Tony Hawk’s Project 8

Tony Hawk’s Project 8
Publisher: Activision
ERP: £39.99

PlayStation launched so many games that are now household names you’d expect them always to excel on their home turf. Yet it would appear that Xbox 360 is now getting the pick of the sweetest editions of multi-format releases, and most conspicuously in the case of Tony Hawk’s Project 8 for PS3.

We’ve singled out Hawk’s because we feel that it belongs on PlayStation, if only because the trademark control scheme still feels so right on the controller. Even though the tirelessly inventive creative team at Neversoft has tried implementing motion-sensing SIXAXIS gameplay, the bigger picture ultimately lets the side down. We have the exact same game here as on Xbox 360, which is great, but crucially there’s no online mode whatsoever.

Considering that Neversoft got Hawk’s running online with the awkward PS2 set-up as far back as 2001 you can’t help but scratch your head at this omission. Why you’d choose to pay the same price for, as some people would have it, half the gameplay experience found on Xbox 360 is something you’ll need to discuss with yourself.

As for this stab at using the SIXAXIS controller, we didn’t get much joy attempting manuals or anything else that may or may not be possible. Mostly we ended up grimacing at the TV trying to make something happen, and in the end reverted to the traditional set-up. It still works, and we still like it.

Personally we enjoy the open-ended feel to Project 8, a return to the series’ roots as a celebration of the street sport. It looks gobsmacking on PS3, and the control feel is a massive step up from American Wasteland. We’re pretty sure Activision/Neversoft would’ve loved this to be online but something got in the way. Sadly, in the end, a PS3 game you’d be better off owning on Xbox 360.

Back to Playstation 3 Launch Special