Today I gave in to temptation and curiosity and plunked down ten buck for a copy of Konami Evolution Skateboarding for PS2. The guy at the game store warned me that this was not a wise choice but I am a wild kind of guy and it was a Konami game so chances were it would not be that bad. Usually low cost games such as this are a cause for caution but I was surprised to find a decent and sorta fun Tony Hawk Pro Skater Clone game for ten bucks new.
The control is pretty close to Tony Hawk. Some noticeable differences is that in order to push you have to press forward and you have to press L2 or R2 to spin when doing an aerial trick off a ramp. The game stars some real but b-list pro skaters. I have not been a real skater since the late 80s so I can't tell you anything about these kids.
Each skater progresses through a different set of levels including a mid evil castle level based on Castlevania.
This game also has a pretty keen Boss Attack Mode where you have to take out a giant boss by grinding on key targets. In the castle level you run into none other than Dracula from Castlevania in Symphony of the Night clothes. In his boss fight he summons skeletons who you have to get enough speed then jump and grind their heads to kill them. This breaks the monotony of some levels and is such a good idea I am surprised to see that Tony Hawk and pals have not thought about it.
The music was good and at least it had Primus on it. The game suffered from bad announcer syndrome but I could get over it.
Hardcore Tony Hawk freaks will probably get pissed off about the little things that this game does different than Tony Hawk but if you are not uptight than just sit back and enjoy a really cheap and fun Skateboarding game to tide you over until the next damn Tony Hawk game ships. I think according to his contract Tony is going to be cranking out games for at least a decade to come.
Hey any game that is decent and has Solid Snake as an unlockable character is all right in my book and the 10 buck price tag was pretty keen. They also have a Gamecube Version but the store was all out.
So if I'm reading this right, this game will allow Solid Snake to take on Dracula while riding a skateboard? I would've never thought of that.
You are correct sir. Actually you don't get to hit dracula just his army of skeletons while he watches.
Wasn't Evolution the engine used for the skateboarding levels in Metal Gear Solid: Substance? Those were OK.
It's got to be better than Simpsons Skateboarding, anyway ... ughck.
You are correct sir. There are four skater from Metal Gear Solid 2 including Snake and Raiden. The full game is actually pretty decent. It is defiantly underrated and it is a steal on the PS2 for 10 and 13 for the Gamecube version. It is not as good as a Tony Hawk but it does not suck like BMX XXX
Few games suck ass quite like BMX XXX. Not even Simpsons Skateboarding is that bad. Simpsons Wrestling, maybe.
Hooray for cheap games! :)
I am all for good cheap games that are actually fun to play. They do not have to be super deep just not crappy, buggy shareware passed off as a game. This is a good game.