Customer Reviews

Tony Hawks' Pro Skater 3

5 star:		(75)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Typically, I'm not a big fan of sports, or sports video games for that matter, and prefer my games to have some kind of story plot going on (I am a writer of fiction after all), but there's just something about Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3. I never played the original Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, but did attempt to play Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 for Playstation and subsequently got my butt creamed by my sister and her boyfriend (we played to see who could score the most points in Single Session play). I didn't really care for Tony Hawk 2, but with a lack of launch games available during the Nintendo Gamecube's release, I was willing to give Tony Hawk another try. Strangely enough, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 is now one of my favorite games.

The one thing that made Tony Hawk 3 more enjoyable for me was without a doubt the Gamecube controller's setup. Shortly after I purchased my Gamecube and Tony Hawk 3, my sister's boyfriend purchased the same game, but for Playstation. On the Gamecube version, I was kicking some serious butt and had almost unlocked all the regular levels. I believed I could beat my sister in getting a high score in single session play. I lost! What made the difference? The controller friends, the controller.

It wasn't so much that I was unfamiliar with the Playstation controller set-up, it's pretty standard in button layout, but the odd placement and design of the Gamecube controller's buttons made playing Tony Hawk ten times easier. The Gamecube's controller may look a little weird, but it works quite effectively. In fact, it's so much better I refuse to play Tony Hawk on the original Playstation. Really, that's how much difference controller setup can mean to games, but this review isn't about the controller, its about Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3.

As for the game itself, Tony Hawk 3 features twelve different pro skaters including, you guessed it, Tony Hawk, and a create-a-skate option to craft a skater of your own design to take you through the vast and complex skate arenas which await you. The create-a-skater option allows you to make your own skater from their sex, weight, height, clothes, tattoos, hair color, skin tone, and skate board. Unfortunately, people in the game don't look quite as realistic as the arenas the gamer has them skate in, but the create-a-skater option is a nice feature.

Graphically, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 for Gamecube, which is identical on the Playstation 2, makes the first three Tony Hawk games on the original Playstation look ridiculously old fashioned and outdated. A lot of hard work must have went into this game to give it the level of realism it is able to pull off. The skate areas in Tony Hawk 3 are superb and achieve detail close to that of Star Wars: Rogue Leader -Rogue Squadron 2. As I said before though, the people in the game could have looked a little better.

Speaking of the skate areas, they are huge. Each level is a massive skate arena with plenty of rails to grind and ramps to hurtle you in the air to perform various tricks. Tony Hawk 3 isn't all about tricks though, there are multiple goals to be performed in these massive skate areas. Attaining certain (and sometimes ridiculously high) scores, collecting the letters of the word skate, and, the hardest task of all for each level, obtaining the secret tape, as well as level specific goals, gives Tony Hawk 3 a lot of replay value. Of course, there are some levels where tricks are everything with no specific goals to meet. Three levels in Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 are skate contests, in which you have to wow virtual judges with your awesome tricks, wicked grinds, and ability to avoid slamming your face into a wall.

There are a variety of tricks to be performed in Tony Hawk 3, and knowledge of specific button combinations isn't actually required. All you really need to know is the basic function of each button, head toward a ramp, and launch your skater into the air. From there you just move your control stick a specific direction at the same time you press the B or X-button and see what happens. Just be sure to hold the A-button and straighten your skater out before you hit bottom or you'll beef it big time.

The sounds in the game are pretty admirable, but nothing to get too excited about. Other skaters will taunt you, bystanders will yell at you, and an announcer at the Airline level may give you a chuckle with his quips. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 also features a variety of music from different artists so things don't get too repetitive during your skate sessions. Nothing's worse than listening to the same exact sound track over and over again while playing a game.

The verdict: Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 is without a doubt an excellent game that's tons of fun for all and challenging enough to keep gamers coming back for more. If pure fun or a hearty challenge (or both for that matter) is what your all about when it comes to games, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 is definitely for you (and I personally recommend the Gamecube version, for which I'm writing this review, because the Cube's controller will deliver a much more enjoyable experience). On the other hand, if you prefer your games to contain some sort of overall story, look elsewhere because, like most sports game, you ain't going to find that here.

