Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4 (PS2)
Developed by: Neversoft
Published by: Activision

This installment in the Tony Hawk’s pro skater series is by far the best one yet. If you thought THPS 3 kicked ass, THPS 4 not only kicks it but makes you its bitch at the same time.

The biggest improvements would have to be the newly revised career mode. For those of you who are already familiar with any other THPS, the career mode in this version is kind of like free sk8 mixed in. You have no time limit and the option to choose when you want to do a goal. You can also save a restart point, which comes in handy when you’re trying to conquer that triple axle turd man fart roof gap (no such gap is depicted in the game. I just made it up so I could use the word fart in a sentence) and don’t want to waste time getting there again if you mess up. Also in this version you are granted the ability to do spine transfers and flatland tricks. I won’t bother getting into details, but trust me, these features come in handy and also have the ability to kick ass. Boy, you should be really sore by now.

Although THPS4 is a kick ass game, there are many things that could be improved on like graphics and sound. The player models look a bit better overall but it generally looks just like THPS3. But hey, who cares? It’s all about that addictive trademark gameplay that will keep you away from many of life’s necessities. I just feel sorry for all the Newbies that are being exposed to THPS for the first time, because it’s a damn challenging game. Although you don’t have to beat the game with every character, there are over a 150 goals to beat, not to mention the gaps, secret skaters, pro challenges, levels, boards, clothing, cheats, tricks, etc. My only beef would be some of the tunes in the game. I enjoy the Iron Maiden skid rock, but a couple of those generic cheesy punk tunes have got to go. I enjoy punk but in this case it’s “skunk”.

It’s the little things that make this game addictive like fine Columbian smack straight from Sanchez himself. It’s amazing how Neversoft successfully adds that extra creamy coat of whip cream every time a new version is due out. Be warned though, once that power button is turned on, it’s not coming off until you realize you’ve lost all your friends. Don’t worry my son, THPS 4 is better than friends. All you need is Tony. I’m not talking in that gay way either. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I give this a 9.5 of soreness out of 10 on my ass kick meter. — CHIAN