It seems that Neversoft took a list of criticisms of the previous Tony Hawk titles and aimed to fix each and every flaw with this version. For example, Project 8 is a lot more open-ended than American Wasteland, so rather than having to traverse through seemingly endless tunnels, each area of the game is connected without loading. The levels themselves should also be a lot more realistic this time around, which should make the game feel a little more realistic. Control-wise if you're familiar with any of the previous Tony Hawk titles then the controls are rather similar, although the analogue controls should be a little tighter.
Controlling tricks mid air should be a lot of fun
The storyline of Project 8 is a lot more grounded than in previous installments, which means you won't be completing meaningless tasks just to win a part on a destruction tour or to impress your Jackass mates (literally). Players begin by customising their character and starting off as a nobody. The idea is to try and work your way up to being one of the top eight skaters in the world. Working your way up is a matter of completing challenges. Just like in previous titles, if you want to begin a mission all you need to do is walk up to a highlighted skater. If you're the type who prefers to just skate around for the hell of it, you can do this as well.
One of the challenges we saw required you to follow around a filmer as he yelled out tricks for you to pull off. A little video appears in the top left of the screen and you need to ensure you stay in view of the cameraman as you pull these tricks off. As a little bonus, ramps and rails will also be movable in the game so you can place them in a position to get to secret areas.
One of the greatest additions to the game is the 'nail the trick' option. If you're getting air you can actually slow down the game and it will zoom in on the player's feet. It's then possible to use the analog sticks to kick or flip the board and customise your own combo. In motion this looked rather remarkable, although we're not entirely sure whether this is an option that will always be available, it would make sense if you were only able to pull this off when your special bar is full. The nail the trick option looks like a lot of fun and puts the control of the trick firmly in the player's hands.
Spinning around on the ground isn't quite so appealing.
Other enhancements to the game include a GPS style direction system. If you need to get somewhere quick then it's possible to set a waypoint on the map and the game will direct you where to go. Pedestrians won't just be idle characters waiting for a bashing either, if you knock down a pedestrian then they will retaliate, so you could actually get knocked off your board and break a few bones.
Speaking of bone-breaking, the game also introduces the ability to control your bail. The game includes ragdoll pyschics so flying off your board is actually rather amusing but as you fall off your board a small tally will appear which tells you how much your hospital bill is. Some of the challenges in the final game will challenge players to hurt themselves as much as possible, but Neversoft haven't revealed too much about these challenges just yet.
The version we got to see in action a little while ago did have a few frame rate issues, but these will hopefully be rectified in time for the game's release. Tony Hawk's Project 8 will be available for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PSP, Xbox and PlayStation 2. We'll have more information on the title shortly, but it really does seem like this game may take the series back to it's roots; which can only be a good thing.
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