I played this game for the ps2 and it was great!I have heard that it will be the exact same thing on the Gamecube.The levels are huge and it is harder than the first two.In the career mode the goals are different for each charactar.This game is much better than x-games skateboarding,TRUST ME!!!

Not being a fan of extreme sports, I did not think I would enjoy the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series. However, a friend of mine got me hooked on Tony Hawk 2 for the Playstation and I was surprised at how much I thoroughly enjoyed it. So, once I got my GameCube, Tony Hawk 3 was the second game I bought (after Rogue Leader, obviously!!). I can say, unequivocally, that THPS 3 far surpasses its predecessors. Not only are levels and gameplay more appealing rewardingly challening, this game also benefits tremendously from being on the GameCube platform. I have played this game on PS2, as well, and it is a great deal more frustrating. The key to what makes the GameCube version of THPS 3 so much better is how it takes advantage of the asymmetrical control pad. Unlike the Playstation systems, GameCube's control buttons are set up in a manner where you do not need to be nearly as conscious of the buttons you are pressing, thereby freeing the player to focus more on what is happening on the screen (thus being more effective). The buttons on the GameCube control have different sizes, shapes and placements on the pad which allows the player to know which button does which simply by feel, as opposed to the Playstation buttons which are all the same except for the design on each of them (forcing the player to be conscious of what buttons he or she is pressing). Control issues aside, though, this game is fabulous. It's just challenging enough without being frustrating. I was personally able to accomplish 49 out of the 54 goals and got silver medals on the three competition levels before I had to resort to the cheats. Games like this (along with Rogue Leader), in my estimation, give GameCube the early leg up in the Next Generation system wars with X-Box and PS2.

If you are a fan of the other Tony Hawk games, rest assured you will love this one too. Don't even bother buying the PS2 version of this game, Gamecube is the only way to go. The graphics are better and the new create-a-skater options are superb. You can even change the pro's clothes and accesories This is one game that you should not hesitate on buying.

When I played THPS 2 for the Nintendo 64, I was blown away! The graphics and all the moves stunned me. I thought I was in heaven.
Oh, how I was wrong.
THPS 3 is THPS 2 to the 10th power. Every element of THPS 2 has been taken and supersized. With over 50 more tricks, all new levels, it can't get much better.

What makes the new Tony Hawk Skater game so awesome is it's increased gameplay features. In 1P mode, you can choose from:

Single session
Play any levels unlocked in career mode or any park you have created you self in the "Park Editor" mode. This allows you to get a taste of what career mode will be like without effecting your score.

Career mode
Play levels one at a time. After a certain number of goals are completed, a new level will unlock. In order, the levels are Foundry, (a construction place) Canada, (lots of snow, lots of rails) Rio, (A skating contest. If you get enough points and come in 3rd place a new level will be unlocked) Suburbia, (a quiet town) Airport, (Not the outside, just the inside) skaters island, (another skating contest) Los Angeles, then Tokyo. (The final skating contest.) And, once you complete 35 goals you unlock a special level where you are a cruise-ship (SWEEEEET!)

Free skate
Unlimited time. Just skate in any park created or level unlocked.

Tutorial
Learn some basics of the game. It's hosted by Tony Hawk himself.

In multiplayer (Only 2P maximum, which is still a downside) you can choose from games or just free skate. The games are:

Graffiti
By doing a trick off a certain object (Halfpipe, bench, trailer, ANYTHING!) it will turn to your color. If your opponent does a trick off the same object, but receives a higher score, it will turn to his/her color. The person with the most "tagged" objects after 1-10 minutes (depending on what you selected) wins.

Trick attack
Free for all. Choose any place. Rack up as much points as possible. Person with the most points at the end of the game wins.

