Game Suckage: Tony Hawk's Underground 2

[ryan_self]

I know I'm a little behind on this one, but I just picked up Underground 2 for the PS2...and man, it SUCKS. Didn't these games used to contain, oh I don't know, some degree of a skating element? Instead I'm stuck running around (literally - on foot) completing minigames, and every decent move I get going gets me into the awful slow motion focus meter (whose idea was this? Why the hell can't we turn it off?). I'm going to trade this crap in tomorrow, get Underground 1 and Tony Hawk for the same price. And I'm sure as hell going to avoid American Wasteland.

[ArkiStan]

Should be called "Tony Hawk's Where's My Deck?"

[shocky123]

It's slow motion because you're using L-analog button, and pushing down on it during the trick. (L3 I believe)
I use the d-pad, mostly because I suck hardcore with the analogs heh, and never get the slow-motion thingy.
But yes, I agree, the game suxor'd pretty bad.

[ryan_self]

I know why the slow motion is happening, I just don't know how game-makers could be stupid enough not to enclude an option to turn the damn thing off. It's annoying, and almost every player uses the analog stick.

[eSDee]

The last good Tony Hawk game was the first one they made for PS2. After that, suckage :thumbdown:

[ryan_self]

I thought the first Underground was OK. The key for me is that the single-player mode is engaging enough to make working to open all levels worthwhile, and that levels are well-designed enough to make for some fun vs. matches with the friends. The first Underground offered that - I think the Russia level in that game is the best in the series.

[eSDee]

I thought the first Underground was OK. The key for me is that the single-player mode is engaging enough to make working to open all levels worthwhile, and that levels are well-designed enough to make for some fun vs. matches with the friends. The first Underground offered that - I think the Russia level in that game is the best in the series.

I thought when the series strayed from the timed missions/goals they broke the gameplay that was so much fun to begin with. Sure there are mini missions/goals in THUG and after, but I preferred the timed round rather than mini-timed missions. Another thing I don't like is how you jump on the board and you're going full speed right away. Back in the PS1 Tony Hawk you actually had to kick a few times to gain speed, and you couldn't just hit a jump after 5 feet and get crazy air. The momentum/physics in the newer games is just too unnatural for me. The thing I liked about the first Tony Hawk's were how realistic they seemed to be. Granted there's no way anyone can grind around a bowl then jump and grind a moving car, but a lot of the moves seemed a lot more believable than what you can do in the current incarnation of the series.

After reading about the Russia level that you wrote about I popped the game into my PS2 again last night. I must have deleted my old progress because I had to start at the beginning. I played for about a half an hour, griped about the issues I listed above, then put it down unsatisfied. I might be getting too old for the Tony Hawk series :shrug:

[ryan_self]

Playing long enough for the Russia board, is worth it. I'm a pure grind skater with minimal jumps, and that board is just loaded with grinds and transfers. I'm sure many get better scores, but me and a buddy used to play head-to-head in the two player mode and regularly finish with scores of 550,000-700,000 each.