Use of In-Game Advertising
MTV Video Music Awards's 2004 Best Video Game Soundtrack