Horse
You can select any word you want. (Horse, Skate, Loser, Superman, television...) A player goes first. He/she will do a trick, and, if landed, will receive a certain amount of points. If the next player can match or get more points than the other one, the other person has to match or get higher, etc, etc, until someone pulls off a score and the opponent fails to beat the score, or bails. After the person fails the same number of times are there are letters in the word, that person loses.

Slap
Anyplace, anywhere. When 2 skaters collide, the person with the faster skater knocks the slower one down and gets a point. The person with the most points at the end of the game, wins.

King of the hill
There's a crown out there somewhere, and the 1st person to find it becomes king. While you're the king, your time will start counting down. (From whatever time you selected) To make things fair, you skate slower while wearing the crown. If your opponent is faster than you and collides into you, he/she is now the king, and your clock has stopped and there's has started up.

Basically, it's amazing. However, the still only limited 2-person multiplayer bugs me. I'll give it a 9/10, which is still very, very, good.

Graphics? You want Graphics? I'll show you graphics. THPS 3 is amazing with every detail in the visual. The levels look amazingly 3D, along with every player. Every move has made it to look real and stunning. I couldn't make it better. With not a single 2D image, there is no way I can't give it less than a 10/10.

This is skating we're talking about. You'd think all you hear is a WHACK when the skateboard lands. As the grinch would say: Wrongo! There are about 7 different sounds the game will make when a player lands the board. When a player bails, the sound of the board flying away and hitting something is heard. When a cool trick is performed, another SFX occurs. It's great. With GRRRRRREAT music to go along with it, sound gets 10/10

Speed is an important element in THPS 3. I'm not talking about how fast you can travel; I'm talking about loading the game. I can't say I love it when it takes about 10-15 seconds to start a level, or to go to the park editor, or to save, or to go to the skateshop. Other GCube games don't take as long, so I'm going to stick with an 8/10 on speed. Sorry Tony!

If you ever played Tony Hawk 2 for the N64, you know how annoying the controls where. With the design of the controller, you where stuck with sloppy movement. This is a BIG improvement. The revolutionized GCube controller makes THPS 3 a breeze. Every move can be executed with ease, and grinding is the Y button, which is very close to your fingers. I must say I'm much better at 3 than 2. 10/10 is awarded to the controlling.

Replay ... Obviously! I'm not going to buy a skateboard game and play it once! I think all sports game need to have a 10/10 for replay or they just aren't worth buying. So, of course, Tony Hawk gets a 10/10.

As you can see, if you're going to get a skateboarding game, get Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3.

Cheats? Well, lemme tell you, it's pretty great. Just enter in 2 codes to unlock all the cheats and secret characters. With cheats on, during any gameplay you can press START, then turn any code you want on or off. With this great cheat element, I'll give it's score a +5

Let's review:
Gameplay: 9/10
Graphics: 10/10
Sound: 10/10
Speed: 8/10
Controls: 10/10
Replay value: 10/10
Total: 57/60 giving Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 a 95.
Bonus: With the +5 in cheats, Tony Hawk Pro skaters gets a perfect 100! (Wow, my 1st 100 given to a game. Now I'm even more convinced this a great game)

I have played THPS3 (along with the other two) and have concluded that it is a great game with a couple bad points:
Some bad points are that the gameplay is easy & repeatitive, which makes it a typical rental game; some modes are frustating (such as the park editor) for control reasons; and sometimes the blood effects go a bit too far (once you see your skater being dragged down a half pipe with a HUGE trail of blood marking where he or she bailed, you'll know what I mean).
Still, THPS3 has many delightful features. Civilians minding their own business in levels like Los Angeles give the game a more realistic feel; the soundtrack is much better than the last one with more recognizable artists; the create-a-skater and park editor features have more options; there are a lot more levels (which are much bigger & better); and the characters (including the 5+ secret ones) are much more detailed and realistic. Also, the objectives in career mode are very fun, unique, and creative.
In conclusion, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 is a must-buy if you don't mind its cons.

This is a really awesome game that deserves a lot of credit. I'm a Tony Hawk fan and what I saw in this game really surprised me. This levels are nearly twice as big and there are all new moves for the players. There is also specific goals for each skater so it's no more starting the game over again with a new player and doing the same stuff like in the previous game. The all new levels are also awesome and the graphics have made a major leap from the N64 Tony Hawk's Pro Skaer 2 and they have improved some from the Playstation 2 Tony Hawk 2. Also what is really nifty is the ability to create a female skater in the Create A Skater option. My advice to those who have never played Tony Hawk before is to buy this game because you can start of clean with an amazing view of this game. And for those who have played Tony Hawk before i really recomend that you buy this game because it is much better than Tony Hawk 1 and 2. You can buy this game for any recent system and it's really woth your time and money.

I was not sure which system i was going to buy gamecube or Xbox. I was not sure because xbox had halo and gamecube had tony hawk 3. Well guess what Halo is nothing to Tony hawk 3. The game is the same thing as the past tony hawks except with new moves and new levels and a new character. The new character is Bam Margera from the show Jackass and some of the new levels are the factory and others. It was good that activision added the new revert move because it was stupid that you could not keep stringing together combos after a halfpipe, but now you can.

P.S.
Bob burnquist is not in the game anymore, rumors say ever since he won the x games he decided to make his own game. His game is supposed to be better then Tony Hawk but i don't see that happening.

THPS3 for GC is pretty much the same thing as the PS2 version except the fact that there is no online mode, but to make up for that the graphics are slightly better (but not much) and the framerate is higher. That's the way it is for a lot of ports on the GC, they'll just make the framerate higher on the game than it was on the original system it came out for. So if you don't care about online play, you'll be getting a special treat with the GC version with better graphics and framerate.

Here's are some tantalizing tidbits from the THPS3 review at Nintendorks. Enjoy!

"My first experience with a Tony Hawk title came at a friend's house after the release of the original on Playstation. Within an hour I knew exactly how addictive this game was, even though I knew almost nothing about skateboarding in general. And that right there is an important feature of the Tony Hawk series: it's so good, that you don't even have to own a skateboard, know how to use a skateboard, or even to have a desire to do these things to be hooked on this game. Any sports game that can pull you in and not let go even if you have merely a passing interest in the sport itself goes beyond the genre which seems mainly for enthusiasts and diehards and becomes quite simply, but all the more impressive, 'just a game.' Yes, it may seem like a derogatory thing to say, but Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3 is one of those games that defies its supposed genre and target audience and becomes something universal.

This game is quite possibly one of the most replayable titles for launch, and probably will remain up there into next year. Even without online play, the multiplayer is outstanding, featuring a large and diverse number of modes to compete in. Graffiti is an addictive matchup that will allow for less experienced players to still have a shot at taking on even the most experienced player since often times victory goes to one with the opposite mantra of both Nintendo and the Iron Chef: 'quantity, not quality.' Yes, pulling off huge combos is always a good way to win, but I don't know how many times I've personally lost to people at this mode simply because they performed smaller point tricks on more places further out in the course. Horse is back and still exciting, as is the simple joy of Trick Attack. Oh yes, and let's not forget Slap! Yes, Slap! is one of the craziest modes, because you are attempting to build up your special meter and then run head-on into your opponent to score points. This mode is almost as addictive as the Battle mode in Mario Kart.

Is this game worth adding to your GameCube collection? Yes. By all means. There are not words of proper caliber to express how addictive this game is. And if, by some bizarre act of psychosis, you get tired of the courses available, you have the option of making your own with the well constructed create-a-park feature. It takes awhile to create a worthy course, but once you do, you'll find yourself endlessly entertained by the fact that you're tricking off ramps you placed. In fact, that's a main theme in this game: self-satisfaction. Level goals and beating your friends can only go so far for entertainment value, but this game goes that extra mile and allows you to play simply for the sheer value of saying 'look what I can do,' and bringing a childlike enthusiasm to even the oldest gamer. If you're willing to put in the time, no matter who you are, you will grow to love this game."